Sodium Needs and Athletes

 

SODIUM: How Much Sodium Should You Intake? | Importance Of Sodium For Natural Lifters

Video taken from the channel: PumpChasers


 

Bodybuilding And Sodium Intake: How Much Salt Is Okay?

Video taken from the channel: Sean Nalewanyj


 

Dr. Stephen Phinney: How much sodium should you consume on a ketogenic diet?

Video taken from the channel: Virta Health


 

Sodium To Improve Athletic Performance

Video taken from the channel: Total Fitness Bodybuilding


 

Use of pH buffers to improve performance during high intensity exercise Sports Nutrition

Video taken from the channel: Nestlé Nutrition Institute


 

Dangers of Low-Salt Diets & Impacts on Athletic Performance w/ Dr. James DiNicolantonio

Video taken from the channel: Dr. Bubbs Performance Nutrition Podcast


 

The Importance Of Sodium For Exercise Performance!

Video taken from the channel: Paul Salter Weight Maintenance Expert


 

Dr. Stephen Phinney: How much sodium should you consume on a ketogenic diet?

Video taken from the channel: Virta Health


 

5 Health Benefits of Salt in the DietThomas DeLauer

Video taken from the channel: Thomas DeLauer


 

Bodybuilding And Sodium Intake: How Much Salt Is Okay?

Video taken from the channel: Sean Nalewanyj


 

Sodium To Improve Athletic Performance

Video taken from the channel: Total Fitness Bodybuilding


 

The Importance Of Sodium For Exercise Performance!

Video taken from the channel: Paul Salter Weight Maintenance Expert


 

Use of pH buffers to improve performance during high intensity exercise Sports Nutrition

Video taken from the channel: Nestlé Nutrition Institute


 

Dangers of Low-Salt Diets & Impacts on Athletic Performance w/ Dr. James DiNicolantonio

Video taken from the channel: Dr. Bubbs Performance Nutrition Podcast


Athletes and active people typically need of more salt than the average person. Sodium is lost through sweat, and athletes can have very high sweat rates. All athletes, from crossfitters to football players to endurance runners, are prone to sweating during exercise, which is a key mechanism in cooling the body’s core temperature while working out.

Athletes and other active people should consider the amount of sodium in their diets and whether they may need additional sodium based on their exercise and training. For regular exercisers (30-60 minutes a day, five to seven days a week), the dietary guidelines for sodium in the diet is likely adequate to replace any sodium lost in the sweat. Sweating is the main way athletes lose sodium and fluids during exercise. That’s why those of us who train regularly have different needs when it comes to replacing sodium than those who don’t. The thing is, everyone loses a different amount of sodium in their sweat, from as little as 200mg of sodium per liter of sweat, to as much as 2,000mg/l.

And everyone sweats at different. Weiss did concede that athletes need a higher salt intake than the general population. Too much sodium in the blood can throw off your blood pressure, but the point is that athletes tend to lose a. Athletes need more sodium because it is lost while sweating.

The amount of sodium excreted in sweat is large and depends on many factors, such as body mass, training level, temperature, clothing, gender, and heat/humidity acclimatization. Sodium (Salt) Intake for Athletes Every person in the Western world consumes more than sufficient quantities of salt through their diet to satisfy their bodily needs for sodium, one of the two elements that form salt; 90% of all dietary salt consumed is. Sweating is the main way athletes lose sodium and fluids during exercise.

That’s basically why those of us who train regularly have different needs when it comes to replacing sodium than those who don’t. Everyone loses a different amount of sodium in their sweat. Moderate your salt intake by eating less processed food. Having parents with low blood pressure also helps How much salt does an athlete actually need? For non-athletes, the body only needs 500 mg sodium and the U.S.

Dietary Guidelines recommend no more than 2,400 mg sodium/day. Current dietary guidelines recommend healthy adults get 2,000 to 2,300 milligrams of sodium, with runners and endurance athletes taking more as necessary, so long as their blood pressure remains in. The body needs only a small amount of sodium (less than 500 milligrams per day) to function properly.

That’s a mere smidgen — the amount in less than ¼ teaspoon. Very few people come close to eating less than that amount. Plus, healthy kidneys are great at retaining the sodium that your body needs.

List of related literature:

Because sodium and chloride are the main electrolytes lost in sweat, rehydration without replacement of these electrolytes will eventually lead to dilution of their concentrations in the body.1 One way to prevent hyponatremia is to have athletes ingest sports drinks containing electrolytes, particularly sodium.

“Practical Applications In Sports Nutrition BOOK ALONE” by Heather Fink, Alan Mikesky, Lisa Burgoon
from Practical Applications In Sports Nutrition BOOK ALONE
by Heather Fink, Alan Mikesky, Lisa Burgoon
Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2011

Athletes experiencing any of the initial symptoms of hyponatremia, such as muscle cramping, may find that consumption of salty foods and sodium-containing sports beverages satisfactorily resolves the symptoms.

“Advanced Sports Nutrition” by Dan Benardot
from Advanced Sports Nutrition
by Dan Benardot
Human Kinetics, Incorporated, 2011

Sodium supplementation in the form of salt tablets, salty snacks, or sports drinks will not prevent the development of EAH, although some evidence suggests that such supplementation retards the rate of blood sodium decline in athletes who drink in excess.

“Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine” by Lyle J. Micheli, M.D.
from Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine
by Lyle J. Micheli, M.D.
SAGE Publications, 2010

For youth athletes who participate in events that are prolonged (i.e., last more than an hour) and involve vigorous exercise or take place in a hot and humid environment, it may be useful to use a sport drink containing carbohydrate and sodium chloride in order to maintain energy provision and electrolyte balance.

