How Much Should You Drink During Endurance Training?

Hydration is important for endurance performance, but hydration needs vary significantly between individuals. Some athletes sweat heavily, while others lose less fluid during exercise.

A useful way to estimate hydration needs is to calculate sweat rate. Sweat rate can be estimated by weighing yourself before and after a training session, accounting for any fluid consumed during the session.

Sweat rate varies depending on:

• Temperature

• Humidity

• Exercise intensity

• Clothing

• Individual physiology

Typical sweat rates range from around 0.5 litres per hour to over 1.5 litres per hour in hot conditions.

Once you know your sweat rate, you can plan hydration for long training sessions and races. The goal is usually not to replace 100% of fluid loss, but to avoid large levels of dehydration.

You can estimate your sweat rate using the Sweat Rate Calculator on this site.

Hydration should always be practiced during training, not just on race day. Knowing how much you typically drink per hour makes race planning much easier.

Hydration is one part of the equation, and understanding how much you should be fuelling is just as important.