Why do people carry gallon jugs of water around woth them at the gym?

In my experience, it's not the blue hairs on the recumbent bikes, it's the meat heads at the weight stations that carry around the gallon jugs of water.

Gyms are weird; definitely good people watching. I go to one 3 times a week for cross training, and am consistently amused.

For the same reason that most runners carry enough calories to gain a pound or two during a marathon.

There's a very good chance serious lifters think a skinny guy running 20 miles without hydrating, which may be possible but is unhealthy by all standards, is pretty weird.

The body builder types do it because they think drinking lots of water will help them "cut weight". Why they think they need to carry around a gallon jug to accomplish this is beyond me.

junior samples wrote:

The body builder types do it because they think drinking lots of water will help them "cut weight". Why they think they need to carry around a gallon jug to accomplish this is beyond me.

Not true at all. There's so much wrong with the above it amazes me you could make that many mistakes in so few words.

Pot meet kettle wrote:

junior samples wrote:

The body builder types do it because they think drinking lots of water will help them "cut weight". Why they think they need to carry around a gallon jug to accomplish this is beyond me.

Not true at all. There's so much wrong with the above it amazes me you could make that many mistakes in so few words.

Please do enlighten us.

My guess:

A) they actually get thirsty

B) many of the supplements they take help them "get big" or "look big" by retaining water weight. So they take some creatine and chug 5 lbs of water then brag to bro-buddies about putting on 5lbs of muscle.

C) they probably need quite a bit of water to help flush all the GNC supplements out of their body. Their pee is likely quite expensive.

Okay, first of all, only competitive body builders will cut weight for a show.Competitive body builders are a very small percentage of the population of a gym. The odds of a runner, going to the type of gym a runner would go to, seeing a body builder in his cutting weight phase, is very low. A body builder does not think water helps to cut weight any more than a wrestler or a fighter does; they use very similar methods. The guys you see walking around with gallons of water are generally serious weight lifters - and some serious weight lifter wanna bees. They do this to stay hydrated during their workout. They will generally have workouts that last two plus hours at times and subscribe to the very sound physiological precept that you should hydrate every 15 minutes or so during a workout. Are there posers who are doing 45 minute workouts and drinking more than they are lifting... sure some. Just like there are posers running 90 second 400 m repeats wearing spikes when they are probably actually being hurt by them. I work out at a very popular gym with a crossover of all the populations. There are three body builders in the gym. Real body builders who compete. i have seen them cutting down for weight maybe 10 days in the last two years. Not one of them was carrying water as the workouts during the weight cutting phase are pretty light. One of the women uses the track to cut weight before shows and I see her there. I would bet she would be a better running coach than most people on this site just for her understanding of physiology.

junior samples wrote:

Pot meet kettle wrote:

Not true at all. There's so much wrong with the above it amazes me you could make that many mistakes in so few words.

Please do enlighten us.

It’s a trend the bros do at the gym. It looks a lot manlier carrying a gallon jug around than a skinny little plastic bottle. It is also better for the environment and cheaper to keep reusing a gallon jug than to waste a bunch of Dasani bottles, but they are probably not thinking about that.

A gallon of water weighs eight pounds, so they are getting a supplemental workout. Xfitguy could explain further.

"I go to one 3 times a week for cross training, and am consistently amused."

....and we get a big kick out of watching you do your bench reps with a 10 on each side. We're consistently amused by how feminine and cachectic your physique is.

What did you just say about me, you little amateur fitness enthusiast? I'll have you know I was fastest on my team in high school cross country, and I've been involved in numerous races with my teammates, and I have over 300 confirmed wins. I am trained in interval running and I'm the top miler in my entire district. You are nothing to me but another hobby jogger. I will lap you with speed the likes of which have never been seen before on this track, mark my words. You think you can get away with saying that to me over the internet? Think again, moran. As we speak I'm contacting my secret network of OT qualifiers across the USA and your race results are being traced right now, so you better prepare for the storm, maggot. The storm that wipes out the pathetic thing you call your fitness. You're DFL, kid. I can be anywhere, anytime, and I can beat you with over 700 different strategies, and that's just with my trainers on. Not only am I extensively trained in sit-and-kick racing, but I have access to the entire arsenal of RunningWarehouse and I will use it to wipe your miserable ass of the face of the course, you little back-of-the-packer. If only you could have known what unholy retribution your little "clever" comment was about to bring down upon you, maybe you would have held your tongue. But you couldn't, you didn't, and now you're paying the price you pathetic jogger. I will piss electrolyte drinks all over you and you will drown in it. You're being lapped, kiddo.

Only fools drink bottled water, except mineral water. That goes for your gallon jugs and for your 20 oz fun run reward too. Groundwater, tap water at least, is vital to get your essential minerals.

TL; DR.

Bad Wigins wrote:

Only fools drink bottled water, except mineral water. That goes for your gallon jugs and for your 20 oz fun run reward too. Groundwater, tap water at least, is vital to get your essential minerals.

Purchase a water testing kit that you can get for @$5 and test your tap water. After doing so, you probably won't want to drink it again.

I drink spring water.

+1 - Thank you.

genius

(well, not really but a good laugh at least)

You should run the 800. Huge talent!

Maybe it's because people believe headlines like this, even doctors.

http://www.cafehydrate.com/?p=117

If you read the story it says nothing of the sort.

There is no evidence to back up the 8 x 8 ounces of glasses a day myth, in fact it may be harmful.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/13/myth-eight-glasses-water-day

The fad started around the same time as the low-fat diet fad and has been permeated (no pun intended) by the bottled water companies ever since.

Tim Noakes has been yelling this from the rooftops for the last 15 years, He got so frustrated he wrote a book on it to get people to listen.

http://www.outsideonline.com/1900801/tim-noakes-serious-problem-overhydration-endurance-sports

Save California! Drink less water!