“Essentials of Youth Fitness” by Avery D. Faigenbaum, Rhodri S. Lloyd, Jon L. Oliver, American College of Sports Medicine
from Essentials of Youth Fitness
by Avery D. Faigenbaum, Rhodri S. Lloyd, et. al.
Human Kinetics, 2019

If there are large amounts of sodium chloride in an athlete’s sweat, or an athlete replaces his or her sweat losses with low-sodium drinks or plain water, diluting the sodium in the blood, or both, the chance of getting a muscle cramp increases.

“Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, 3rd Ed.” by Monique Ryan, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN
from Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, 3rd Ed.
by Monique Ryan, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN
VeloPress, 2012

In addition to consuming sodium during exercise, athletes acclimatizing to the heat should also consider a temporary increase in their daily intake of sodium, possibly as high as 4–10 grams of sodium per day.”

“Practical Applications in Sports Nutrition” by Heather Hedrick Fink, Lisa A. Burgoon, Alan E. Mikesky
from Practical Applications in Sports Nutrition
by Heather Hedrick Fink, Lisa A. Burgoon, Alan E. Mikesky
Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2006

Though plain water is effective for rehydration, athletes should consider a sport drink or consume their water with foods that contain electrolytes such as sodium and chloride to replace electrolyte losses (Dunford 2006).

“NSCA’s Guide to Sport and Exercise Nutrition” by NSCA -National Strength & Conditioning Association, Bill Campbell, Marie Spano
from NSCA’s Guide to Sport and Exercise Nutrition
by NSCA -National Strength & Conditioning Association, Bill Campbell, Marie Spano
Human Kinetics, Incorporated, 2011

When athletes are training or competing for hours at a time, they will need to replace sodium to promote fluid retention and can typically do so by salting foods and drinking sport

“Successful Coaching” by Rainer Martens
from Successful Coaching
by Rainer Martens
Human Kinetics, Incorporated, 2012

Additionally, the day before a long training bout or competition, an athlete can help promote optimal levels of body sodium by eating salty foods such spaghetti with red sauce or lightly salting their meals.

“Essentials of Exercise & Sport Nutrition: Science to Practice” by Richard B. Kreider PhD FACSM FISSN FNAK
from Essentials of Exercise & Sport Nutrition: Science to Practice
by Richard B. Kreider PhD FACSM FISSN FNAK
Lulu Publishing Services, 2019

Athletes who exercise hard for more than four hours in the heat, such as tennis players, triathletes, and ultrarunners, may be putting themselves at risk of developing a sodium imbalance that could contribute to cramps if they consume only water during the event and no foods or beverages that contain sodium.

“Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook” by Nancy Clark
from Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook
by Nancy Clark
Human Kinetics, 2019

NOAH BRYANT

Hardcore strength training is what I am about. I am a personal trainer, author, and contributor to lots of different lifting and fitness magazines.

I was a 2x NCAA champion in the shoutput at USC and I represented the USA at the 2007 World Championships as well as the 2011 PanAm Championships.

Contact me to find out more about my personalized online training and how I can help you reach your goals.

Education: Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Public Policy, Planning, And Development @ University of Southern California

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159 comments

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  • Interesting. my understanding from medical reseach is that the ideal potassium to sodium is 3: 1 or 2: 1 respectively depending on the study. This is the first time I’ve heard of a 1:1 ratio.

  • Salt packets from McDonalds, dishwashing gloves as training gloves, protein jugs for forearm strength, Lee is the “everymans” body builder!

  • Sodium bicarbonate-aka baking soda is a negative ion and helps to buffer toxic build up as well as excess lactic acid from exercising. Baking soda is also a type of salt(sodium)

  • I entered everything I ate into Cronometer one day last week (I ate the same way I eat any other day) I just went back to that day and went to check the sodium and potassium. My sodium was 2,782 but my potassium was 5,203. Am I having too little sodium, then? Should I consume more?

  • Sean please answer my question!
    i run your free program and do reps from 5-7 reps for about 1 year on legs and i got knee pain when bending, the right leg
    , i took 1 week off and pain still exist even after 2 weeks from resting, should i train with low reps or stick with high reps from 15 + and more? the pain go away when training!, by the way i got knee pain from squating wrong, realized the knee go forward alittle bit when squating and didn’t take a serious deload week or full week of rest since i started training for 1 and half year ago, so what i have to do now? continue training with low/high reps or skip legs if it might be sign of injury?!
    @Sean Nalewanyj

  • I always avoided salt, because a lot of fitness gurus told not to eat salt, because it’s dangerous for the body, but always when I train very long, I got so fatigued and got horrible headaches….thanks for the tip! But tell me why do some bodybuilders avoid salt and talking bad about salt and sodium?

  • been on a low sodium diet and drinking a ton of distilled water and still cannot lose the water and get ripped can you help me out please

  • Salt packets from McDonalds, dishwashing gloves as training gloves, protein jugs for forearm strength, Lee is the “everymans” body builder!

  • It would be even better to take a natural unrefined sea salt or rock salt. I like Keltic Sea Salt the best. Let it dissolve in water and drink that. Can be good with a bit of lemon juice.
    Unrefined salt has trace minerals that are removed from white table salt. The table salt can have toxic additives like aluminum that aren’t present in natural unrefined salt.

  • Dislike, you should try to minimise your sodium intake, ideally under 1500mg. Just another meathead giving potentially deadly misinformation, you can be proud of yourself

  • i never get muscle cramps. but i get really shaky towards the end of a good workout. is this mostly for cramps or the twitching? love your videos man!

