regardless of if youre out on the trail, the city streets, or the gym, youll need to keep yourself hydrated. Being that around 70% of our body mass comes from liquids, its hard to argue against hydration being a key part of your fitness success. Adequate water levels will allow your muscles last under strain for longer and allows them to heal faster after a strenuous workout, giving you more time on the trail, and better results after the fact. In addition to affecting all of the muscles in your body, your level of hydration can also affect your brain. Any chemical signals & hormones that your brain needs to trigger can be slowed down by a dehydrated body, and even acting in a rational manner can become harder than it otherwise should be.

As a key part of fitness, your level of hydration affects every cell in your body. Skeletal muscle cells, which are the building blocks for the vast majority of what most people consider to be a muscle, such as your biceps, trapezius, or glutes are perhaps the worst affected. Due to the fact that skeletal muscle cells are the only muscle cells which you can voluntarily control, it is here where you will notice any difference in performance. 

Water

A classic choice for near any sports enthusiast, water has been by our side since the beginning. From forest trails to city cycle networks, water has been the longest standing option and is one of the most refreshing drinks on our list today, so it is easy to see why it has been so popular for so long.

When it comes to hydrating your body, you cant get much better than water. The liquid is chemically identical to the H2O that your body uses to power many of the processess required for a good workout. Adding to the list of benefits, the refreshing main stay is available in shops up and down the country so there’s a good chance you wont even need to worry if you forget yours at home.

Juice

A great taste combined with fruity vitamins and minerals, fruit juice can be a great option to bring with you on a ride. Whilst the sugar isn’t any good for your internals or your diet, the extra energy might be exactly what you need to succeed when pushing your body for that next mile. Juice contains a swath of useful vitamins and minerals, from Vitamin A which keeps your vision healthy, Vitamin C which is essential for tissue repair (your muscles are a tissue!) or even the more basic sugar, which can be just what you need to get you over the slump.

One of the drawbacks of using Juice as your cycling beverage of choice is the odd bottle shapes! the cheapest versions of orange or apple juice are just as likely to come in a rectangular carton as they are a cylindrical bottle, and with most bikes being supplied with a bottle holder rather than a carton holder, you’ll have to buy a separate bottle to decant the juice into before leaving for the day. not a deal breaker, but definitely not as reliable as a classic bottle of water.

Coffee

Probably one of the worst options on our list, a coffee with milk & sugar can giving you a bit of a kick if you need it, but over the course of a workout, the drink will do more to hinder you than help. Sugar contributes to carbs, dairy contributes to bloat, and caffeine will only help for a few hours at absolute most, and a regular coffee drinker proably isnt going to get the kind of energy theyre hoping for.

Now caffeine and sugar of course have their uses, they have a unique ability to give you a short burst of energy which can be just enough to push you over a long standing hill in your training. Having broke the barrier once, this could allow you to break that same barrier again, but without the use of stimulants. Certianly not the type of drink you want to take with you on a regular basis. 

Energy Drink

Energy drinks are the latest addition to a cyclists potential hydration options, with Red Bull (R) having hit the markets back in 1987, with competitors Monster Energy joining in 2002, and relentless in 2006, consumers haven’t had as long of a grace period to examine and deliberate, however the seemingly endless supply of sugar and caffeine in these drinks lock it into a similar category as Coffee. That is to say, probably useful once or twice but more of a hinderance than a hel[

Isotonic Sports Drink

Now, here comes the only real competition that plain old water has had in decades, specifically engineered to deliver a host of electrolytes & vitamins to the body when you most need them, an isotonic sports drink is the perfect ride along to lock into your bikes bottle holder.

As they’re mostly sold in cylindrical bottles it wouldn’t be a particular challenge to fit one to your bike, and with them being so popular you can very likely find at least one flavour at any store in the UK, though you’ll certainly be drinking more sugar than you otherwise would have.