Slight dehydration, just 1.5% of your total body mass, can inhibit max strength by 6%.
Did you know that water can make you stronger? A whopping 70% of your muscle tissue is water. If that isn’t a dead giveaway of water’s importance on strength, I’ll share a few more insights.
One study that looked at the effects of water on strength output found that, in a slightly dehydrated state, a shortage of only 1.5% of your total body mass, you can only lift 94% of your maximum.
Now, that may not seem like a huge decrease at first, but let’s explore what that means. In an intense 45-minute workout, the amount of reps you can do with any given weight is directly proportional to your 1-rep max in the movement.
Everyone is a little different, but for example, if one’s dumbbell military press 1-rep max is 60 lbs in each hand, then they can likely do 15 reps with 40 lb dumbbells. If the 1-rep max (120 total pounds) is reduced by 6% to 112.5 lbs due to slight dehydration, they have to reduce the weight to 32 lbs per hand to get the reps. That’s a reduced work output of 16 total pounds per set.
Over 3 working sets, that’s 48 fewer pounds hoisted. Now that’s just one exercise. Over a 12-exercise full body workout, for example, with that being the average weight (not unreasonable considering the demands of squats/deadlifts/chest press, rows etc), that’s 576 pounds NOT lifted!
That makes a big different in total work output, a big difference in total calories burned, a big difference maximum strength gained, and a big difference in excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (or EPOC – the “after-burn” effect that can continue for 24-48 hours).
So stay hydrated, maximize your exercise sessions, get leaner, get stronger, and get it all faster.
Staying hydrated is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to maximizing your strength and performance. Strength training itself offers a wealth of benefits that extend far beyond the gym, improving everything from functional movements to posture and even bone health. If you’re curious about how lifting weights can enhance your daily life, check out How Strength Training Helps You Beyond the Gym for a deeper dive into the practical advantages of strength training.