  • Usually i would recommend drinking much more water with any added mineral or vitamin or protein or whatever, but this amount of salt isnt really much a health risk, just dont go eating like 5 packets

  • so how do you explain that diuretics work to drop blood pressure by removing salt from the blood? that must mean the more salt in the blood the higher the blood pressure. or are you saying that once you get below a certain amount of sodium in your blood then diuretics no longer work to drop blood pressure?

  • I went from less than 2300mg of sodium to 4000mg. BP stayed the same. AND I am more alert, and can think better. Overall, I just “feel” healthier.

  • Lee, how much sodium should I intake a day, on average I consume about 4000-4500 mg, Im 16 years old, 6 foot 1, 145lbs. Is this enough, I generally dont feel to crampy.

  • however I never needed them from working out, but when at work in summertimes…when you work where it is real humid and hot in summer you kind of need salt pills and tons of water to stay moving

  • What is 4 5 grams of sodium? I think table salt is 39% sodium. How many grams of table salt do I need to take to reach that 4 5 grams of sodium? I’m starting keto (4 weeks in) and I feel light headed and weak.

  • Even Elephants are risk there life’s because of salt. By going deep in to the caves, and eating salty of the walls. Elephant can eat Up to 20 kilos of salt over night. 20 kilos = 44.092 pounds.
    https://vimeo.com/35525821

  • Well potassium can cause you to be bloated as well. So why would you give the same equal amount of them in your body…. I disagree. Stayimg hydrated is key… as long as you stay full hydrated the sodium is not a major factor. Just dont over due it. I take 2500 mg sodium daily work put 3 to 5 x per work and it has gave me a perfect body.. remember as well people each and everyone our body except and discharge differently what works for 1 person may not work for you.. it’s literally test and try and see what’s fits for you…..

  • @james9689 salt is not the only electrolyte..you might lack potassium or calcium…correct me if i’m wrong..but as far as i can remember back in college i learned that the influx of potassium and calcium causes muscle contraction..lacking one of these electrolyte could cause muscle cramping…i dont disagree with lee..im just making a suggestion..just trying to help out:)

  • why not drink Gatorade instead or any other sport drink with electrolytes…low sodium is not always the reason you feel weak or get cramps in the gym..it could be lack of potassium, calcium or magnesium… thanks for the vid lee..it made me do a little research of my own:)

  • How can you specifically make sure that the reason for feeling weak or muscle cramps is the result of low sodium? I’m just curious Lee. Thanks and nice video

  • Very insightful, have been cutting and definitely realize how much it affects the weight but never really tracked it. Will for sure try it now ������

  • Interesting. my understanding from medical reseach is that the ideal potassium to sodium is 3: 1 or 2: 1 respectively depending on the study. This is the first time I’ve heard of a 1:1 ratio.

  • you missed stating the differences of available salts. table salt Isn’t the same as other salts. so just generalizing sodium and not giving proper information will get ppl hurt.

  • Love the honesty & practicality you bring w each & every video/article you make. This is one of the many reasons I started following you. Keep up w the posting! ������

  • Why do you need to have your potassium lvl the same what’s the reason. I’m lost. I understand the 1:1 ratio an it’s not evil. Get the whole bloated scene.

  • Kazakhstan greatest country in the world all other countrys are run by little girls.
    Kazakhstan number one exporter of potassium! Other countries have inferior potassium.

  • however I never needed them from working out, but when at work in summertimes…when you work where it is real humid and hot in summer you kind of need salt pills and tons of water to stay moving

  • Low sodium can cause muscle cramps. I cut my sodium so low it’s somewhere between 600-1200 on most days. My muscles are extremely sore after workouts, and they stay sore for 10-14 days causing me to miss some workouts the following week. I don’t have proof, but I am going to assume this is because I messed up my sodium levels. I will have to find some ways to increase my sodium without eating junk food now. Also, the Potassium ratio to sodium is actually about 2:1. That’s 2500 sodium, and 4500 potassium

  • It’s super hard to get under 2k sodium. I’m taking about 4500 and my BP is still low. Hard to get your protein intake and have low sodium

  • you are wrong about salt. you only crave salt when you’re used to eating salt and then you stop eating it but if you wean yourself off it your body adapts and it retains more salt and no longer craves it. once you’ve learnt yourself off salt you can’t stand to eat anything salty.

  • Hi Sean,.great info in this video. Appreciate it!
    what would be a reasonable amount of sodium and potassium? Asking because I’ve never really tracked sodium and will not but just curious if I’ve been taking in a high amount…. and if I have been consuming high.amount wouldn’t lowering it be a.good.idea instead.of just balancing it with potassium. confused
    ….:(
    Thanks Sean!

  • One simple question, I was a guy who used to sweat alot during exercise and could drink alt of water, but NO more sweat and dehydrated, is it because of salt deficiency?

  • Hey Sean I am eating bananas for the potassium. How does this help our recovery when it comes to the gym? Does it do anything to lower cortisol levels.
    Thanks

  • i never get muscle cramps. but i get really shaky towards the end of a good workout. is this mostly for cramps or the twitching? love your videos man!

  • It would be even better to take a natural unrefined sea salt or rock salt. I like Keltic Sea Salt the best. Let it dissolve in water and drink that. Can be good with a bit of lemon juice.
    Unrefined salt has trace minerals that are removed from white table salt. The table salt can have toxic additives like aluminum that aren’t present in natural unrefined salt.

