drtbear1967
Musclechemistry Board Certified Member
In ancient times, salt was precious. It was traded as themost valued of all commodities, and having a good supply of salt was as closeto life insurance as you could get. Age-old aphorisms like "salt of theearth" and "worth your salt" remind us how important salt hasalways been. <o
></o>
So all the modern-day phobias surrounding salt and sodiumseems to present us with a paradox: how could something so vital to survival inone era be considered so deadly in another? <o></o>
The answer may surprise you. The anti-sodium campaignactually began as a commercial movement to sell different foods and snacks,under the guise of being healthier. Much like the low-fat movement,manufacturers care more about selling products than they do about scientificaccuracy.<o></o>
As soon as the low-sodium content advertisements wereshown to create dividends, other food and supplement companies followed suit,to the point where consumers started to believe that low-sodium was good, andsalt, in general, was bad. People failed to see that they had beeninternalizing advertising, not actual scientific information.<o></o>
For generations, manufacturers have marketed theirproducts by bombarding the public with what ingredients their brand either doesor does not have to make their product sell better than the competition's. Likesheep, consumers followed along, buying the "low fat this" or"no sodium that" product, without asking themselves why. In regard tosodium intake, studies are coming in regularly refuting its bad reputation andnegative impact on human health, performance, and physiology. <o></o>
Even after thousands of years, human biochemistry andphysiology haven't changed much. Although few of us toil under the swelteringsun any more, our bodies' need for electrolytes hasn't changed. In fact, themetabolic needs of high-performance athletes probably most closely resemblesthe needs of our ancient forefathers, especially in regard to electrolyteingestion. <o></o>
Studies in Canada at McGill and McMaster Universitieshave concluded that unless one has a specific and serious condition that wouldpreclude him from taking in salt, then salt intake will produce no negativehealth problems, and could actually be health promoting. As a matter of fact,only 10% of hypertension cases have a known cause, and in almost all of thesecases, the cause was either genetic or stress related.<o></o>
For all you short attention span types out there, here isthe bottom line: high-performance athletes should not avoid sodium. Theyshould, in fact, ensure that they get adequate amounts of sodium every day toprevent negative metabolic consequences, and to promote maximum performance.That's all. You may be excused. <o></o>
Everyone else, keep reading.<o></o>
Why Sodium?<o></o>
Athletes eat for different reasons. Three of the mainones are: 1) as a preventive measure to help stay free from illness 2) forfitness, to ensure optimum energy stores, recuperation, and restoration 3) forbodybuilders especially, to produce a cosmetic effect, i.e. a leaner, harderphysique. <o></o>
If you're an athlete concerned about maximizing yourperformance (you have no business being an athlete otherwise), you should knowthat a high-sodium diet fulfills all three of the above. In fact, many problemswith athletic performance or sub-maximal athletic performance, even failure toimprove, begin when athletes reduce or eliminate sodium from their diets. Theseill effects can last for a long time.<o></o>
While sodium is the primary focus of this article, nonutrient acts on the metabolism by itself. Any discussion on sodium isincomplete without mentioning potassium, and the hormone aldosterone.<o></o>
As an electrolyte, sodium is the positively charged ionon the outside of the living cell. Cations, anions, and ions exist in an exactbalance outside and inside cells, so that a change in the balance of one or morecations or ions will cause a change in other cations and ions in order tomaintain cell integrity. Simply put, sodium is responsible for regulating bloodvolume and blood pressure, although it serves other functions as well.<o></o>
During a set of high-intensity muscle contraction bloodpressure rises. This is a primary response of high-intensity training. Duringhigh-performance exercise, the metabolism of the body is better served by ahigher blood volume since this translates into better oxygen and nutrientdelivery to working cells. Just as importantly, a higher blood volume resultsin a more efficient removal of fatigue toxins. <o></o>
A low sodium intake translates into a lower blood volume,and over time this is disastrous to an athlete. Even in healthy people, lowblood volume leads to a myriad of problems. Studies at the University of Bonnconcluded that a low-sodium diet (and the resulting lower blood volume) was morehealth-threatening than the hypertension that the low-sodium diet wasintended to fix.<o></o>
