PSA: Hydration Is Key If You’re Trying to Gain Muscle. Here’s How Much Water to Aim For

If you’re trying to build strength, you probably already know how important the proper fuel is for helping you get there. From eating enough protein to including plenty of healthy carbs in your post-workout meals, getting the nutrients you need is key when you’re trying to maximize your gains. One important piece of the muscle-building equation that you might not have considered, though? Water.

That’s right: Drinking enough H2O is crucial for making headway on any strength goals. But how exactly does staying hydrated do that? And exactly how much water should you drink to gain muscle? We spoke with registered dietitians to get the answers.

How Does Water Help You Build Muscle?

Drinking enough water before, during, and after your workouts delivers many benefits for your growing muscles. Proper hydration supports blood flow, helps deliver amino acids and carbohydrates to muscle tissues, aids in regulating body temperature, maintains your electrolyte balance, and allows muscle fibers to contract and relax efficiently, according to Alex Larson, RD, a registered dietitian nutritionist focused on sports nutrition.

Not to mention, adequate hydration helps you feel good enough to push through a tough strength session. “If you’re dehydrated, you may experience muscle cramps, elevated heart rate, and/or fatigue while exercising—all of which are not very conducive to running or lifting heavy,” says Alyssa Leib, RD, a registered dietitian with a focus in sports nutrition. You don’t want to mentally gear up for an intense day of training only to feel your energy peter out mid-way.  

While it may seem as simple as taking a few gulps between reps, staying hydrated does a lot to keep our bodies in working order. After all, muscle tissue is about 70–75 percent water, Larson says, so it makes sense that well-hydrated muscles can perform and recover better. 

How Much Water Should I Drink to Gain Muscle?

There isn’t one universal amount of water to drink per day to gain muscle that fits everyone’s exercise plans and goals. However, leading health experts recommend that women generally aim for about 2.7 liters of water a day and men aim for about 3.7 liters. A more personalized rule of thumb, per Lieb, is to take your body weight in pounds, divide it by two, and drink that many ounces of water per day—plus extra fluid to replace sweat lost during exercise. Following that example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you’d aim to drink 80 ounces of fluid per day, plus a bit more during exercise.

But what does a “bit more during exercise” look like? Leib breaks down another easy hydration guideline to remember depending on your workout plan: Drink approximately 8–10 ounces every 30 minutes during a strength training session and 4–8 ounces every 20 minutes during cardio.

Strength workouts may not involve as much sweat as long cardio sessions, but hydration still matters for performance and recovery. If your workout takes place in hot or humid weather or lasts for longer than an hour, or if you’re a heavy sweater, you may also want to include electrolytes in your hydration strategy. On rest days, your hydration needs are closer to baseline. Still, you’ll want to try and stay consistently hydrated to support muscle recovery from your training.

When in doubt, pay attention to the hue of your urine to monitor your hydration status: “If your urine color is pale yellow, you’re likely in a good hydration zone,” Larson says. 

Tips for Staying Hydrated While Trying to Build Muscle

If you’re trying to form a new hydration habit to support your muscle-building goals, here are a few tips from the pros that can make it happen: 

There is, of course, a small risk in drinking too much water. Drinking excessive water without electrolytes can dilute sodium levels, a rare condition called hyponatremia. This can lead to muscle weakness, cramping, fatigue, and in more severe cases, even seizures. But experts say most people don’t need to worry about this unless they are drinking large volumes quickly or sweating heavily without replacing sodium. 

The Takeaway

Prioritizing proper hydration is key for all of us, especially those with a muscle-gain goal. Drinking enough water before, during, and after exercise—and on rest days—supports our body’s blood flow, helps deliver amino acids and carbs to hardworking muscle tissue, and makes it possible for muscle fibers to contract and relax as they should. 

While there’s no one universal “right” amount of water to drink for muscle gain, experts say if your urine is a pale yellow color, you’re on track with your hydration goals. But if you’re looking for more guidance, aim to drink about half your body weight in ounces per day, plus more during strength and cardio workouts. Set hydration alerts on your phone, carry around a water bottle, and add more hydrating foods into your diet to make it easier.