  • Redmond real salt. Dr James spoke about a year ago and I listened and bought it. Best salt I’ve found so far and incredibly high in needed nutrients.

  • is this ONLY to be used if you are experiencing muscle cramps? wondering if i can do if say trying to push out an extra rep when going heavy

  • Bro I’ve been trying hard to get to 200 lbs by mid march or early April for baseball and I usually go around 6000 mg no problem and around 3800 potassium should I be concerned about going so high in sodium regularly?

  • How you get people show ready is one of your damn secrets that you haven’t given away yet. You do some amazing shit with your clients that I haven’t seen other coaches achieve. I know I am not in a situation where I can have the discipline and dedication to obey your coaching, but maybe in 5 years after I have earned my PhD and just have to work 40.0 hours per week flex time and live in a household with a weight-loss supportive woman or alone because I am not hoe ready I’ll hire you.

  • If I consume sodium and potassium in 1:2 ratio, will that help me to get leaner and look more shredded? Thanks in advance.
    By the way, good information video Sean. Love it!

  • Hey Sean, couple of questions. If I play tennis for an hour a day, which involves a hell of a lot of sweating all over my body, does that mean I can consume more salt each day? And also, my primary goal is fat loss, so does a higher intake of salt affect that? Thanks.

  • Dude this is probably my greatest discovery ever. Sodium gives you amazing performance. Things feel 40% lighter for me I had pizza to test it out and holy fuck I was strong.

  • So for ex. If I consume around 10,000 mg of sodium a day, while supplementing with potassium in that same ratio.
    Would that be ok in a long term? btw, GREAT content as always Sean. Thank you

  • Thanks, Lee
    This was very helpful. I have been having long recovery times after hard workouts and the advice to replenish salt helped speed up my recovery time. I live in a very hot country. Many times when I workout the temperature is between 87 and 93 degrees, with the humid at 90%. So, the sweat just rolls off of me. To get through a twenty minute workout I drink three 12 ounce bottles of water. Now, when I notice muscle cramps I add a cup of beef or chicken broth to my recover meal to replace the salts. This brings the recover time down to normal lengths. 
    Thank you again.

  • Brah u hve done videos on so many imp. Topics but never done a video on probiotics. When actually the data shows that it is becoming one of the biggest hot topics among bodybuilders.

  • i notice that if i eat a high sodium meal my face puffs right up. i dont know if that’s from water retention or what.. it’s always been like that.

  • Thanks man! One nutrition related questions is it possible to keep your weight but bring your body fat percentage down? So basically gain muscle and lose fat?

  • i notice that if i eat a high sodium meal my face puffs right up. i dont know if that’s from water retention or what.. it’s always been like that.

  • Hey Sean. I know you have some articles on your website about training routines, but could you post a video about intermediate training routines like a push pull legs about twice a week with sets, reps, and etc.

  • If your sodium does spike one day, that can really throw off your weight, feelings, etc. So, the day-to-day consistency is so important.

  • If you suffer from chronic diarrhea, make sure you have a glass of warm water with some sea salt afterwards. I stumbled on this trick quite by accident, and it changed my life!

  • Hi guys I am here to provide you Himalayan pink salt in a good in United Arab Emirates Dubai it will be very very very cheap real Himalayan pink salt in rock shape

  • What was the purpose of having that big red Appliance on the counter next to you during this video?
    Just something I was wondering but I appreciate the truth about salt

  • Lee, how much sodium should I intake a day, on average I consume about 4000-4500 mg, Im 16 years old, 6 foot 1, 145lbs. Is this enough, I generally dont feel to crampy. I also work out really hard as Im in good shape and muscular(even though im only 145 lbs Im pretty big, I just dont have much fat and light bones).

  • Dislike, you should try to minimise your sodium intake, ideally under 1500mg. Just another meathead giving potentially deadly misinformation, you can be proud of yourself

  • Just placed an order! Thank you Thomas for once again sharing your knowledge! I have always preferred salty over sweet! Once I quit smoking 2 decades ago sugar was just too sweet. I gravitate toward salty so I guess I am lucky in this regard! I can’t wait to taste the Redmond salt!!

  • I am having trouble finding any actual published studies that Himalayan Pink Salt is any better for you than normal salt (checked pubmed etc). Infact the only data I could find was an analysis showing it contained both radioactive substances and trace anounts of various poisons.

  • After following your citation to the news article which cited the study you’re referencing I saw that the study only approximated salt intake via salt levels in the urine, which could be effected by exercise/water intake etc and doesn’t really seem a reliable measure of salt intake, as well as ignoring other lifestyle factors that might be associated with people who have higher salt in their diet (like processed meats) should we really conclude that any amount of salt has any impact on our blood pressure positively or negatively from this study?

  • THOMAS RULES!!!….. love the dude, his vid-clip about how to lower our ‘SHBG’ to raise our TESTOSTERONE was waaaaaaay awesome! This sodium intake vid-clip ROCKS!           Love and Respect…… mykey from toronto

  • GIFT OF SALT from PAKISTAN to WORLD
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  • that’s so wierd I was getting muscle cramps today and I was going to google how to get the cramps to go away, but when I opened up youtube this was on my subscriber list. perfect timing

  • I’m a big guy, like pretty darn big, but I don’t eat a lot of processed foods at the same time I don’t really use salt, I use it to flavor my cooking and thats. I get check ups every 3 months and consistently my sodium levels reads a smidge above low and in the low normal range. I drink a lot of water, at least 1 gallon a day sometimes more and that does not include coffee and juices and such.

    My docs advice “well I’m not going to say hold the salt” and that’s after I pointed out the trend…gee thanks doc.