For athletes, the effects are even more profound. In alow-sodium situation, the resulting low blood volume delivers less oxygen andnutrients to working muscles, and also allows for greater accumulation offatigue toxins that might not otherwise occur with a normal or higher bloodvolume. This results in reduced recuperation and overall weakness. It'sthe last thing a hard-training athlete wants, but it's what happens when youeliminate crucial electrolytes from your diet.<o></o>
A low-sodium diet makes the situation even worse inregard to optimum electrolyte metabolism, because potassium is dependent onsodium to be effective for a number of reasons. Potassium's primaryresponsibilities are the regulation and control of skeletal and cardiacmuscles. The vagus nerve, which controls heartbeat, is totally dependent onpotassium. <o></o>
Potassium is the positively charged ion inside of thecell. While its independent functions in the control of muscles have beenpointed out, potassium itself is dependent on sodium to maintain cellintegrity: the exact balance of cations and ions inside and outside cell walls.<o></o>
How does potassium get into the muscle cell in the firstplace? Sodium delivers it. The cell wall is partially permeable to sodium. Ittakes three molecules of sodium to get one molecule of potassium inside thecell, through a process called "active transport." Sodium is thechaperone, and potassium can't get into the cell without it. Therefore, foroptimum cell integrity and optimum potassium delivery, there must be ample sodiumpresent. <o></o>
This is even more crucial in athletes where electrolytebalance and exchange takes place more rapidly and is more crucial for optimumperformance. Also, since the active transport of potassium inside the cell bysodium is metabolically expensive, the activity of sodium-potassium pumps canbe adjusted by the thyroid hormones in order to regulate resting caloricexpenditure and basal metabolic rate (BMR). <o></o>
It follows, then, that in a prolonged low-sodiumsituation, the body may lower BMR in order to control this metabolicallyexpensive function. This spells disaster for the dieting bodybuilder orcompeting athlete who wants his BMR as high as possible, not lowered by a bodycompensating for costs it cannot afford to incur. <o></o>
Even more importantly in this metabolic circumstance isthat cell integrity is jeopardized and less potassium can be delivered lessoften to the cell. This is disastrous for any serious athlete. Obviously, it'sthe most negative electrolyte situation for a bodybuilder to be in. <o></o>
Here's how a body could get into such a state ofdisarray. The primary avenue for the loss of sodium is through sweat glands. Noone, except our ancient forefathers, sweats as much as high-performanceathletes and bodybuilders. <o></o>
A typical combination of high-intensity training,interval cardio activity (two sessions per day), and persistent tanningproduces an exorbitant loss of sodium through the skin. Combine this with anearly fanatical effort by bodybuilders and other athletes to exclude sodiumfrom their diets, and you can see how a bad situation can become chronic. <o></o>
In an emergency situation, the body can only maintainsome kind of cell integrity by sending potassium (a positively charged ion)outside the cell to replace the sodium that should be there. The metabolicconsequence is weakened cell integrity. Sometimes this causes depolarizationbetween electrically charged ions, and potassium leaving the cell leads tomuscle weakness, cramps, listlessness, and lethargy.<o></o>
Note that it's not the low-calorie diets that producethese physical and psychological symptoms – it's due to a prolonged lack ofsodium intake. The problem can be understood better by discussing the hormonealdosterone. We can also understand why sodium undeservedly gets a bad rap, andhow to remedy the situation.<o></o>
Aldosterone<o></o>
In a normal metabolic situation, electrolyte balance isdelicately maintained by urinary output. The kidneys regulate the concentrationof plasma electrolytes of sodium, potassium, and calcium by matching almostexactly the amounts ingested to the amounts excreted. The final amounts ofsodium and potassium excreted in the urine are regulated by the needs of thebody.<o></o>
Athletes get into trouble when they eliminate sodium fromtheir diet, because their bodies are regularly losing so much of it throughsweat and cellular activity. This produces the negative stress response of therelease of the hormone aldosterone. Normally, people have low levels ofcirculating aldosterone. It's a hormone released in response to metabolic orphysiological stress. <o></o>
The release of this hormone serves several functions. Themain effect of aldosterone secretion is a reabsorption of sodium through thedistal tubules of the kidneys. Thus sodium that normally would have left thebody is retained because of the presence of this hormone.<o></o>
Normal individuals can excrete 30 grams (that's right, 30,000milligrams) of sodium a day when aldosterone isn't present. This is anaverage person, not a hard-training athlete. When aldosterone is present,there's no sodium in the urine at all.<o></o>
