Inputs
- Session start time, length, and type
- Conditions, athlete weight, and sweat pattern
Outputs
- A before/during/after hydration timeline with pack list
- Copyable coach team text and parent packing note
Scales the pre-session ounces to the athlete.
The hydration plan
4:00 PM start · 90 min · warm conditions
Pre-load
Drink 10–20 oz of water across the 2 hours before the workout. Quick check: urine should look like pale lemonade, not apple juice.
That is 5–10 mL per kg of body weight — hydrated before beats catching up during.
Final sips
Top off with a few swallows. Arrive hydrated, not sloshing.
During the workout
Aim for 30–40 oz across each hour — a few swallows every 15–20 minutes beats chugging at the end.
Refill and recover
Refill steadily — 16–24 oz over the next couple of hours works for most athletes, paired with a salty snack and normal meals.
Pair fluids with real food — recovery is fluids plus fuel, not fluids alone.
Electrolytes
Make one bottle a sports drink or add electrolytes — sodium is the priority (roughly 300–600 mg per hour).
- • 3 bottles (~22 oz each)
- • Sports drink or electrolyte mix for one bottle
- • Salty snack for afterward (pretzels, crackers, or a sports drink)
More is not automatically better. Forcing fluids far beyond thirst — especially plain water on long days — carries its own risk. If drinking feels like a chore and urine runs completely clear, ease off.
Send it the night before or the morning of — clock times already match your session.
Practice at 4:00 PM — hydration notes from coach: • Start drinking this morning: 10–20 oz of water in the 2 hours before 4:00 PM. Urine check — pale lemonade, not apple juice. • Bring 3 bottles. Make one a sports drink. • During: 30–40 oz per hour, a few swallows every 15–20 minutes. • After: refill with 16–24 oz over the next 1–2 hours plus a salty snack.
Everything to pack, nothing to guess.
Packing note for the 4:00 PM workout: • 3 water bottles • One bottle as sports drink, or an electrolyte packet to mix in • A salty snack for the ride home (pretzels, crackers) • A nudge to start sipping water 2 hours out — around 2:00 PM
Goes deeper
Use this in practice
- Build the plan when you post the week’s schedule, then copy the team text into the group chat the night before hot or hard days.
- Tape the printed plan next to the practice schedule so athletes see the pre-load window, not just the workout.
- For heavy or salty sweaters, run one sweat-rate weigh-in on a representative session and swap the guesswork for a real number.
Fluid ranges follow Thomas et al. (2016) and Baker et al. (2017). Educational guidance, not a medical prescription — athletes with symptoms of heat illness need an adult and shade first, fluids second.