  • Well potassium can cause you to be bloated as well. So why would you give the same equal amount of them in your body…. I disagree. Stayimg hydrated is key… as long as you stay full hydrated the sodium is not a major factor. Just dont over due it. I take 2500 mg sodium daily work put 3 to 5 x per work and it has gave me a perfect body.. remember as well people each and everyone our body except and discharge differently what works for 1 person may not work for you.. it’s literally test and try and see what’s fits for you…..

  • Perindopril (BP med) causes hyponatremia. You lower your blood pressure as well as cause low levels of sodium in your body causing more damage

  • I appreciate the knowledge and it was very helpful. But the profanity was a bit intense for me. I’d love to hear more and share these helpful tips with my fit teens and send links to my clients in the future! Again, awesome content!

  • Thomas is seems that having salt might be ideal pre and post workout otherwise salt causes hungry cravings in my experience where i eat more than I should due to salt (e.g. salted nuts, peanut butter, etc)

  • Some good points made in this presentation. Many people are scared of salt and remove it from their diet almost completely. That is very stupid. Sodium is essential for many functions including helping the body to remain hydrated. Potassium was mentioned and also Magnesium is critical for optimum muscle health. If someone has high blood pressure then they need to get that investigated as there are many different causes for this common ailment including emotional stress. And why would anyone consume refined salt anyway? Natural (non-refined) whole salt includes a broad spectrum of useful & essential trace minerals and it is very inexpensive compared to many other natural foods. Concerned about your health? Time to get real!

  • Salt and potassium make the stomach HCL acid that destroys microbes, digests proteins, absorbs minerals, keeps the esophageal-gastic junction closed preventing GERD and Barret’s Esophagus and supports adrenal glands. You need 2,000-3,000 mgs a day. Making sure sure you get at least 4700mgs( or more for emotional, easily triggered people) of potassium will lower the blood pressure, slow the pulse and relax muscles, supporting better sleep.

  • i tend to get my muscle cramps post training when I’m at home, usually if i tense the muscle I’ve trained,. i do tend to get queasy and a bit light headed in the gym tho, especially on back and legs days!

  • Blood pressure medication will not work until you reduce sodium intake. Sodium can cause intracellular edema which can cause irritability.You need to state this with your biased belief about sodium.
    Advice given to me from Dr. Carlos Espinel.

  • Was getting dizzy while fasting so I started to have some sea salt in the morning and evening and my blood pressure jumped! Once I cut the salt out BP was perfect.

  • pink salt has no Iodine, iodine is a very important mineral, like you said. you need to mix it up, use both types of salt, but Iodized salt is needed to stimulate thyroid then boots metabolism.

  • We have in a salt-phobia era. No doctors wants the risk of ridicule for suggesting getting more salt. When you eat with friends or family. add quite some salt, and see the reactions. People will tell you that you might get dangerous blood pressure. But if you smoke or drink soda, they won’t care. People are weird, that’s why you have to stop listening to 99% of humans.

  • The salt lobby has been spending big to confuse the message about the benefits or detriments of salt. Please consider the attached when making an informed decision. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sodium-skeptics-try-to-shake-up-the-salt-debate/

  • Put salt on a cucumber and leave it for 5 minutes and u will c the watr drawing out from the vegetable. Now imagine what it does to your insides. Salt sucks all the impurities out of your body.

  • You forgot to list two of the really major benefits of lots of salt in the diet. The first is damage to the arteries that stiffen them and ultimately cause calcification. The 2nd is destruction of the tubules in the kidneys that over time will damage them. Oh by the way, the reason you dump sodium in your urine is because the body is desperately trying to get rid of all that toxic sodium. Remember, the function of the kidneys is to dump toxins from the blood and to return a tiny bit of sodium, potassium, magnesium and other critical elements to the body. It dumps excess salt as best as it can as well as excess sugar the body can no longer handle.

  • Hey thomas ive got a question, please answer i ve been having this issue for 6 months now, i eat healthy all day and when i go to the bathroom my poop isnt firm, sometimes it is very liquid and it scares me, anywany i have a very nice physique but i dont know what is caussing this to my body, i think i was eating too much fiber, for example oatmeal with 2 bananas at breakfast, and now this issue is literally all day on my mind so im really scared, i stopped eating oatmeal but my poop isnt very nice anyway, what should i do? Thanks thomas

  • Tom,
    For the vast amount of people watching your videos, a measurement of teaspoon, half-teaspoon would be a great help to them. So is it a teaspoon or half-teaspoon of Hiymalayan salt a day that they can use on their food?

  • is this ONLY to be used if you are experiencing muscle cramps? wondering if i can do if say trying to push out an extra rep when going heavy

  • Why do you need to have your potassium lvl the same what’s the reason. I’m lost. I understand the 1:1 ratio an it’s not evil. Get the whole bloated scene.

  • After going to a whole food diet, this is what I was missing. All the doctors talking about whole food diets don’t even mention this. Criminal, isn’t it? Thank you.

  • I only use Himalayan pink salt… You think One may go deficient in iodine? Which ordinarily comes from only store bought iodized white salt?