Most importantly, water always follows sodium becausesodium is positively charged while water is negatively charged. Therefore, themore sodium excreted, the more water leaves the body. But since, in thepresence of aldosterone, sodium is reabsorbed and kept in the body, and waterfollows sodium, water too isn't excreted. The result is water retention.<o></o>
There's another side to the aldosterone hormonalresponse, which can also spell disaster for an athlete. Not only doesaldosterone cause reabsorption of sodium, but because of this, aldosteronesecretion also causes a pronounced excretion of plasma potassium. <o></o>
Again, in the absence of aldosterone virtually nopotassium is excreted in the urine. When aldosterone secretion is maximal,however, there's up to 50 times more potassium excreted than what is initiallyfiltered by the kidneys. A reexamination of the situation reveals that anegative situation exists in such a physiological environment.<o></o>
First, sodium is reabsorbed. Second, because waterfollows sodium, there's water retention, which in turn creates an osmoticimbalance. Third, because aldosterone also produces pronounced potassiumexcretion, the result is further muscular weakness, cramping, performanceinfringement, and a very flat, tired-looking physique. <o></o>
This whole misunderstanding of electrolyte function hasled to ridiculous myths and misapplications of proper nutrition in the athleticand bodybuilding communities. One of the most bizarre is the practice of takinga potassium chloride (Slow-K) supplement just before a show. <o></o>
There are two problems with potassium supplementation.First, it's impossible to load potassium inside a cell: cell equilibrium isalways maintained in exact ratios. If a certain amount of potassium enters acell, the identical amount must leave. <o></o>
The second problem is that an excess of potassium in theblood triggers aldosterone secretion, which leads us back to all of thenegative metabolic conditions associated with aldosterone, mentioned earlier.It's a vicious cycle, which can easily be prevented.<o></o>
Estimating your sodium needs is relatively easy. The ruleof thumb is two grams of sodium for each liter of water replacement. Since mostathletes are under-hydrated, water needs should also be assessed. <o></o>
150-pound athletes (both male and female) who train at highintensity levels should drink at least two or three liters of water per day.200-pound athletes should be drinking a minimum of three to four liters, andathletes over 225 pounds should drink a minimum of four to six liters. <o></o>
At two grams per liter of fluid replacement, it's obviousthat most athletes do not take in nearly enough sodium. For example, a225-pound athlete would need to ingest between eight and twelve grams of sodiumdaily. That's right, 8,000 to 12,000 mg a day. <o></o>
The way to ensure ample sodium intake is through theprodigious use of salty condiments. Sea salt, ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce,etc. are smart choices to ensure ample amounts of sodium. <o></o>
However, beware of monosodium glutamate (MSG). Althoughit's high in sodium, MSG had been shown to be a negative partitioning agent,which means that it may channel nutrients toward fat storage, whether thenutrients contain fat or not. Ingesting MSG can also trigger a catabolicresponse.<o></o>
One easy way to ensure adequate sodium intake is by eatingpickles on a daily basis. Pickles on average contain about 20 to 30 caloriesand almost a gram of sodium, so chopping them up into your food makes goodsense, as does eating them as a snack. <o></o>
We've all seen hockey players and other athletes takingpost game IV drips come playoff time to replace lost electrolytes. Often theseIV drips are no more than saline solution; which, as you probably know, is justa fancy name for salt water.<o></o>
Ordinary salted water-pack tuna is a lot cheaper andeasier to find than reduced-sodium tuna. It also tastes better, and is anothergood source of sodium. While we're on the subject, let me say that bodybuildershave got to get over this "suffering" shtick when it comes to diet.You are allowed to eat food that tastes good, and eating good-tasting food willmake it much easier to stay on a prolonged diet. <o></o>
Don't forget that we're talking about sodium, and nottable salt. Table salt is sodium chloride (NaCl; about 40% sodium, and 60%chloride), and many brands of table salt also contain added iodine. This cancause problems for some people's metabolisms, and of course sodium ends uptaking the blame. Avoid the issue and use sea salt instead.<o></o>
Finding foods preserved with sodium phosphate is alsouseful. Sodium phosphate is one of the best intracellular buffers around,fighting the metabolic acidosis that training can cause. Taking in 3-4 grams ofsodium phosphate can increase both aerobic and anaerobic performance.<o></o>
Athletes who have been trying to avoid sodium forprolonged periods of time and who switch to this high-sodium approach willexperience a temporary osmotic imbalance resulting in water retention. Thisinitial effect is only the body's attempt to hold on to the sodium so rarelygiven to it. <o></o>
