Should You Consume Salt Before Workout?

Consuming salt strategically before a workout can help replace the salt lost through sweat, boosting your endurance, muscle contractions, and blood flow. Most pre-workouts don’t contain salt, so adding a pinch to the mix is a good idea, especially if you exercise in hot weather or are prone to sweating.

Having been a personal trainer for more than 30 years, I’ve experimented with salt as a pre-workout ingredient on both myself and a number of my bodybuilding and endurance athlete clients.

While we all react differently, those like me, who are heavy perspirers, will have a more noticeable effect than people who hardly break a sweat during their workout.

In this article, I’ll explain the benefits of adding salt to your pre-workout, identify the best type of salt to use, and discuss how much you should take before your workout. I’ll also reveal the amount of salt in popular pre-workouts.

Salt 101

Salt, or sodium chloride, is an essential mineral the human body creates. It is also found naturally in the environment, especially in seawater and underground.

Salt is a crucial electrolyte, helping maintain proper fluid balance inside and outside cells. It is also part of the hydration regulation process, ensuring your cells get the right amount of water.

Salt and other electrolytes regulate the pH of our blood. It acts as a blood buffer, resisting pH changes by neutralizing acids to help maintain the ideal slightly alkaline environment.

Nerve impulses, the communication signals between neurons, rely on salt to properly function. Sodium ions move across the cell membrane, facilitating nervous system communication.

Salt also plays a part in the digestion process. It causes the stomach to secrete gastric juices that help break down food particles so they can be transported around the body and absorbed into cells.

How Much Salt Should You Consume Daily?

The US Department of Agriculture recommends limiting sodium intake to 2,300 mg daily. That’s about the amount you’ll get from a level teaspoon. But most of us get more than that, mainly through the hidden salt in processed foods. [1]

Why Take Salt Before a Workout

The main reason to take salt before a workout is to replace the salt lost through sweat. So, if you are a minimal sweater, you probably don’t need to add salt to your pre-workout. Doing so may push your daily consumption over the 2,300 mg limit.

Heavy sweaters may lose between one and four liters of water throughout an intense cardio or strength training workout. Sweat is mainly composed of water but also contains the following electrolytes:

1. Sodium (from salt)
2. Chloride
3. Potassium

Sweat also contains the trace minerals zinc, magnesium, and calcium.

During a 45-minute cardio session, losing up to 1,000 milligrams of salt is possible. The amount you lose is genetically pre-determined and can range from 200 mg per liter to more than 2,300 mg per liter.

You’d have to get your perspiration scientifically analyzed to find out exactly how much sodium is in your sweat. But you can get a good idea by checking the following:

• Does your sweat leave a white stain on your skin or clothes?
• Is your sweat taste very salty?
• Does your sweat sting if it gets in your eyes or a cut?
• Are you dizzy after a high-sweat workout?
• Do you get muscle cramps after your workout?
• Do you have cravings for salty foods after your workout?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, you likely lose a lot of sodium in your sweat.

Benefits of Taking Salt Before Your Workout

Let’s now break down the potential performance benefits of adding salt to your pre-workout.

Salt Keeps You Hydrated

Sodium is an electrolyte that helps maintain the ideal fluid levels within and surrounding your muscle cells. When you lose sodium through sweating, this balance may be interrupted, impairing performance. Your energy level may dip due to reduced blood volume and less oxygen getting to your muscle cells.

Sodims’s ability to increase blood plasma volume and the resultant performance improvements were analyzed in a 2012 meta-study. Four previous studies were looked at, with the researchers concluding that pre-exercise sodium intake significantly improved performance and reduced time to exhaustion. [2]

There’s another way that sodium helps you hydrate during and after your workout. When you drink plain water, you decrease your plasma sodium concentration. This produces a diuretic effect, increasing urination.

However, research shows that adding salt to your water prevents this diuretic effect. The same 2012 study showed that including sodium in a rehydration solution at double the amount of sodium lost through sweat restored blood plasma volume faster than a rehydration solution solely consisting of water.

Salt May Increase Your Endurance

Endurance is your ability to sustain activity over an extended period. When you lose salt through sweat, your energy levels will lag, and you will tire out more quickly. This is a result of:

• Loss of electrolytes
• Water loss
• Impaired muscle contraction

Taking salt as part of your pre-workout formula addresses these three issues. A 2022 meta-study analyzed many previous studies on the endurance benefits of taking sodium for ultra-endurance athletes. The researchers recommended that endurance athletes consume 300–600 mg of sodium for every hour of competition for optimized endurance benefits. [3]

Salt Reduces Body Temperature

When your blood volume level drops, your body’s ability to dissipate heat is compromised. Replacing the sodium lost through sweat helps regulate blood circulation and maintain proper blood volume. This helps to cool you down, allowing you to train harder for longer.

A 1989 study tested the hypothesis that salt supplementation improves blood plasma flow, reduces body temperature, and improves exercise performance. Nine subjects exercised on an ergometer in a double-blind study, with and without salt supplementation.

The supplementation group had a significantly lower core temperature during exercise. [4]

Salt Helps Prevent Muscle Cramps

Loss of sodium through sweating can harm nerve impulse activity. This can cause the involuntary twitching of muscle tissue, known as muscle cramps.

Taking sodium as part of your pre-workout will offset the sodium and fluid loss that impairs nerve function, minimizing the risk of cramping during and after the workout.