  • this was me on after my show 3 weeks ago.. couldnt pump up for show day then after all i could eat buffet the next day at gym looking hella juicy.. still took out overall first but lol

  • Hi I had a question for you. At the beginning of this year I came across a few cases of these military meals ready to eat. In one days time “about 28 hours” I kind of over ate on them. I calculated I ate around 8 grams sodium in 28 hours time from these high sodium meals and didn’t realize how much I ate. The bad part is I made myself puke by sticking my finger down my throat at the end of eating all this stuff… The next day my stomach was on fire and felt like I had ulcers or gastritis. I had a endoscopy done a few weeks later and doctor said my stomach looked okay and normal? He said I have functional dyspepsia. I am just wondering if eating this much sodium would cause stomach issues 8 grams in one day? or did I give myself this problem myself by making myself puke several times… Its been a bad year with my stomach now

  • does this mean deli meat is ok? i quit eating deli meat when i started working out because i kept hearing about the high sodium content. nowadays i average 2000mg of sodium a day and i’ve checked the nutrition of the deli meat and it has 200mg/slice, meaning i’d theoretically be ok eating having a couple slices a day. i ask because i miss deli meat due to it’s convenience and taste (tastes good where i get it from).

  • Dude this is probably my greatest discovery ever. Sodium gives you amazing performance. Things feel 40% lighter for me I had pizza to test it out and holy fuck I was strong.

  • Redmond real salt. Dr James spoke about a year ago and I listened and bought it. Best salt I’ve found so far and incredibly high in needed nutrients.

  • This is awesome. Probably my best finding ever. Who would have thought sodium had such a carry over to 30% more power output if not more. I mean I feel super strong when on high sodium.

  • Sodium bicarbonate-aka baking soda is a negative ion and helps to buffer toxic build up as well as excess lactic acid from exercising. Baking soda is also a type of salt(sodium)

  • Nice tip. I’m a tennis coach and player. I find that when I cut my sodium intake I lose water weight and get weak and cramp up. Because of this I have been experimenting with adding Asian sauces to my veggies to add some sodium. Thanks for the tip, this has help me stay balanced

  • I always avoided salt, because a lot of fitness gurus told not to eat salt, because it’s dangerous for the body, but always when I train very long, I got so fatigued and got horrible headaches….thanks for the tip! But tell me why do some bodybuilders avoid salt and talking bad about salt and sodium?

  • Sean, like all your vids, thanks for being the best and most straight up Youtube-er regarding fitness. Hope you are liking Australia!

  • This is awesome. Probably my best finding ever. Who would have thought sodium had such a carry over to 30% more power output if not more. I mean I feel super strong when on high sodium.

  • Brah u hve done videos on so many imp. Topics but never done a video on probiotics. When actually the data shows that it is becoming one of the biggest hot topics among bodybuilders.

  • @sakuraevolution Sodium chloride is sodium chloride. Only fools pay extra for seasalt. It is the exact same stuff, except with small amounts of pollution and sewage.

  • that’s so wierd I was getting muscle cramps today and I was going to google how to get the cramps to go away, but when I opened up youtube this was on my subscriber list. perfect timing

  • low salt diets cause insulin resistance and your adrenal glands need 3000+ mg daily to function optimally just make sure to get 5000+mg potassium daily and you should be straight

  • Anyone here in 2020? Ive been taking in 8000mg of sodium per day. Holy crap im more vascular and full. I wish i would have learned about sodium years ago.

  • Lee, how much sodium should I intake a day, on average I consume about 4000-4500 mg, Im 16 years old, 6 foot 1, 145lbs. Is this enough, I generally dont feel to crampy. I also work out really hard as Im in good shape and muscular(even though im only 145 lbs Im pretty big, I just dont have much fat and light bones).

  • been on a low sodium diet and drinking a ton of distilled water and still cannot lose the water and get ripped can you help me out please

  • what 1:1 ratio???
    Rda for sodium is 1.6
    Rda for potassium is 4.7, its a 4: 1 ratio. Get your facts right, potassium is critical for energy levels, hair, nails and you should not be giving false info about something that critical.

  • spread the good word to the masses lee…this is all stuff I already knew, but news to many…I prefer if anything salt pills to salt packets though, salt just has a terrible taste

  • Humans have only been consuming salt for the last 5,000 years when we started mining the stuff. Paleo man did not consume salt, and salt therefore is not Paleo. The natural level of sodium consumption in ancient man was about 200 mg a day. That’s what the Yanomami Indian of Brazil consume in their natural food. They don’t use salt and they have none of the diseases of Western or Asian man. The Intersalt study showed us that the small isolated groups in the world that consume little or no salt (under 1,500 mg a day) have no heart disease, no stroke, no type 2 and no dementia. Salt is the deadliest addition the human diet. Ever wonder why Paleo, low carb, raw vegan, high carb vegan, fruitarian, and carnivore diets although wildly different can claim all kinds of health benefits? It’s because they all eliminate processed food where we get 85% of our sodium. What they have in common is they are all low sodium diets. And their health benefits comes from limiting sodium.

  • What is 4 5 grams of sodium? I think table salt is 39% sodium. How many grams of table salt do I need to take to reach that 4 5 grams of sodium? I’m starting keto (4 weeks in) and I feel light headed and weak.

  • If I consume sodium and potassium in 1:2 ratio, will that help me to get leaner and look more shredded? Thanks in advance.
    By the way, good information video Sean. Love it!