Water retention is temporary, and will dissipate as longas sodium and water intake remain high. The athlete will then notice a highervolume of urinary output, more sweating, the appearance of a leaner, harderphysique, and more pumped and full muscles in the gym.<o></o>
Through the years I've been testing the precepts of whatI prescribe to my top-level amateur and professional athlete clients, with veryexacting results. It's important to me that serious athletes and bodybuildersdon't waste time making the same mistakes that so many have made before them. <o></o>
My best advice to any serious trainee or athlete is toget professional advice from properly qualified (not just"certified") and experienced coaches. There are not many of usaround, but you will find that such coaches can make all the difference.<o></o>
If you have followed the scientific information in thisarticle, then you understand the importance of "real sodium" in yourdiet. You should never have to worry about "too much," because anyexcess will be excreted. Increasing your sodium and water intake is an easy andeffective way to improve "in the gym" performance, and contribute tothe cosmetic appearance of the physique at the same time.<o></o>
Time and time again, I see great physiques of figurecompetitors and bodybuilders disappear in the last few weeks of contestpreparation. Why? The simple but faulty combination of low carbs and lowsodium. True, restricting carbohydrate will induce diuresis, but that waterwill also come from inside the muscles, where it should be staying. Thisdisplacement causes potassium to also leave muscle. <o></o>
Combine this with the effects of no to low sodium in thediet, and instead of a polished and properly peaked physique, you have adisaster. No amount of carb loading can bring a physique back once thishappens. That's why so many people report looking better several days aftercompeting.<o></o>
Postscript: About Sodium Loading<o></o>
I often receive questions regarding complex bodilyprocesses that bodybuilders and experts think they can manipulate to apredictable degree. Sodium is one such item. If you've followed this article,then you know that changing one thing can set off a whole series of unintendedconsequences. <o></o>
Therefore, the concept of "sodium loading" isjust foolish, and it's not the point of this article. Sodium loading is a sillypractice, just like carb loading, insulin loading, and other "loading"mentalities. I will address each of these loads of bull some other time. Thepoint isn't to "load sodium" but to always get ample amountsof it in the diet, with proper hydration as well. Never cut sodium, never loadit, just get lots of it.
- - - Updated - - -
apologize for the crazy way this came out. Cannot get it to paste correctly. Still worth the read.
></o>So all the modern-day phobias surrounding salt and sodiumseems to present us with a paradox: how could something so vital to survival inone era be considered so deadly in another? <o
></o>The answer may surprise you. The anti-sodium campaignactually began as a commercial movement to sell different foods and snacks,under the guise of being healthier. Much like the low-fat movement,manufacturers care more about selling products than they do about scientificaccuracy.<o
></o>As soon as the low-sodium content advertisements wereshown to create dividends, other food and supplement companies followed suit,to the point where consumers started to believe that low-sodium was good, andsalt, in general, was bad. People failed to see that they had beeninternalizing advertising, not actual scientific information.<o
></o>For generations, manufacturers have marketed theirproducts by bombarding the public with what ingredients their brand either doesor does not have to make their product sell better than the competition's. Likesheep, consumers followed along, buying the "low fat this" or"no sodium that" product, without asking themselves why. In regard tosodium intake, studies are coming in regularly refuting its bad reputation andnegative impact on human health, performance, and physiology. <o
></o>Even after thousands of years, human biochemistry andphysiology haven't changed much. Although few of us toil under the swelteringsun any more, our bodies' need for electrolytes hasn't changed. In fact, themetabolic needs of high-performance athletes probably most closely resemblesthe needs of our ancient forefathers, especially in regard to electrolyteingestion. <o
></o>Studies in Canada at McGill and McMaster Universitieshave concluded that unless one has a specific and serious condition that wouldpreclude him from taking in salt, then salt intake will produce no negativehealth problems, and could actually be health promoting. As a matter of fact,only 10% of hypertension cases have a known cause, and in almost all of thesecases, the cause was either genetic or stress related.<o
></o>For all you short attention span types out there, here isthe bottom line: high-performance athletes should not avoid sodium. Theyshould, in fact, ensure that they get adequate amounts of sodium every day toprevent negative metabolic consequences, and to promote maximum performance.That's all. You may be excused. <o