Salt May Improve Your Pump

Sodium helps to pull water into your muscle cells and increase blood volume. This helps to engorge the muscle with blood, promoting the pump effect. It should be noted, though, that the pump effect from sodium is minimal and will not replace recognized nitric oxide boosters included in pre-workout formulas.

How Much Salt Should You Take Before a Workout?

The amount of salt you should take before your workout depends on the temperature, the length and intensity of your workout, and how heavy of a sweater you are. As a result, it’s a matter of experimentation to find what works best for you.

If you are about to do a 45-minute hit cardio session, you must take more sodium than when going into a  traditional bodybuilding chest workout. Studies on the ideal amount of salt pre-workout mainly focus on endurance athletes like marathon runners.

The general recommendation is to consume around 1,600 mg every training hour. Gym-goers should take less than this. After a lot of experimentation, both on myself and my personal training clients, I recommend starting with a third of a teaspoon and experimenting up to half a teaspoon, which equates to around 1,200 mg.

If you’re already taking a pre-workout, you can simply add your salt to the mix. Otherwise, pour the salt into your water bottle and swig it down 15 minutes before your workout starts.

What is the Best Salt to Take Before a Workout

The amount of sodium in salts is pretty constant among the different types. For example, a teaspoon of table salt contains 500 mg of sodium, compared with 550 grams in sea salt and 590 grams in Himalayan salt.

These three salts contain trace minerals in different amounts, with Himalayan salt having more than double the amount of magnesium, potassium, and calcium than table salt. Sea salt’s trace mineral content is a little lower than Himalayan salt.

Table salt is the most processed type, producing very fine granules. On the other hand, sea salt and Himalayan salt are minimally processed. Another benefit of Himalayan sea salt is that it contains iron oxide, which gives it its distinctive pink color.

The differences between the various salts are minimal at the end of the day, with the sodium content being the main factor. I advise you to choose the type of salt you prefer and which best pleases your taste buds.

Want to know which salt is the healthiest? Check our comprehensive analysis here.

How Much Salt is in Popular Pre-Workout Supplements?

Given that added salt has clear workout benefits, you might think it would be included in most pre-workouts. But you’d be wrong; my analysis of ten dozen leading brands of pre-workout revealed that most of them don’t contain any added salt.

Those pre-workouts containing sodium have such low amounts that they won’t effectively offset the amount of sweat lost through sweat. So, even if there is some salt in your pre-workout, you still may need to add a bit extra — especially if you are a heavy sweater.

Here’s my breakdown of the sodium content of ten leading pre-workout brands:

1. Cellucor C4 Xtreme: 0 sodium content
2. Mr. Hyde Pre-Workout: 0 sodium content
3. Kaged Pre-Kaged: 40 mg of sodium
4. Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard: 20 mg of sodium
5. Insane Labz Pre-Workout: 0 sodium content
6. Old School Labs Pre-Workout: 50 mg of sodium
7. BSN-NO Xplode: 100 mg of sodium
8. Nitrosurge Pre-Workout: 0 sodium content
9. Legion Pulse Pre-Workout: 1,015 mg of sodium
10. Total War Pre-Workout: 310 mg of sodium

If you want to learn more about pre-workout supplements, check out our review of  the best pre-workout supplements.

FAQs

How long before my workout should I take my pre-workout salt?

The timing of your pre-workout salt intake doesn’t affect its ability to replenish lost salt sweat. The important thing is to build up your body’s stores before you start sweating. So, you can take it any time before your workout that is convenient to you. It makes sense to take it with your pre-workout, which is best consumed twenty minutes before your workout begins.

Can salt replace a pre-workout formula?

No, just taking salt will not replace the benefits of taking a pre-workout formula. Its benefits are limited to offsetting the effects of sweat loss. A good pre-workout will provide additional benefits, such as boosting energy levels, enhancing the pump effect, and boosting endurance levels.

Are there any side effects from taking salt as a pre-workout?

Too much salt before a workout may cause stomach upset, bloating, or gas. Because everyone’s tolerance level is different, I recommend starting with a modest amount of about a third of a teaspoon and adjusting according to how your body responds.

Who should not take salt before a workout?

People with high blood pressure should avoid taking salt before a workout. If your doctor has told you to follow a diet low in salt, you should consult him before adding it to your pre-workout formula. People about to do a light workout that is unlikely to result in much sweating do not need to take salt before the workout.

Conclusion

Salt is a vital electrolyte that directly affects your workout performance. You lose a lot of sodium through sweating, so taking it as part of your pre-workout nutrition makes sense. Start with a third of a teaspoon, either added to your pre-workout or mixed with water and adjust slightly up or down depending on how your body reacts.

References

1. Top 10 Things You Need to Know About the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 | Dietary Guidelines for Americans. (n.d.). https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/2020-2025-dietary-guidelines-online-materials/top-10-things-you-need-know
2. Mora-Rodriguez R, Hamouti N. Salt and fluid loading: effects on blood volume and exercise performance. Med Sport Sci. 2012;59:113-119. doi: 10.1159/000341945. Epub 2012 Oct 15. PMID: 23075561.
3. Veniamakis E, Kaplanis G, Voulgaris P, Nikolaidis PT. Effects of Sodium Intake on Health and Performance in Endurance and Ultra-Endurance Sports. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar 19;19(6):3651. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19063651. PMID: 35329337; PMCID: PMC8955583.
4. Deschamps A, Levy RD, Cosio MG, Marliss EB, Magder S. Effect of saline infusion on body temperature and endurance during heavy exercise. J Appl Physiol (1985). 1989 Jun;66(6):2799-804. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1989.66.6.2799. PMID: 2745343.

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