  • why not drink Gatorade instead or any other sport drink with electrolytes…low sodium is not always the reason you feel weak or get cramps in the gym..it could be lack of potassium, calcium or magnesium… thanks for the vid lee..it made me do a little research of my own:)

  • How can you specifically make sure that the reason for feeling weak or muscle cramps is the result of low sodium? I’m just curious Lee. Thanks and nice video

  • Hi I had a question for you. At the beginning of this year I came across a few cases of these military meals ready to eat. In one days time “about 28 hours” I kind of over ate on them. I calculated I ate around 8 grams sodium in 28 hours time from these high sodium meals and didn’t realize how much I ate. The bad part is I made myself puke by sticking my finger down my throat at the end of eating all this stuff… The next day my stomach was on fire and felt like I had ulcers or gastritis. I had a endoscopy done a few weeks later and doctor said my stomach looked okay and normal? He said I have functional dyspepsia. I am just wondering if eating this much sodium would cause stomach issues 8 grams in one day? or did I give myself this problem myself by making myself puke several times… Its been a bad year with my stomach now

  • Eat healthy just means balance the nutrition, not totally throw away something entirely. Even alcohol is good for our body as long as don’t drink like a monster. Sometimes I also eat Mcdonlds, burger king, Ice cream, Pizza, Hot Pot,etc for fun, course our body can take care of it. But I definitely will not eat them everyday constantly.

  • Very insightful, have been cutting and definitely realize how much it affects the weight but never really tracked it. Will for sure try it now ������

  • Hey Sean I am eating bananas for the potassium. How does this help our recovery when it comes to the gym? Does it do anything to lower cortisol levels.
    Thanks

  • So if you’re taking in 4700mg of potassium a day on keto, how much salt?
    How much if you’re doing the same, but include an hour of a workout too? I hate it when vids don’t get specific. Sounds like he’s talking studies that are NOT keto, just regular people. As a keto guy, I’d think he’d spit out a decent number, or what HE does himself with the caveat that everyone is different of course.

    Has he ever said what HE does daily on keto? Anyone know?

  • You posted this just in time! Most deff had questions about this since I’ve been bulking. Thanks so much for touching on this topic Sean!:)

  • Bro I’ve been trying hard to get to 200 lbs by mid march or early April for baseball and I usually go around 6000 mg no problem and around 3800 potassium should I be concerned about going so high in sodium regularly?

  • Thanks man! One nutrition related questions is it possible to keep your weight but bring your body fat percentage down? So basically gain muscle and lose fat?

  • what 1:1 ratio???
    Rda for sodium is 1.6
    Rda for potassium is 4.7, its a 4: 1 ratio. Get your facts right, potassium is critical for energy levels, hair, nails and you should not be giving false info about something that critical.

  • Low sodium can cause muscle cramps. I cut my sodium so low it’s somewhere between 600-1200 on most days. My muscles are extremely sore after workouts, and they stay sore for 10-14 days causing me to miss some workouts the following week. I don’t have proof, but I am going to assume this is because I messed up my sodium levels. I will have to find some ways to increase my sodium without eating junk food now. Also, the Potassium ratio to sodium is actually about 2:1. That’s 2500 sodium, and 4500 potassium

  • If your sodium does spike one day, that can really throw off your weight, feelings, etc. So, the day-to-day consistency is so important.

  • @sakuraevolution Sodium chloride is sodium chloride. Only fools pay extra for seasalt. It is the exact same stuff, except with small amounts of pollution and sewage.

  • you missed stating the differences of available salts. table salt Isn’t the same as other salts. so just generalizing sodium and not giving proper information will get ppl hurt.

  • One simple question, I was a guy who used to sweat alot during exercise and could drink alt of water, but NO more sweat and dehydrated, is it because of salt deficiency?

  • Lee, how much sodium should I intake a day, on average I consume about 4000-4500 mg, Im 16 years old, 6 foot 1, 145lbs. Is this enough, I generally dont feel to crampy.

  • great video! very informational If any one doesn’t know how to track wether your getting the right amount of of potassium, sodium or other nutritional food sources there is a website called caloriecount.com it basically tracks your meals which will then give you a analysis on what your efficiencies are.

  • Hi Sean,.great info in this video. Appreciate it!
    what would be a reasonable amount of sodium and potassium? Asking because I’ve never really tracked sodium and will not but just curious if I’ve been taking in a high amount…. and if I have been consuming high.amount wouldn’t lowering it be a.good.idea instead.of just balancing it with potassium. confused
    ….:(
    Thanks Sean!

  • Nice tip. I’m a tennis coach and player. I find that when I cut my sodium intake I lose water weight and get weak and cramp up. Because of this I have been experimenting with adding Asian sauces to my veggies to add some sodium. Thanks for the tip, this has help me stay balanced

  • What about cramping? Isn’t that a sign that your sodium is too low? How much sodium should someone who destroys in the glorious house of gains & sweats their collective asses off, shoot for?

  • Thanks, Lee
    This was very helpful. I have been having long recovery times after hard workouts and the advice to replenish salt helped speed up my recovery time. I live in a very hot country. Many times when I workout the temperature is between 87 and 93 degrees, with the humid at 90%. So, the sweat just rolls off of me. To get through a twenty minute workout I drink three 12 ounce bottles of water. Now, when I notice muscle cramps I add a cup of beef or chicken broth to my recover meal to replace the salts. This brings the recover time down to normal lengths. 
    Thank you again.

  • Hey Sean, couple of questions. If I play tennis for an hour a day, which involves a hell of a lot of sweating all over my body, does that mean I can consume more salt each day? And also, my primary goal is fat loss, so does a higher intake of salt affect that? Thanks.

  • Usually i would recommend drinking much more water with any added mineral or vitamin or protein or whatever, but this amount of salt isnt really much a health risk, just dont go eating like 5 packets

  • great video! very informational If any one doesn’t know how to track wether your getting the right amount of of potassium, sodium or other nutritional food sources there is a website called caloriecount.com it basically tracks your meals which will then give you a analysis on what your efficiencies are.

