NUTRIENT DELIVERY

When you eat, water helps break food down into the nutrients that are needed to fuel muscle growth and acts as the medium through which those nutrients are transported from the digestive tract into the bloodstream then to muscle cells where they’re absorbed. And when working out, water helps deliver nutrients and oxygen to working muscles.

ENERGY PRODUCTION

Working out requires energy. So too does the growth and repair of muscle tissue. The body gets that energy from the nutrients in food that water helps extract during the digestive process and then shuttles to the cells. But in addition to acting as a transport medium, water also acts as a medium for chemical reactions, one of which is the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a molecule that powers the muscle contractions that are necessary for movement.

PROTEIN SYNTHESIS

Strength training activities like weightlifting create small tears, or micro-trauma, in the muscle fibers. The body then repairs the muscle by fusing satellite cells together with the damaged muscle fibers, which increases the thickness and number of muscle protein strands to make the muscle more resistant to damage. The process by which the body does this is protein synthesis and it too is another reaction that water serves as the medium for with the amino acids, tRNA molecules, and other components that are involved.

EXERCISE PERFORMANCE

Depending on the intensity and duration, fatty acids or glucose from glycogen stores, as well as oxygen, get transported to active muscles to produce energy needed to maintain activity. That’s made possible by water. Water also helps remove waste byproducts that accumulate and contribute to fatigue. Together, inadequate water intake can affect your muscle-building potential by making a workout less effective due to the impact on your strength and endurance.

MUSCLE RECOVERY

Water facilitates protein synthesis but also supports it by providing the building blocks for muscle repair that are needed during the recovery process. The faster and more efficiently those nutrients get where they’re needed, the faster and more efficient the recovery process will be. Water further expedites recovery and muscle growth by helping to remove the metabolic waste that’s produced during exercise.

ELECTROLYTE BALANCE

Sodium, magnesium, potassium, and chloride are examples of electrolytes, which are electrically-charged minerals that trigger muscle contractions. Electrolytes support muscle function and water is what helps maintain the balance of electrolytes obtained from food and drinks.

HORMONE LEVELS

Testosterone is an anabolic, or muscle building, hormone and inadequate water intake can lower its production. Conversely, even a small amount of dehydration elevates production of cortisol, a catabolic stress hormone that increases the breakdown of muscle.

JOINT HEALTH

Synovial fluid is a liquid that enables smooth movement of the joints by providing lubrication that keeps the bones from rubbing together and creating friction that can lead to pain, swelling, and inflammation. As such, synovial fluid also cushions and protects the joints. Water is a key component of this liquid and without proper hydration for its production, your joints won’t be able to handle the stress from lifting heavy weights, thus hindering your ability to maintain a consistent enough workout routine to promote muscle growth.