As athletes, staying hydrated goes beyond just drinking water, especially during long or intense workouts. When you sweat, you lose both fluids and electrolytes. Replacing only one can throw your performance off balance, which is why understanding hydration and electrolytes for endurance athletes is important.
Hydration is more than just drinking water, it’s about maintaining the right fluid and electrolyte balance so that your body can perform efficiently and so that your body can carry out physiological functions properly.
For endurance athletes, proper hydration supports blood volume, circulation, temperature regulation, muscle function, nerve signaling, and recovery from training and racing. Electrolytes, including sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and chloride, play a critical role. They help regulate hydration, physiological functions, and recovery.
Water replaces fluid lost through sweat and breathing. Electrolytes replace the minerals lost in sweat and helps retain the water you drink. Drinking only water for long duration workouts will dilute sodium levels in the blood, which can affect both performance and health. In extreme cases, low blood sodium leads to hyponatremia.
When to Focus on Electrolytes
When should you focus on including electrolytes? You don’t need it in every workout.
- Workouts under 60 minutes: Water is usually sufficient.
- Workouts over 60-90 minutes: Add electrolytes to your hydration plan.
- High sweat sodium loss: Increase electrolyte intake to coordinate with your rate.
How to Include Electrolytes in Your Training
Want to dial in your hydration strategy? Start with the steps below and read all the details on guidelines and calculation in the Health & Nutrition resources.
Know Your Sweat Rate
Calculate your sweat rate each season to estimate the fluid lost. This helps tailor how much you need to drink.
Know Your Sweat Sodium Loss
“Salty” sweaters need more sodium than the average sweater and will need to focus on including enough electrolytes in their hydration plan.
A sweat sodium concentration test is a one-time test that measures the amount of sodium you lose in sweat so that you know how much electrolytes should be included in your hydration plan. This is a test that is generally carried out by dietitians or physiologists.
Choose the Right Source
Options for electrolytes vary, so choose the one that aligns with your preferences and needs. Options include sports drinks that combine both carbs and electrolytes or electrolyte tabs and powders. The key here is reading labels and ingredients. Look for clean and natural as opposed to artificial. Electrolytes are present in whole foods, which should be included in your daily nutrition, but depending on your needs may not be enough to supplement a long workout.
Some of our favorites include: Skratch Labs and Salt Stick.
If you’re in a pinch with no other options, pour a pack of table salt (those paper salt packs that can be found at fast food establishments) under your tongue.
Practice in Training
Always test your hydration strategy in training, not on race day, to see how your body responds.
Understanding the relationship between hydration and electrolytes for endurance athletes is essential for performance, recovery, and overall health. By knowing when and how to include electrolytes in your training, you can avoid dehydration and hyponatremia, maintain energy, and perform at your best.
Want a personalized fueling plan based on your race goals and sweat rate?
Learn more about our Nutrition Coaching.
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