Awesome. Looking forward to seeing everyone there

Hello, I would love to hear your thoughts on using body weight changes as a hydration monitoring tool, particularly during high-volume training periods such as football and soccer preseason camps. I typically use the guideline that for every 1 pound of body weight lost during practice, an athlete should consume approximately 16 ounces of fluid to replace that loss. However, I still encounter athletes who consistently weigh-in the following morning below their pre-practice baseline despite meeting their fluid replacement goals. This has made me question whether simply replacing the measured weight loss is enough for some athletes. Do you have a preferred strategy, chart, or evidence-based guideline for determining return-to-play hydration goals between training sessions? Additionally, should practitioners be targeting a weight above baseline to account for ongoing fluid losses, glycogen restoration, and overnight recovery, or is returning to baseline body weight still considered the gold standard? I would be interested in hearing how you approach these situations, particularly during fall camp when maintaining hydration status can be especially challenging.

The first official weekend of Summer is here, and with it comes one of my favorite topics to nerd out on with fellow sports dietitians: how do we actually prepare our athletes for the heat — and how do we make hydration something they buy into and get excited about! I'm still thinking about the insights shared at our ASPDA Annual Convention in New Orleans last month, where Dr. Neil Walsh and Dr. Louise Burke both brought the science to life. What the Science Is Telling Us Dr. Walsh's work on heat acclimation is a great reminder that we don't need to send athletes to a sauna or a hot climate to get adaptations. Research from his group has demonstrated that post-exercise hot water immersion on six consecutive days in temperate conditions can elicit meaningful heat acclimation adaptations — including earlier onset of sweating, reduced resting and exercising core body temperature, and reductions in cardiovascular strain. A practical, low-barrier protocol that many of us can implement with our teams right now . Post-exercise Hot Water Immersion Elicits Heat Acclimation Adaptations That Are Retained for at Least Two Weeks On the physiology side, the GSSI reminds us why this matters: heat acclimatization creates biological adaptations that reduce physiological strain, improve comfort, improve exercise capacity, and reduce the risks of serious heat illness during heat stress. Heat Acclimatization to Improve Athletic Performance in Warm-Hot Environments Dr. Burke has long championed the importance of individualized hydration strategies, and GSSI echoes this well: the success of any hydration strategy will depend on the context of the event — duration, intensity, and environment — as well as the characteristics of the individual, including fitness and acclimatization status. https://www.gssiweb.org/en/sports-science-exchange/Article/fluid-intake-strategies-for-optimal-hydration-and-performance-planned-drinking-vs.-drinking-to-thirst Hydration in the Heat: Key Reminders for Practice A few evidence-based points worth emphasizing to your athletes: During intense or long-duration exercise in warm-to-hot conditions, sweat rates can easily top 1 liter per hour . Relying on thirst alone often isn't enough to keep up — a phenomenon called voluntary dehydration — and once a body water deficit passes 2% of body mass, performance starts to take a hit. Athletes who notice white salt stains on clothes or skin may need more sodium during exercise and throughout recovery. A hydration plan removes the guesswork, especially during longer or more intense training sessions. A great plan helps athletes stay ahead of sweat loss and feel better when they're performing. Would love to continue to chat below on exactly how we all are putting these plans together for our athletes! Athlete Hydration 101: A Complete Science & Strategy Guide The GSSI's research also highlights that what's inside the drink matters — from thirst triggers to fluid retention, every ingredient plays a role. https://www.gatorade.com/resources/hydration-science-for-athletes-fluids-electrolytes-recovery Bringing Hydration to Life in Practice This is where I think sports dietitians and athletic trainers have such an edge — we can make hydration fun and memorable for athletes. A few ideas that have worked well (and would love to hear yours!): Sweat rate testing stations during preseason — athletes love seeing their own data, and it's a great anchor for personalized fluid targets Urine color check-ins using the classic hydration chart posted in locker rooms (low-tech, high impact) Summer hydration stations stocked with infused waters, juice and electrolyte mocktails, or even Gatorade Slushies! Pre/post weight checks during hot/high intensity sessions to show athletes how much fluid they're losing and how much they need to drink to get back to baseline Let's Chat What heat acclimation strategies are you implementing this summer? Are you using hot water immersion, sauna protocols, or heat training blocks? And what's your go-to move for making hydration engaging? Drop your questions, tips, beverage recipes, and experiences below. The GSSI library at gssiweb.org is also a fantastic resource if you want to dive deeper into the literature!