  • Love the honesty & practicality you bring w each & every video/article you make. This is one of the many reasons I started following you. Keep up w the posting! ������

  • So for ex. If I consume around 10,000 mg of sodium a day, while supplementing with potassium in that same ratio.
    Would that be ok in a long term? btw, GREAT content as always Sean. Thank you

  • Sean please answer my question!
    i run your free program and do reps from 5-7 reps for about 1 year on legs and i got knee pain when bending, the right leg
    , i took 1 week off and pain still exist even after 2 weeks from resting, should i train with low reps or stick with high reps from 15 + and more? the pain go away when training!, by the way i got knee pain from squating wrong, realized the knee go forward alittle bit when squating and didn’t take a serious deload week or full week of rest since i started training for 1 and half year ago, so what i have to do now? continue training with low/high reps or skip legs if it might be sign of injury?!
    @Sean Nalewanyj

  • my triceps are weak af beside the fact after pump my arms are 18″ but triceps are lacking size help me out please n my brachiallas are lagging too

  • Kazakhstan greatest country in the world all other countrys are run by little girls.
    Kazakhstan number one exporter of potassium! Other countries have inferior potassium.

  • Anyone here in 2020? Ive been taking in 8000mg of sodium per day. Holy crap im more vascular and full. I wish i would have learned about sodium years ago.

  • Hey Sean,I was wondering if you have an email or something where people send questions and you answer them in videos? I would like your opinion on something which is pretty serious for me( it’s fitness and health related), if that would be possible. Thanks.

  • he make good points but here it is you should always should stay within the 2000-2500 range. dont and i repeat, do not add table salt to your food. there is natural sodium in natural food. if your on high blood pressure, stay within and drinks lots of water like stay away from high fatty fast foods try to eat as natural as possible and stay away from process foods learn to make things you like at home. there are tons of recipes on the Internet that can show how to have your favorite treats naturally. especially if you are older in your mid to late 30s and beyond that. i had a bout with high blood pressure but did the research and got it under control. with clean eating and daily/weekly exercise. no pills for me folks.

  • DAMN DUDE, YOU KNOW WHAT THE FUCK YOUR TALKING ABOUT. RANDOMLY HERE FROM 2020 ABOUT PINK SALT INTAKE. BEEN A FAN SINCE P.O.G. DAYS NEVER SEEN THIS VIDEO. THANKS FOR THE INFO ‼️ ��♈��

  • Hey Sean. I know you have some articles on your website about training routines, but could you post a video about intermediate training routines like a push pull legs about twice a week with sets, reps, and etc.

  • You posted this just in time! Most deff had questions about this since I’ve been bulking. Thanks so much for touching on this topic Sean!:)

  • I eat very low sodium and I get cramps when I do cardio and then my lifts are shit. If I eat salt will it make me have more energy? Do I need to get other electrolytes or should just normal salt do the trick like a teaspoon in some water. Is that ok?

  • @james9689 salt is not the only electrolyte..you might lack potassium or calcium…correct me if i’m wrong..but as far as i can remember back in college i learned that the influx of potassium and calcium causes muscle contraction..lacking one of these electrolyte could cause muscle cramping…i dont disagree with lee..im just making a suggestion..just trying to help out:)

  • I’m aiming for 3000-3200 daily mgs of sodium because I’m active and my job is very active. I basically sweat damn near the whold day. Lol

  • spread the good word to the masses lee…this is all stuff I already knew, but news to many…I prefer if anything salt pills to salt packets though, salt just has a terrible taste

  • Bit contradicting. ”Cut down on sodium for a peak show / photoshoot” makes you drying.. then ”Don’t got no pump on stage?? Should have had some sodium bro”

  • Im fairly healthy. Cant wait to see my physical improvement once i consume healthy salt✌.which i just found out about because of the bad rumors on salt��

  • I think it is important to lower sodium and drink a lot of water to combat the excess in our diet. Increased sodium can have some negative consequences on your heart.

  • This is misleading in my opinion. Salt and Sodium Chloride are two different things. Our body needs Sodium for the reasons you mentioned, but not necessarily Sodium Chloride. In fact, I feel sodium chloride has negative effects on our physiology whereas sodium from plant sources like tomatoes and celery don’t have those negative effects. I suggest the sodium found in a tomato is not sodium chloride..

  • I entered everything I ate into Cronometer one day last week (I ate the same way I eat any other day) I just went back to that day and went to check the sodium and potassium. My sodium was 2,782 but my potassium was 5,203. Am I having too little sodium, then? Should I consume more?

  • i tend to get my muscle cramps post training when I’m at home, usually if i tense the muscle I’ve trained,. i do tend to get queasy and a bit light headed in the gym tho, especially on back and legs days!

  • Chris I see you mentioned about the need for the carbs, so how do you think Keto will so for someone trying to lose but stay strong.

  • Chris, can you do a quick video or a comment on your current macro intake… Im following my fitness pal and want to make sure I’m taking in enough… I feel fine, losing around 1lb or 2 a week. Just want to make sure in preserving muscle tissue. Appreciate it man

  • We have fat free food on the UK CHRIS but it’s true we don’t have fake crap… Our FDA REGULATES stuff too much… Schools banned fizzy drinks years ago also on lunch boxes

  • Sean, like all your vids, thanks for being the best and most straight up Youtube-er regarding fitness. Hope you are liking Australia!

  • Hey Sean,I was wondering if you have an email or something where people send questions and you answer them in videos? I would like your opinion on something which is pretty serious for me( it’s fitness and health related), if that would be possible. Thanks.

  • Remember 2400 is not something to aim for. You wanna stay WAY below that amount. NIH Studies have shown under 1000 mg a day is optimal