Build Huge Muscle With Water?

I get asked this question all the time in emails, on my blogs, on the phone, face to face, whatever form of communication you can think of. This was an exact email that I received the other day:
The question is - I have seen it and heard it over the net and in the gym that it is recommended to drink several liters of water daily to help gain weight and build muscle. Is it really that important to drink so much water as well as and in addition to other fluids, even if you're not even thirsty? Is it really recommended, what is your opinion on it?

Answer - Yes it is recommended! Water is the most important nutrient your body needs. It is recommended even if you're not trying to gain muscle and weight. We humans struggle to realize at what point they become a little dehydrated. To add to this, the thirst quench is achieved long before full rehydration has occurred. Other fluids may quench your thirst but this doesn't mean that your bodies rehydrated. Fluids have different amounts of water contained in them and some of them in fact have diuretics in them which in actual fact dehydrate you further.

The body cannot build muscles and run efficiently if it dehydrated, it just can't. Water has several functions in the body and most notably with reference to building muscles is the fact that it is a major component of blood and of the fluids in the muscles and joints. If the body does not have a sufficient supply of water it will suffer in some form. Even slight dehydration can have disastrous effects on your energy levels in the gym and can reduce your strength and stamina.

I personally (Speaking from years of experience) would drink 2 liters of water a day, and if it's a training day it can sometimes be even more. During your workout you should be drinking water throughout, half a cup every 15 minutes would be ideal. If you're not doing this now, start. It may seem a little tedious and nuisance at first but within a few weeks you will really notice the difference in your workouts.

Overall, water is an essential element of everyday life and especially when you're trying to build muscle. A lot of medical professionals consider water to be the most important sports nutrient you can have, and I agree completely.

Some other benefits of having water are:
1. Too little water, and your body steals it from organs such as the colon. When this happens, you experience constipation. Plus, water allows you to digest your meals efficiently. This is especially true when you're consuming over 4,000 calories a day.

2. If water retention is a chronic problem, it may be because there's too much salt in the diet. The higher the sodium intake, the more the body tries to retain water (to dilute its concentration). Either reduce salt intake or drink more water.

3. Without enough water, the kidneys can't function properly. When this happens, some of the load is transferred to the liver. The liver metabolizes stored fat for energy. If the liver is doing some of the kidneys' work, it burns less fat. In addition, water can actually reduce feelings of hunger.

What Can You Do About Joint And Muscle Pain?

One of the most common questions I receive: "I'm having pain in my knees and joints. My knees even hurt when I get on the bikes at the gym. Is there a certain exercise that can help in strengthening my knees, or any other advice you can give? Someone said to take fish oil."

Osteoarthritis, or "wear and tear arthritis", is actually common at any age, although more common as we get older and remain physically active.
May people suffer joint pain because of the opposite — inactivity. In fact, I believe this is the root cause of most joint issues that have nothing to do with injury. Like anything else, we either use our joints or we loose our joints. Over the years, if you've lived a sedentary life, you'll find that the body shifts its biochemistry to support only what you are requiring it to do.

One of the things I speak about is how the body and mind work together. Unfortunately, this is one of those times when the mind has a mind of it's own. I'm going to go out on a limb here and voice my enthusiastic opinion on what's going on. Some doctors will pitch and scream about this, but others back me 100%. I'll let you decide. Then I'll give you some great solutions for helping knee and joint pain that's not being caused by a chronic injury.

First, there's our old friend calcium. Calcium is touted heavily for conditions such as osteoporosis — however, the media is only giving you one segment of the story. The real culprit here is your hormones. As you age, unless you remain physically active (even more-so than when you were young), the body alters its hormonal production. Thyroid levels and testosterone levels decrease. Low testosterone has been directly linked to problems with bone density. The lower the levels, the more brittle the bone can become.
Enter osteoporosis.
These hormones also cause a drain on the body's nutrients, including calcium. However, replacing calcium will no more cure the problem in many cases than, say, replacing water from a bucket with a hole in it. You have to plug the hole — and that is best done through hormonal management, dietary shifts, and exercise.
Let's take thyroid: the Mayo Clinic published an article just last week on the connection between low thyroid and joint problems and muscle pain. I overcame hypothyroidism and the associated joint pain that accompanied it. You can, too. It takes some work, and in some cases some medical intervention, but often thyroid levels can be managed naturally.

A friend of mine, Jackie Lee, at age 72, looks 52 at best — and acts 22. She still tumbles, dances, teaches yoga, competes in figure and even bodybuilding shows — and she's been hypothyroid for decades. She manages it through a combination of specific amino acids, her lifestyle nutrition plan (she's a vegetarian; I am not), and of course exercise. Her story is quite inspiring.

Now, since we know that thyroid, testosterone, and other bodily hormones have a lot to do with joint and muscle pain, doesn't it make sense to start there and work our way outward to a solution? I think so.
Have your hormone levels checked. A few simple blood tests will let your doctor know if you are hypothyroid (be sure to run free and reverse T3/T4 — many doctors only run TSH, which is not adequate) or if you have other hormonal issues. Resolve those first.