How Much Sodium Does a Rower Need?

Besides water, sweat contains electrically charged particles— electrolytes (a.k.a. minerals such as sodium)—that help keep water in the right balance inside and outside of cells. You’ve probably seen ads for electrolyte supplements that highlight sodium.

Sodium gets lost with sweat, so it makes sense for sweaty rowers to replace those losses, right? Generally, yes, but it’s more complicated than that. Here are some other questions rowers often wonder about:

Are there sodium guidelines?

How much sodium does an athlete actually need before, during, and after exercise?

What are the best strategies for maintaining optimal sodium and fluid balance?

Do athletes really need daily commercial electrolyte products or should they take the claims in those advertisements with a grain of, ahem, salt?

In a scholarly article about athletes, exercise, and sodium intake, Alan McCubbin, a sports nutrition researcher at Monash University in Australia, noted that there’s “no evidence that athletes require a greater dietary sodium intake day to day” because of the regulation of sodium losses via the kidneys and sweat glands.

His conclusion: It’s “the relationship between sodium and water that influences health and performance outcomes.”

Daily sodium intake 

The more we exercise, the more food we eat, and the more sodium we consume. Most of us ingest far more than the recommended limit of 2,300 milligrams per day. That’s the amount that can help manage blood pressure in the one-third of healthy people who are “salt-sensitive” (their blood pressure rises when they eat salty foods). This excludes many rowers.

The food we eat offers an abundance of electrolytes. For example, a recovery drink of chocolate milk offers more sodium than Gatorade (135 milligrams versus 110 milligrams per eight ounces).

A 150-pound athlete stores about 67,500 milligrams of sodium, mostly in fluids that surround the outside of cells. While rowers lose some sodium in sweat, it’s unlikely they will deplete their stores.

Should rowers consume sodium before they exercise?

Even without electrolytes, plain water is hydrating. With electrolytes, we retain water better—it doesn’t just go in one end and out the other.

Consuming pre-exercise sodium can increase thirst and a desire to drink, and being better hydrated can optimize performance.

Some athletes believe they should sodium-load for three to four days before a marathon or other endurance event. Doing so appears unhelpful and may not reduce exercise-associated muscle cramps or low blood sodium (hyponatremia) during competition. Our kidneys do a fine job of maintaining a stable sodium level.

Consuming extra sodium within just four hours of exercise can increase total body sodium if you want to hyper-hydrate. That said, consuming a lot of extra sodium and extra fluid might cause intestinal distress. Current research suggests this pre-exercise hyper-hydration tactic may not improve weight-bearing exercise (think running) in hot weather, though more research is required to confirm this.

Should rowers who must make weight cut back on sodium to induce water loss (diuresis) so they weigh less?

Three days of a low-sodium diet reduces weight by only about 1.3 pounds. This may be counterproductive if a rower is under-hydrated at the start line.

Should athletes consume sodium during extended exercise?

Athletes lose proportionately more water than sodium in sweat. In under-hydrated athletes (who replace less than 70 percent of water loss during sweaty ultra-exercise), the amount of sodium in the blood can increase even if the athlete doesn’t consume any sodium.

Concerns about low blood sodium (hyponatremia) arise when an endurance athlete over-hydrates with plain water. This dilutes the reduced amount of sodium in the body. Drinking excessive plain water without any added sodium or food containing sodium leads to hyponatremia.

The amount of sodium consumed during exercise has little impact on enhancing the absorption of fluids (or glucose) from the intestinal tract.

Sodium losses during exercise may—or may not—be connected with muscle cramping. Many factors create exercise-induced cramping.

Sodium consumption during exercise hasn’t been linked conclusively to better performance—unless consuming extra sodium leads to greater thirst and greater fluid consumption, which reduces the risk of becoming dehydrated

Attempting to replace 100 percent of sodium losses (as ads for electrolyte replacers suggest) could result in hypernatremia (elevated sodium) in under-hydrated athletes.

Sweat-composition testing may help ultra-endurance athletes determine their personal sodium losses. But generally this testing is unnecessary and won’t help those who under-hydrate. Blood-sodium levels will rise regardless of sodium losses.

How much sodium should rowers consume post exercise?

Consuming sodium after a sweaty workout stimulates the drive to drink and helps retain recovery fluids. That said, it’s likely that a rower who is under-hydrated has elevated sodium in his blood already, which nudges a drive to drink.

The kidneys conserve sodium when the amount of sodium in the blood drops, thereby reducing the need to consume extra sodium.

To optimize fluid retention and replace sodium losses, enjoy salty recovery snacks (pretzels, salted chips) and/or a salty meal (soup, pizza).

Listen to your body

Anecdotally, many rowers swear they feel better when they consume more electrolytes such as sodium. An extra sprinkling of salt can be helpful and isn’t harmful unless it elevates your blood pressure. If you’re craving salt, think about sprinkling salt on your recovery food instead of buying an electrolyte supplement. 

Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D., C.S.S.D., counsels both fitness exercisers and competitive athletes in the Boston area (Newton; 617-795-1875). Her best-selling Sports Nutrition Guidebook is a popular resource, as is her online workshop. For more information, visit NancyClarkRD.com

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