How Much Water Should I Drink When I Start Training?

0 to Elite course · Lesson 37 of 100 · Level 2: Beginner Training & Nutrition

Hydration is one of the easiest wins in this course. Being even a little dehydrated can make training feel harder and hunger harder to read. This lesson gives you a simple daily target, a way to check yourself and a plan for training days.

Why hydration matters for training

Water makes up a large part of your body weight. It helps regulate your temperature, carries nutrients around your body, cushions your joints and keeps your muscles working well. When you are short on fluid you tend to notice it in the gym first: sessions feel harder, you tire sooner and you may get headaches.

Thirst and hunger also feel similar. Many people who “need a snack” mid-afternoon are actually a bit dehydrated. Getting your water right makes the nutrition habits from the last few lessons easier to stick to.

How much water should you drink?

The NHS Eatwell Guide suggests around 6 to 8 glasses of fluid a day for most adults. That’s roughly 1.5 to 2 litres. Think of it as a sensible floor, not a strict rule. You will need more when:

• You train, especially if you sweat a lot.
• It’s hot, or you’re in a warm office or on a busy commute.
• You’re larger or more active in general.
• You’re ill with a fever, vomiting or diarrhoea.

A simple training-day plan: have a glass of water a couple of hours before your session, sip during it, and drink again afterwards. For most gym sessions of an hour or less, plain water is all you need. Sports drinks are only really useful for long, sweaty endurance work, which you met briefly in lesson 30 on cardio.

The easiest way to check yourself

Look at the colour of your urine. The NHS uses this as a simple guide: pale straw-coloured usually means you’re drinking enough. Dark yellow and strong-smelling usually means you need more. Completely clear all day, every day can mean you’re drinking more than you need.

Other signs you may be short on fluid include thirst, a dry mouth, tiredness, headaches and feeling lightheaded.

What counts as a drink?

Water is the best choice because it has no calories and no sugar. But other drinks count too:

• Tea and coffee count towards your fluid. Just watch the sugar, syrups and large milky drinks, which add calories.
• Lower-fat milk and sugar-free drinks count.
• Fruit juice and smoothies count, but the NHS advises keeping them to a combined 150ml a day because of the sugar.
• Food such as fruit, vegetables, soups and yoghurt also adds water.

Alcohol is not a good way to hydrate. We cover it properly in lesson 41.

Hydration on training days

Sweat rates vary a lot from person to person. Some people finish a session with a dry shirt, others are soaked after the warm-up. If you want a rough idea of how much you lose, weigh yourself before and after a typical session, in the same clothes. Any drop in weight is mostly fluid, and you can replace it gradually over the next few hours with water and your next meal.

On very hot days or in long, sweaty sessions you also lose salt. For most gym training a normal meal afterwards replaces it. If you start doing long endurance events, that’s when electrolyte drinks become worth considering.

Health note: if you have heart, kidney or liver problems, or you have been told to limit fluids, follow your GP’s advice rather than general targets. Drinking very large amounts of water in a short time can be dangerous, so spread it through the day. See a GP if you have constant thirst, very dark urine despite drinking, or dizziness that doesn’t settle.

Building the habit

Like everything in lesson 5 on habits, the trick is to attach the new behaviour to something you already do:

• Drink a glass of water when you wake up, before your first coffee.
• Keep a bottle on your desk and refill it at lunch.
• Have a glass with every meal.
• Always pack a bottle in your gym bag.

Your action steps

1. Find a bottle you like and measure how much it holds.
2. For the next three days, count how many glasses of fluid you actually drink.
3. Use the urine colour check each afternoon and adjust.
4. Add a glass of water before and after every training session this week.

Frequently asked questions

How much water should I drink a day in the UK?

The NHS Eatwell Guide suggests about 6 to 8 glasses of fluid a day for most adults, which is around 1.5 to 2 litres. You’ll need more when you exercise or it’s hot.

Do tea and coffee count towards water intake?

Yes. Tea and coffee count towards your daily fluid. Keep an eye on added sugar, syrups and large milky drinks, which add calories.

How do I know if I’m drinking enough water?

A simple check is urine colour. Pale straw-coloured usually means you’re well hydrated, while dark yellow usually means you need to drink more.

Keep going

Previous: Lesson 36: Healthy Fats Explained: The Macro Beginners Fear Most

Next: Lesson 38: How Much Fibre Per Day, and What About Vitamins and Minerals?

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