Pain free vs. Pain threshold hamstring rehab. 2020.pdf Hey Joe, Thanks for the question(s). As I am sure you are aware, hamstring injuries in baseball and really in any sport are an extremely hot topic. To answer your first question, I feel like a lot of my thoughts have changed throughout the years on hamstring rehab, particularly the early phase. There is an article (attached below) that supports early activation of a hamstring injury without exceeding a 3/10 in pain or discomfort with exercise. We have utilized this with nearly every hamstring injury and seems to 1. get the hamstring feeling better faster and 2. gives the athlete more confidence to progress. Gone are the days where I am waiting for the hamstring to be asymptomatic before starting exercise. Another thing that I have changed is not rushing back into the running progression. In my experience, you can start a running progression too early but rarely can you start one too late. Stressing the hamstring in the training room, weight room, pool, with running mechanics or agilities can be better than starting the linear and curvilinear program too early. A few other things as it relates to the actual running progression - 1. we will use 30 and 60 yard times (home to 1st & home to 2nd) to dictate our percentages as we increase from 70-90ish%. This gives us an accurate time they should be running 30 or 60 yards and to ensure they aren't running too fast for the prescribed intensity. 2. we track yardages. Daily and weekly yardages matter to us to make sure we are dosing total volume appropriately and not spiking weekly volume, particularly when we get closer to games and into a baserunning progression. As always, like you mentioned, each athlete is going to respond differently and the nature of the injury and injury history of the player is going to matter a ton. Curious what you have changed your mind on over the years and what you have done differently?

I love the topic!

I always want to see the science behind the product.

On 5/18/2026 at 6:45 PM, ssehnert said: @Carolina241 Carbs, carbs, and more carbs. Carbohydrates are the fuel for high intensity, repetitive sport. Whether it’s fig bars, bananas, or chews, these types of athletes need carbs to fuel the work required and (carbo)HYDRATE their four quarters. "(carbo)HYDRATE their four quarters" - I LOVE that, Scott!

This weekend, I presented at the Coach Em Up Conference in Austin, TX. I shared my athlete bucketing system for speed development using quadrant systems. Basically what I have done is timed sprints and recorded splits for 0-10yds and 10-20yds and plotted athletes on a quadrant system. I then created a regression line that acted a way to predict the athlete's cumulative 20yd acceleration time based on their 0-10yd split (which is the X variable). Based on this, I can determine if athletes are outperforming or underperforming relative to their predicted 20yd time. This is the late acceleration & maxV bucketing piece. At the same time, I am bucketing them into acceleration proficiency or deficiency by seeing which side of the quadrant they land on (fastest times are on the bottom left). Practically, we are trying to determine if the athlete is able to continue accelerating beyond the first 10yds. If they can't, this indicates a lacking ability to express power and force under shorter and quicker time constraints. I would love to answer questions about this and also hear how all of you profile your athletes!

Hi Brittany! There is no coach-specific app. More information on the Gx app can be found here: https://www.gatorade.com/gx-app

On 5/9/2026 at 11:27 AM, EDenina said: Having a great off season is what sets a solid foundation of strength development, movement quality, and tissue resilience to endure a full season.  During a peak season push the goal shifts from focusing on adaptation to finding the balance between maintaining strength/power and managing fatigue. Here are some of the things I focus on for maintaining strength. - Training with moderate to high intensities – Main lifts are performed with moderate to submaximal loads of 70-85% while keeping volume low. The goal is to drive intent, preserve strength and power while avoiding neuromuscular fatigue. - High vs. low minute athletes – High minute players require maintenance and recovery.  Due to the density of the NBA schedule, training frequency can be limited 1 to 3 lifts per week. This is where micro-dosing can be effective in season.  Having short 10 – 15 minute sessions spread throughout the week ensures consistent loading, fatigue management, and compliance.  Depending on the schedule or the athlete’s fatigue level, sessions may focus on either heavy strength lifts, speed/power, or mobility/injury prevention.  On the other hand, low minute players require more frequency, intensity, and volume.  We typically shoot for 3 – 4 lifts per week.  The focus is to continue to build and maintain the physical qualities gained through the offseason. - Maintaining tissue health – Different methods can be used to maintain tissue health and resilience.  Heavy yielding isometrics can be used to elicit healthy tissue adaptation.  If athletes tend to feel sore due to the stress on field/court, yielding isometrics with light to moderate load for long durations can also be beneficial to help manage pain/soreness.  Yielding Isometrics is a good method for tissue adaptation, pain management, while minimizing muscle soreness.  Utilizing machine-based exercises for accessories is another way to promote healthy tissue surrounding the joints.  These exercises are less taxing on the nervous system and serve as a safe alternate in providing load to the athlete. - Managing Recovery - Continue to stress the importance of sleep, nutrition, and hydration as the primary tools for recovery. Utilizing passive modalities and active recovery methods can be just as beneficial. Our active recovery sessions consisted of yoga, light pool workouts and team mobility sessions to maintain movement quality and readiness.  Throughout the season the athletes go through a continuous cycle of feeling fresh and fatigue from the demands of the sport. It's important to understand when to implement stress and when to pull back. The peak season is where athlete availability takes priority. Balancing all aspects of performance, recovery, and injury prevention is key. What we do in the weight room should supplement readiness and resilience rather than accumulating fatigue. Elbert Denina - Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach - Dallas Mavericks Elbert, I'm curious how you've been able to navigate conversations with these athletes who play low minutes? I know how some athletes can be when they aren't seeing a ton of playing time. How have you ensured that athletes don't feel singled out? And how have you encouraged them to comply with your efforts to get them more training exposures when they might be simply angry or discouraged about a lack of playing time? I dealt with this in professional baseball a lot.