Hydration Strategies and the Effects of Dehydration on Performance
Hydration is the process of maintaining the body's water balance, and it directly affects sporting performance because water is involved in regulating body temperature, transporting nutrients and oxygen, and lubricating joints.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Learn what dehydration is and the roughly 2 percent body mass fluid loss figure often used as a threshold for measurable performance decline.
- Learn water's key roles relevant to performance: regulating body temperature (through sweating), transporting nutrients and oxygen, and lubricating joints.
- Learn the three stages of a hydration strategy: before exercise (arrive well hydrated), during exercise (replace some fluid, especially in long/hot conditions), after exercise (fully replace fluid losses).
- Learn why sports drinks containing carbohydrate and electrolytes can be useful for longer or more intense sessions, over plain water alone.
- For 'explain the effects of dehydration' questions, name a specific effect (e.g. reduced concentration, increased risk of cramp, reduced endurance) and explain the mechanism linking fluid loss to that effect.
- For an extended question, give a hydration strategy across all three phases (before, during, after) rather than only describing what to drink during the activity.
Worked example
A tennis player is due to play a match lasting over two hours in hot weather. Explain the hydration strategy this player should follow, covering the period before, during and after the match.
- Before the match: the player should drink fluid steadily in the hours beforehand so they start the match well hydrated, rather than trying to drink a large amount immediately before play.
- During the match: because the match is long and conditions are hot, sweat losses will be significant, so the player should take regular small amounts of fluid, ideally including a sports drink with carbohydrate and electrolytes, during breaks in play.
- State why during-match fluid matters here specifically: hot weather increases sweat rate, so without replacing some fluid the player risks a fluid loss large enough to reduce concentration and coordination during the match.
- After the match: the player should continue to drink fluid to fully replace what was lost in sweat, supporting recovery for their next session or match.
- Conclude: because the match is both long and played in heat, a full three-stage strategy (before, during, after) is more appropriate here than only drinking water at the end.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1What is dehydration?Show answer
Answer: A state in which the body has lost more fluid than it has taken in, reducing total body water below its normal level.
Q2Give one function of water that is relevant to sporting performance.Show answer
Answer: Regulating body temperature (also accept: transporting nutrients/oxygen, or lubricating joints).
Q3State one effect that dehydration can have on sporting performance.Show answer
Answer: It can reduce concentration and coordination, and reduce endurance performance (also accept: increased risk of cramp or heat-related illness).
Q4Name the three stages of a hydration strategy around exercise.Show answer
Answer: Before exercise, during exercise, and after exercise.
Q5Why might a sports drink containing carbohydrate and electrolytes be useful during a long training session, rather than water alone?Show answer
Answer: It helps replace both fluid and the salts (such as sodium) lost in sweat, and provides some carbohydrate for energy, which plain water does not.
Q6Explain why a performer should not wait until they feel thirsty before drinking fluid during exercise.Show answer
Answer: Thirst is a sign that dehydration has already begun to develop, so relying on it can mean fluid replacement starts too late to prevent a drop in performance.
Q7Give one reason hydration is especially important during exercise in hot weather.Show answer
Answer: Sweat rate increases in hot weather to help regulate body temperature, so fluid losses are greater and dehydration can develop more quickly.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Physical Education exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
State two effects of dehydration on sporting performance.
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Explain why a marathon runner should drink fluid during the race, and not just before and after it.
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Design and justify a hydration strategy for a footballer playing a 90-minute match in hot weather, covering the periods before, during and after the match.
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See real GCSE Physical Education past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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