></o>Everyone else, keep reading.<o
></o>Why Sodium?<o
></o>Athletes eat for different reasons. Three of the mainones are: 1) as a preventive measure to help stay free from illness 2) forfitness, to ensure optimum energy stores, recuperation, and restoration 3) forbodybuilders especially, to produce a cosmetic effect, i.e. a leaner, harderphysique. <o
></o>If you're an athlete concerned about maximizing yourperformance (you have no business being an athlete otherwise), you should knowthat a high-sodium diet fulfills all three of the above. In fact, many problemswith athletic performance or sub-maximal athletic performance, even failure toimprove, begin when athletes reduce or eliminate sodium from their diets. Theseill effects can last for a long time.<o
></o>While sodium is the primary focus of this article, nonutrient acts on the metabolism by itself. Any discussion on sodium isincomplete without mentioning potassium, and the hormone aldosterone.<o
></o>As an electrolyte, sodium is the positively charged ionon the outside of the living cell. Cations, anions, and ions exist in an exactbalance outside and inside cells, so that a change in the balance of one or morecations or ions will cause a change in other cations and ions in order tomaintain cell integrity. Simply put, sodium is responsible for regulating bloodvolume and blood pressure, although it serves other functions as well.<o
></o>During a set of high-intensity muscle contraction bloodpressure rises. This is a primary response of high-intensity training. Duringhigh-performance exercise, the metabolism of the body is better served by ahigher blood volume since this translates into better oxygen and nutrientdelivery to working cells. Just as importantly, a higher blood volume resultsin a more efficient removal of fatigue toxins. <o
></o>A low sodium intake translates into a lower blood volume,and over time this is disastrous to an athlete. Even in healthy people, lowblood volume leads to a myriad of problems. Studies at the University of Bonnconcluded that a low-sodium diet (and the resulting lower blood volume) was morehealth-threatening than the hypertension that the low-sodium diet wasintended to fix.<o
></o>For athletes, the effects are even more profound. In alow-sodium situation, the resulting low blood volume delivers less oxygen andnutrients to working muscles, and also allows for greater accumulation offatigue toxins that might not otherwise occur with a normal or higher bloodvolume. This results in reduced recuperation and overall weakness. It'sthe last thing a hard-training athlete wants, but it's what happens when youeliminate crucial electrolytes from your diet.<o
></o>A low-sodium diet makes the situation even worse inregard to optimum electrolyte metabolism, because potassium is dependent onsodium to be effective for a number of reasons. Potassium's primaryresponsibilities are the regulation and control of skeletal and cardiacmuscles. The vagus nerve, which controls heartbeat, is totally dependent onpotassium. <o
></o>Potassium is the positively charged ion inside of thecell. While its independent functions in the control of muscles have beenpointed out, potassium itself is dependent on sodium to maintain cellintegrity: the exact balance of cations and ions inside and outside cell walls.<o
></o>How does potassium get into the muscle cell in the firstplace? Sodium delivers it. The cell wall is partially permeable to sodium. Ittakes three molecules of sodium to get one molecule of potassium inside thecell, through a process called "active transport." Sodium is thechaperone, and potassium can't get into the cell without it. Therefore, foroptimum cell integrity and optimum potassium delivery, there must be ample sodiumpresent. <o
></o>This is even more crucial in athletes where electrolytebalance and exchange takes place more rapidly and is more crucial for optimumperformance. Also, since the active transport of potassium inside the cell bysodium is metabolically expensive, the activity of sodium-potassium pumps canbe adjusted by the thyroid hormones in order to regulate resting caloricexpenditure and basal metabolic rate (BMR). <o
></o>It follows, then, that in a prolonged low-sodiumsituation, the body may lower BMR in order to control this metabolicallyexpensive function. This spells disaster for the dieting bodybuilder orcompeting athlete who wants his BMR as high as possible, not lowered by a bodycompensating for costs it cannot afford to incur. <o
></o>Even more importantly in this metabolic circumstance isthat cell integrity is jeopardized and less potassium can be delivered lessoften to the cell. This is disastrous for any serious athlete. Obviously, it'sthe most negative electrolyte situation for a bodybuilder to be in. <o
></o>Here's how a body could get into such a state ofdisarray. The primary avenue for the loss of sodium is through sweat glands. Noone, except our ancient forefathers, sweats as much as high-performanceathletes and bodybuilders. <o
