Abstract
Body hydration ensures maximum muscle cell volume and aids muscle growth, when we become dehydrated, we expel HâO from the muscle cells, which determines an "anti-anabolic" or catabolic, muscle wasting state.
-A decrease of just 1.5% in your hydration level already causes a loss of your maximum weight lifting capacity.
-How many liters of water should I drink per day?
To get leaner you have to drink water. If you want to gain real muscle, reducing the time you spend on cardio may seem like a no-brainer. Resistance training helps you achieve holistic benefits, but its answer to burn calories fast puts it at odds with the need to bulk up your biceps for tank top season, which is already knocking on the door.
But we're in luck, because new scientific research suggests it doesn't have to be that way. French researchers have found a solution to staying in shape without sacrificing health, endurance or the impressive fat-loss potential of cardio. They have discovered that drinking water during cardio training to hydrate the body well can open the floodgates of bodybuilding hormones, and that regular H²O can have an anabolic effect and help muscle growth.
In a study published in the European Journal of Endocrinology, scientists asked subjects to pedal an exercise bike and measured fluctuations in their levels of human growth hormone (HGH). One group was instructed to drink water to replenish fluids lost through sweating, while the other trained without drinking. The hydrated cyclists produced 40% more HGH, which translated into greater fat loss and muscle maintenance.
The results suggest that receptors in the bloodstream stimulate HGH production when fluid levels increase. This supports the findings of another parallel study conducted at California State University with bodybuilders. This research, published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, showed that as little as a 1.5% decrease in hydration levels led to a decrease in muscle strength during bench press training. This is further proof that drinking water while training will help us gain more muscle in the medium and long term. This is because a notable decrease in the levels of water accumulated in the cells will impede protein synthesis, a function that is essential for muscle cell growth.
At the same time, another study conducted by Tammy Chang, a researcher in the Department of Family Medicine at the U-M Medical School, revealed that there is a relationship between drinking water and body fat index. It was observed that people who were better hydrated were less likely to be overweight.
If you want to fill out your t-shirt, and sport a body with more muscle and less fat, be sure to fill your bottle first!
Autor: ADMINISTRADOR
June 07, 2023
