What to Drink During a Workout to Optimize Performance

Pop quiz: When you exercise, what’s in your water bottle? Is it…plain old water, a sports drink, something else, or nothing at all? 

It’s worth considering: What you drink during a workout can seriously impact your energy levels, endurance, and overall performance, whether you’re powering through a cycling class or zoning into your yoga flow. 

“Hydrating during exercise is key for replacing fluids lost and maintaining proper fluid and electrolyte balance within the body,” says Shelby O’Neill, RD, an associate sports dietitian at Fueled + Balanced Nutrition. “Sweat rate and hydration needs are highly individualized and will depend on the environment and specific workout being done. Some people will benefit from hydrating during a workout, while others will do just fine drinking water before or after exercise.”

So, what’s the ideal game plan to keep you hydrated, energized, and in the zone? We asked sports dietitians to break down the best hydration strategies, the role of different beverages, and how to match your hydration needs to your specific workout and conditions.

What to Drink During a Workout

Whether you’re engaging in a high-intensity training session or knocking out a low-impact workout, what you drink and when you drink it can significantly impact your performance, as well as your post-exercise hydration levels. 

“While most people will not be able to keep up with fluid losses during moderate to high intensity exercise, hydrating during activity helps reduce your losses and support hydration for the rest of your day,” says Kelly Jones, RD, a performance dietitian for athletes and busy, active adults.

And while water is the essential hydration go-to, there are other beverages you can drink during a workout that might just be your secret weapon to breeze through your final mile or stay strong through your last set. Other options like sports drinks or even unconventional choices like pickle juice may provide different benefits, depending on your workout conditions.

Here, we break down the various beverages to consider when deciding what to drink during a workout, plus the ideal situations to have them:

1. Water: The Classic Choice

Water is the most widely recommended choice for hydration during most workouts, particularly shorter training sessions (60 minutes or less) and those of low to moderate intensity. And for good reason: Water quickly replenishes lost fluids without adding unnecessary sugar or artificial ingredients to your system.

When to choose water:  

2. Sports Drinks: Electrolyte Boosters

Sports drinks and other electrolyte-infused beverages are designed for longer or more intense workouts that cause you to sweat heavily, as they provide not only water but also electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and magnesium. These drinks can help replace electrolytes lost through sweat, which helps maintain muscle function and reduces the risk of cramping.

“People who do high intensity workouts like cycling and running for longer than 45–60 minutes can benefit from using sports drinks no matter what the temperature,” O’Neill says. “For those people that tend to be saltier sweaters, they may benefit from using a sports drink or electrolyte powder even when workouts last less than 60 minutes and/or they’re exercising at a moderate temperature.”

Jones also notes that sodium is the electrolyte lost most in sweat, “so it’s the only one I prioritize including for shorter workouts,” she says. “As time increases, especially over 90 minutes, that’s when you’ll want to replace water, sodium, carbohydrates, and potassium too.” 

When choosing electrolyte products, Jones recommends options with at least 200 milligrams of sodium for exercise lasting about an hour, or more for those who know they have higher or saltier sweat rates.

When to choose electrolyte-infused beverages:  

3. Coconut Water: Sports Drink Alternative

Coconut water has become a popular alternative to traditional sports drinks because it tends to be lower in sugar and calories than many electrolyte beverages, making it a solid option for folks hoping to replenish electrolytes during moderate exercise without adding a ton of sugar to their diet.

When to choose coconut water: 

4. Pickle Juice: A Cramp-Fighting Option

You won’t find many people filling up their water bottle with pickle juice, but some athletes swear by a sip or two to prevent and relieve muscle cramps, particularly during endurance events like a marathon or distance ride. That said, experts say pickle juice won’t be an effective choice for everyone, and more research is needed into how effective it really is as a sports performance beverage—but it usually can’t hurt to try. 

When to choose pickle juice:  

Chocolate Milk: Post-Workout Recovery Drink

Admittedly, chocolate milk might not be the best thing to drink during a workout, as the drink’s fat content and heavier nature can slow absorption and may make you feel weighed down. However, it’s an effective (and much more palatable) choice to consider after you’re done exercising. That’s because chocolate milk has an optimal balance of carbohydrates and proteins, which helps muscle recovery and glycogen replenishment after strenuous exercise. 

When to choose chocolate milk:  

How Much Should You Hydrate During a Workout?

There’s no hard-and-fast rule when it comes to how frequently you should hydrate during a workout. “For some people, hydrating during activity may be more important than for others,” Jones says. The amount of fluid you should drink during a workout, including:

1. The Length of Your Workout

The length of your sweat session plays a large part in how much fluid you should drink while exercising. But remember: This remains highly variable depending on the person and the workout conditions. 

“Fluid needs vary based on each individual,” O’Neill says. “Most people tolerate smaller amounts consumed more frequently instead of larger amounts all at once. It’s best to meet these goals by taking a few sips every couple of minutes rather than drinking it all at once.”

Jones shares these baseline mid-exercise hydration guidelines, depending on the length of your workout:

2. The Intensity of Your Workout

Are you going for a leisurely walk, or are you engaging in a hilly cycling course or running a race? The latter workouts will usually produce more sweat, which requires you to replenish more lost fluid. 

“For example, marathon runners may benefit from drinking 0.4–0.8 liters (about 12–24 ounces) of fluid per hour,” O’Neill says. But again, if you’re going for, say, a casual 20 minute walk, following your body’s natural hydration cues is typically all you’ll need to do.

3. Your Environment

Climate matters. The hotter it is, the more you will likely need to hydrate because, again, you’ll probably be sweating more than you would in cooler temperatures. “When exercising in the heat, especially when not acclimated, pre-exercise hydration strategies are important to consider,” Jones says. Hydration during a hot-weather workout is also key—drinking about 200–300 milliliters (or 7–8 ounces) or more of water every 15 minutes is a good target to aim for.

Electrolyte-replenishing drinks can help maintain fluid balance when you’re exercising in extreme heat or humidity. “Those are times when having carbohydrates and more sodium with your fluid becomes important, even for exercise lasting under an hour.” 

4. Your Sweat Rate

“Sweat rates can range between 0.5–2 liters per hour with variability based on genetics, temperature, acclimation to the temperature and environment, apparel, altitude, and more,” Jones says.

If you know you’re someone who sweats a lot more than others, it may be a sign you need to hydrate more than others too. Focus on what your body is telling you as well as your sweat and thirst levels during and after exercise and adjust your fluid intake accordingly. You can also get more exact by doing a bit of math to calculate your specific sweat rate, which becomes more important for longer workouts.

And remember, if you’re a salty sweater, sodium is an important part of the hydration equation. “Sodium sweat losses have been found to range between 200 and 2,000 milligrams per liter of sweat, meaning replenishing sodium during exercise for hydration can be imperative for some to maintain fluid balance and not as important for others,” Jones says. 

The Takeaway

Hydration during a workout is essential for optimizing performance, preventing fatigue, and, of course, avoiding dehydration. For most workouts that hover around an hour or less, water is usually more than sufficient for not only staying hydrated but also helping you perform optimally. If you’re engaging in longer, sweatier workouts that require you to rehydrate as you go, you may find it beneficial to test out different beverage options to find the drinks that help you stay in peak condition during a workout and after you’re done exercising.