Do You Know Your Sweat Rate?

Ever since I was a child I sweat a lot, no matter the activity. Things have not changed as I’ve gotten older. My first year playing professional hockey over in Germany really showed me how much I could actually sweat. The arena we played in was partially outdoors, as the whole back wall was exposed to the outside. And since training camp started in August it was very hot and humid in the rink. It felt like a rain forest. There was so much fog you couldn’t even see the puck in the corner from the blueline. There was condensation dripping from the ceiling of the arena. These conditions made me sweat more than I ever had in the past and it was very difficult to stay cool because of the humidity in the air. This wasn’t the ideal environment to be playing hockey in but it had to be done.

Being a guy who already sweats a ton, these conditions made it so much worse for me. I was losing so much water weight that when I wasn’t training I needed to do nothing but drink water and juice to replenish everything I had lost.

Do you know how do you figure out your sweat rate so you know exactly how much water to drink after training to replenish all the fluids you lost?

Before a typical training session (60-minute duration) you need to weigh yourself naked (or with a minimal amount of clothing) and then weigh yourself again after the training session (make sure you’re not wearing your sweaty clothes). The difference between your pre-workout weight and your post-workout weight is what we call your sweat rate.  For example, if you weighed 85 kg (187lbs) before the training session and 82kg (180lbs) after the training session you would have a sweat rate of 3kg (7lbs) per hour. And each 1kg (2.2lbs) of sweat loss is equivalent to 1L (32 ounces) of fluid.

If you didn’t already know, muscles are made up of approximately 75% water. And in order for our muscles to perform at their full potential, we need to keep them hydrated. All it takes is a 2% drop in bodily fluids for us to see a decrease in strength. If we use our 85kg athlete as an example, it would only take this individual a 1.7kg of weight loss during their training or competition to see a decrease in strength. At 4% loss of bodily fluids, our core temperature will rise and our heart rate will increase and we will fatigue much faster.

To prevent dehydration during training and competition it is extremely important to continue to drink water throughout your activity. A good rule of thumb is to drink at least 80% of your hourly sweat rate in fluids during your event. If we reference back to the sweat rate of 3kg per hour this means you will want to consume 2.4L (76.8 ounces) of fluids during your event. Consuming this will help prevent dehydration and keep your muscles performing at optimal levels.

On event days, 4 hours before the competition you should drink 5-7 ml/kg of bodyweight (BW) of water and 2 hours before you should consume another 3-5 ml/kg of BW of water. However, we can not only drink fluids on the days of our events and expect that we will be hydrated and perform at our highest potential. We have to drink water on a daily basis to maintain a healthy fluid balance. Recommended daily fluid intake will depend on a few variables like body size, the intensity of exercise, and levels of heat and humidity in your environment. Coffee, tea, juices, and foods containing high water content all contribute to your daily fluid intake. Males should drink a minimum of 3 litres of water daily and females should drink a minimum of 2 litres daily.

Along with fluid loss through sweat, we also lose minerals (electrolytes) like potassium and sodium. Water alone will not replace these electrolytes, therefore, you should consume some juices, sports drinks or potassium rich food to replenish these electrolytes.

Below is a list of items that contain high levels of potassium:

• 1 large Potato (820mg of potassium)
• 250 ml of Orange Juice (475mg of potassium)
• 1 medium Banana (450mg of potassium)
• 1/4 cup of raisins (300mg of potassium)

To help increase your sodium levels it is recommended to add a little table salt to your meals or you can consume some of the following items:

• 1 can of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup (2225mg of sodium)
• 1 packet of Ramen Noodles (1560mg of sodium)
• 1 cup of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (560mg of sodium)
• 1 Bagel (500mg of sodium)

Remember that it’s good to sweat because it’s our body’s way of keeping us cool and allowing us to exercise longer and at a higher rate. But as soon we lose too much bodily fluid through sweat we become dehydrated and our performance will decrease drastically. Drinking water continuously throughout the day is the best way to prevent dehydration.

With all the sweating hockey players do there is typically a smell that goes along with it. Check out the infographic from Prostockhockey.com to help combat the stink that goes along with all the hard work!