></o>A typical combination of high-intensity training,interval cardio activity (two sessions per day), and persistent tanningproduces an exorbitant loss of sodium through the skin. Combine this with anearly fanatical effort by bodybuilders and other athletes to exclude sodiumfrom their diets, and you can see how a bad situation can become chronic. <o
></o>In an emergency situation, the body can only maintainsome kind of cell integrity by sending potassium (a positively charged ion)outside the cell to replace the sodium that should be there. The metabolicconsequence is weakened cell integrity. Sometimes this causes depolarizationbetween electrically charged ions, and potassium leaving the cell leads tomuscle weakness, cramps, listlessness, and lethargy.<o
></o>Note that it's not the low-calorie diets that producethese physical and psychological symptoms – it's due to a prolonged lack ofsodium intake. The problem can be understood better by discussing the hormonealdosterone. We can also understand why sodium undeservedly gets a bad rap, andhow to remedy the situation.<o
></o>Aldosterone<o
></o>In a normal metabolic situation, electrolyte balance isdelicately maintained by urinary output. The kidneys regulate the concentrationof plasma electrolytes of sodium, potassium, and calcium by matching almostexactly the amounts ingested to the amounts excreted. The final amounts ofsodium and potassium excreted in the urine are regulated by the needs of thebody.<o
></o>Athletes get into trouble when they eliminate sodium fromtheir diet, because their bodies are regularly losing so much of it throughsweat and cellular activity. This produces the negative stress response of therelease of the hormone aldosterone. Normally, people have low levels ofcirculating aldosterone. It's a hormone released in response to metabolic orphysiological stress. <o
></o>The release of this hormone serves several functions. Themain effect of aldosterone secretion is a reabsorption of sodium through thedistal tubules of the kidneys. Thus sodium that normally would have left thebody is retained because of the presence of this hormone.<o
></o>Normal individuals can excrete 30 grams (that's right, 30,000milligrams) of sodium a day when aldosterone isn't present. This is anaverage person, not a hard-training athlete. When aldosterone is present,there's no sodium in the urine at all.<o
></o>Most importantly, water always follows sodium becausesodium is positively charged while water is negatively charged. Therefore, themore sodium excreted, the more water leaves the body. But since, in thepresence of aldosterone, sodium is reabsorbed and kept in the body, and waterfollows sodium, water too isn't excreted. The result is water retention.<o
></o>There's another side to the aldosterone hormonalresponse, which can also spell disaster for an athlete. Not only doesaldosterone cause reabsorption of sodium, but because of this, aldosteronesecretion also causes a pronounced excretion of plasma potassium. <o
></o>Again, in the absence of aldosterone virtually nopotassium is excreted in the urine. When aldosterone secretion is maximal,however, there's up to 50 times more potassium excreted than what is initiallyfiltered by the kidneys. A reexamination of the situation reveals that anegative situation exists in such a physiological environment.<o
></o>First, sodium is reabsorbed. Second, because waterfollows sodium, there's water retention, which in turn creates an osmoticimbalance. Third, because aldosterone also produces pronounced potassiumexcretion, the result is further muscular weakness, cramping, performanceinfringement, and a very flat, tired-looking physique. <o
></o>This whole misunderstanding of electrolyte function hasled to ridiculous myths and misapplications of proper nutrition in the athleticand bodybuilding communities. One of the most bizarre is the practice of takinga potassium chloride (Slow-K) supplement just before a show. <o
></o>There are two problems with potassium supplementation.First, it's impossible to load potassium inside a cell: cell equilibrium isalways maintained in exact ratios. If a certain amount of potassium enters acell, the identical amount must leave. <o
></o>The second problem is that an excess of potassium in theblood triggers aldosterone secretion, which leads us back to all of thenegative metabolic conditions associated with aldosterone, mentioned earlier.It's a vicious cycle, which can easily be prevented.<o
></o>Estimating your sodium needs is relatively easy. The ruleof thumb is two grams of sodium for each liter of water replacement. Since mostathletes are under-hydrated, water needs should also be assessed. <o
></o>150-pound athletes (both male and female) who train at highintensity levels should drink at least two or three liters of water per day.200-pound athletes should be drinking a minimum of three to four liters, andathletes over 225 pounds should drink a minimum of four to six liters. <o
></o>At two grams per liter of fluid replacement, it's obviousthat most athletes do not take in nearly enough sodium. For example, a225-pound athlete would need to ingest between eight and twelve grams of sodiumdaily. That's right, 8,000 to 12,000 mg a day. <o
