How Much Water Should You Drink to Gain Muscle?

LAST UPDATED: April 26th, 2022

Water is essential for bodybuilders.

It is a great ally in bodybuilding.

Many of you may not know how important water is.

And a lot of bodybuilders don’t drink enough water, so that’s why I decided to write about it.

Besides water, you need to intake proteins, carbs, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and you need to have a balanced diet high in fiber.

However, drinking water is even more important than all of that.

What is the role of water in our bodies?

Without water, none of the processes that take place in your body (your muscles, too) would be possible.

Water is the main ‘mean of transport’ that takes nutrients to the cells.

Also, water is very important for the biochemical reactions that result in muscle hypertrophy.

Furthermore, water has an important role in getting rid of waste and toxins.

And what is most important for gym-goers – badly hydrated muscles or dehydrated muscles don’t grow.

You will not gain muscle mass if you don’t drink enough water.

Period.

Why is water important for your muscles?

Water has a pretty important role during exercising called cooling.

To avoid body overheating, you need to intake a bigger amount of cold water (not ice water) to enable more effective cooling.

That’s a big task since when you engage in physical activity the production of heat in your muscles can increase even 20 times more than when you are resting.

Besides, water is in charge of cleansing your body and muscles.

It circles and feeds the muscle cells.

Thanks to the level of electrolytes and feeding the cells, water improves the ability of the cells to increase and that requires fast and effective nutrient processing and breaking down unnecessary substances.

Water helps to get rid of toxins and useless substances that stop immune functions, the growth of muscles and their regeneration.

So, you shouldn’t dehydrate if you want to build your muscles. (1)

What are the symptoms of dehydration?

How to know if you are dehydrated?

Don’t forget when you work out you shouldn’t dehydrate.

If that happens you need to drink a lot of water and exercise less or skip exercising that day.

Let’s check some symptoms.

The symptoms of dehydration are dry mouth, unpleasant feeling in the throat, chapped lips, changes on the lids and/or the skin, fatigue, vertigo, irritability, lack of appetite and of course, thirst.

What is the impact of dehydration on your workout and muscles?

A lot of research has shown that people are less physically active when they lack fluid in the amount of 1.8% body weight.

When your muscles are 3% dehydrated you lose even 10% strength and 8% speed!

This condition is called dehydration and it can be very serious for your health.

When you lose 7% water you collapse.

So, water is more important than we think.

How much water should you drink if you want to increase your muscle mass?

So, how much water should you drink a day?

Let’s see some math now.

The necessary amount of water per pound is 0,01 Liter.

That means a bodybuilder that weighs 200lbs needs 10 glasses (68 oz) per day.

Don’t forget that this means only water, without juice, tea, soup or any other fluids you intake during the day.

The intake of water also depends on your body structure, how much water you lose when you sweat, the number of proteins, carbs, and fat in your diet, the type of carbs (liquid or solid).

Taking into consideration that the human needs for a water change every day it’s important to be consistent in drinking water, so drink a lot of it so that you don’t have to worry about the numbers.

If you drink lots of water you don’t need to have a strict schedule for drinking a certain amount of water.

How much water should you drink before your workout?

Don’t forget to intake water before working out.

A tip: drink a lot of water before your workout so that you increase blood flow to your muscles and sweat as in a sauna.

You need to hydrate before exercising.

That’s how you’ll prevent a lack of fluid during exercising and during the critical period after your workout.

So, drink about 3 glasses of water half an hour before your workout.

A high amount of water increases blood flow to your muscles.

The fluid from your bloodstream gets to the tissue around your muscle cells.

How much water should you drink during your workout?

The optimal amount of water during your workout should be 1-2 glasses every 15 minutes.

Why?

That is the optimal amount of water your body can absorb from the gastrointestinal tract during that time.

So, during your workout, you should drink 4-6 glasses of water.

How much water should you drink considering your diet?

Bodybuilders eat certain kinds of food that reduce the amount of fluid, so you need to increase the intake of water and other fluids.

Food high in proteins and low in carbs, or high in fat and low in fiber causes that.

It’s good advice to increase the intake of water in the morning after waking up (before breakfast) to drink water.

Also, after your meal, between meals, before and after workouts.

Drink 2 glasses of water before your workout to improve the flow of nutrients to the muscles.

Between meals: always have a big bottle of water with you to drink during the day.

You can read more about the best drinks for muscle mass here.

What to Take with Water to Build Muscles Faster?

If you want faster and better results, I suggest you read more about the best bodybuilding supplements.

Of course, I am talking only of natural supplements.

These supplements contain all the necessary ingredients, vitamins, and minerals your body needs after a hard workout.

The best supplement for me is Dbal.

D-bal is the best natural alternative to the steroid Dianabol (best for muscle mass).

Thanks to the mix of powerful ingredients, vitamins and minerals D-bal increases nitrogen retention in your muscles.

Nitrogen is essential for protein synthesis.

D-bal is safe and effective.

You can read more about D-bal here.

How Much Water to Gain Muscles – Bottom Line:

So, you saw why bodybuilders drink a gallon of water a day.

This is one general guide about water: how much to drink and when.

The best tip is to drink a little water every time you feel thirsty or your mouth is dry.

To increase your muscle mass, follow the rules mentioned above about drinking water before, during and after your workout.

The best natural supplement to boost muscle growth is D-bal.

If you want to see how you can increase your muscles faster with the best natural supplements I am using, click on the link below:

BEST NATURAL LEGAL STEROID ALTERNATIVES!