So, what is the point of testing sweat rate when determining a hydration plan? What you need to do is get an understanding of how much you can absorb.//
The point is to find out if you are a heavy sweater/excreter. No one is saying that you can replace all that you lose if you are in the heavy category, you dont have to in many cases. You body has a store of all this stuff, along with calories to burn. But just like the burning of calories and the fact you can not replace all you lose, you just want to do your best to mitigate the losses. On really cold days that are raining, I can get by with a bottle of water and coke. On a really hot day that is dry, I cannot keep up with losses, but I can do enough to last 4 hours with my bodies stores.
You are right, it is silly to drink more than you can absorb, but to neglect to know what you are losing in the first place, well that is a recipe for disaster for a lot of people..ANd yes, there are every type of athletes out there, ones like PNF who can drink a few sips of water and win Kona, and others that have to take 40 salt pills with enough water to absorb them to have their best day..Why wouldn't you want to know which one you were, or in-between??
The point is to find out if you are a heavy sweater/excreter. No one is saying that you can replace all that you lose if you are in the heavy category, you dont have to in many cases. You body has a store of all this stuff, along with calories to burn. But just like the burning of calories and the fact you can not replace all you lose, you just want to do your best to mitigate the losses. On really cold days that are raining, I can get by with a bottle of water and coke. On a really hot day that is dry, I cannot keep up with losses, but I can do enough to last 4 hours with my bodies stores.
You are right, it is silly to drink more than you can absorb, but to neglect to know what you are losing in the first place, well that is a recipe for disaster for a lot of people..ANd yes, there are every type of athletes out there, ones like PNF who can drink a few sips of water and win Kona, and others that have to take 40 salt pills with enough water to absorb them to have their best day..Why wouldn't you want to know which one you were, or in-between??