></o>The way to ensure ample sodium intake is through theprodigious use of salty condiments. Sea salt, ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce,etc. are smart choices to ensure ample amounts of sodium. <o
></o>However, beware of monosodium glutamate (MSG). Althoughit's high in sodium, MSG had been shown to be a negative partitioning agent,which means that it may channel nutrients toward fat storage, whether thenutrients contain fat or not. Ingesting MSG can also trigger a catabolicresponse.<o
></o>One easy way to ensure adequate sodium intake is by eatingpickles on a daily basis. Pickles on average contain about 20 to 30 caloriesand almost a gram of sodium, so chopping them up into your food makes goodsense, as does eating them as a snack. <o
></o><o> </o><o></o>
> </o><o></o>A pickle aday keeps electrolyte imbalance away.<o></o>
></o>></o>Ordinary salted water-pack tuna is a lot cheaper andeasier to find than reduced-sodium tuna. It also tastes better, and is anothergood source of sodium. While we're on the subject, let me say that bodybuildershave got to get over this "suffering" shtick when it comes to diet.You are allowed to eat food that tastes good, and eating good-tasting food willmake it much easier to stay on a prolonged diet. <o
></o>Don't forget that we're talking about sodium, and nottable salt. Table salt is sodium chloride (NaCl; about 40% sodium, and 60%chloride), and many brands of table salt also contain added iodine. This cancause problems for some people's metabolisms, and of course sodium ends uptaking the blame. Avoid the issue and use sea salt instead.<o
></o>Finding foods preserved with sodium phosphate is alsouseful. Sodium phosphate is one of the best intracellular buffers around,fighting the metabolic acidosis that training can cause. Taking in 3-4 grams ofsodium phosphate can increase both aerobic and anaerobic performance.<o
></o>Athletes who have been trying to avoid sodium forprolonged periods of time and who switch to this high-sodium approach willexperience a temporary osmotic imbalance resulting in water retention. Thisinitial effect is only the body's attempt to hold on to the sodium so rarelygiven to it. <o
></o>Water retention is temporary, and will dissipate as longas sodium and water intake remain high. The athlete will then notice a highervolume of urinary output, more sweating, the appearance of a leaner, harderphysique, and more pumped and full muscles in the gym.<o
></o>Through the years I've been testing the precepts of whatI prescribe to my top-level amateur and professional athlete clients, with veryexacting results. It's important to me that serious athletes and bodybuildersdon't waste time making the same mistakes that so many have made before them. <o
></o>My best advice to any serious trainee or athlete is toget professional advice from properly qualified (not just"certified") and experienced coaches. There are not many of usaround, but you will find that such coaches can make all the difference.<o
></o>If you have followed the scientific information in thisarticle, then you understand the importance of "real sodium" in yourdiet. You should never have to worry about "too much," because anyexcess will be excreted. Increasing your sodium and water intake is an easy andeffective way to improve "in the gym" performance, and contribute tothe cosmetic appearance of the physique at the same time.<o
></o>Time and time again, I see great physiques of figurecompetitors and bodybuilders disappear in the last few weeks of contestpreparation. Why? The simple but faulty combination of low carbs and lowsodium. True, restricting carbohydrate will induce diuresis, but that waterwill also come from inside the muscles, where it should be staying. Thisdisplacement causes potassium to also leave muscle. <o
></o>Combine this with the effects of no to low sodium in thediet, and instead of a polished and properly peaked physique, you have adisaster. No amount of carb loading can bring a physique back once thishappens. That's why so many people report looking better several days aftercompeting.<o
></o>Postscript: About Sodium Loading<o
></o>I often receive questions regarding complex bodilyprocesses that bodybuilders and experts think they can manipulate to apredictable degree. Sodium is one such item. If you've followed this article,then you know that changing one thing can set off a whole series of unintendedconsequences. <o
></o>Therefore, the concept of "sodium loading" isjust foolish, and it's not the point of this article. Sodium loading is a sillypractice, just like carb loading, insulin loading, and other "loading"mentalities. I will address each of these loads of bull some other time. Thepoint isn't to "load sodium" but to always get ample amountsof it in the diet, with proper hydration as well. Never cut sodium, never loadit, just get lots of it.
- - - Updated - - -
apologize for the crazy way this came out. Cannot get it to paste correctly. Still worth the read.
