It works but rather inefficiently as just 40% of food metabolism\u2019s used to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate, which your cells use to contract muscle). The rest escapes as heat.<\/p>\n
A plateau in your exercising core may occur anywhere between 38.5 and 39.5\u00b0C. However, when it\u2019s hot outside, the increased ambient temperature, solar radiation and humidity can lift this over 40\u00b0C.<\/p>\n
That not only results in fatigue, but it can also lead to heatstroke and heat exhaustion. In short, a dedicated heat strategy is essential, not only for your performance but your health, too. Arguably your greatest strategy is acclimatisation.<\/p>\n
A swathe of research \u2028has shown that healthy adults exposed \u2028to conditions that elevates their core temperature by 1\u00b0C to 2\u00b0C for 60 to \u202890mins over a period of four to 10 days \u2028will afterwards elicit a lower resting core temperature, greater blood plasma \u2028volume and an increased sweating rate \u2028\u2013 all favourable adaptations to exercising in the heat.<\/p>\n
This is difficult to recreate \u2028at home (acclimation) but not impossible, as you\u2019ll discover.<\/p>\n
In fact, World Triathlon places so \u2028much emphasis on racing safely in the heat that they\u2019ve created a 29-page \u2028athlete document<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n In it, they stress that \u201cheat acclimation should be prioritised prior to any event where the environmental conditions are forecasted \u2028to be hot and\/or humid, even if the level \u2028of heat stress is uncertain.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to note that heat acclimation doesn\u2019t impair performance in cool environments and may even increase it under some circumstances\u201d.<\/p>\n So, acclimate and race stronger in all conditions. That\u2019s a big \u2028win. As are these 10 tips\u2026<\/p>\n From taking baths to swilling menthol, downing ice slushies to adding more clothing, these strategies will see you breeze through a hot summer of racing.<\/p>\n Regular turbo-training<\/strong><\/a> sessions sans fan<\/strong><\/a> as summer kicks in will raise your core temperature and deliver the stimulus you need to perform in hotter climes. You can take that to the next level by slipping into the bath straight after.<\/p>\n Professor Neil Walsh showed<\/strong><\/a> that moderate exercise immediately followed by a 15min bath in 40\u00b0C waters over six days where \u2018bath-time\u2019 rose by 5mins each day, resulted in a 4% improvement in 5km time-trial time in the heat.<\/p>\n Walsh also says that a hot bath can improve cardiovascular function, glucose regulation and boost immunity.<\/p>\n Russ Best undertook his PhD thesis on \u2018Menthol mouth swilling and endurance performance in the heat<\/strong><\/a>\u2019. He showed that runners enjoyed a more comfortable experience and lower oxygen consumption after swilling 0.1% menthol mouth rinse.<\/p>\n He also realised positive results when applying menthol to the skin. Why is down to menthol affecting temperature receptors that alter your thermal perception.<\/p>\n Just don\u2019t cake yourself in the stuff from top to toe as that can lead to heatstroke!<\/p>\n Around a 2% loss in bodyweight through sweating has been shown to affect endurance performance. Cue a well-designed hydration plan<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Measuring your sweat rate\u2019s a good start. Bike or run for approx. 1hr, ideally in hot conditions, and drink nothing from start to finish. Weigh yourself before and after and see how much weight you\u2019ve lost.<\/p>\n Around 1kg fluid loss should be replaced with one litre of fluid. This should include electrolytes<\/strong><\/a> lost in sweat, especially sodium, which helps transfer water from the bloodstream to the working cells.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> Sodium bicarbonate<\/strong><\/a> loading (baking soda) is a popular fuelling strategy prior to high-intensity efforts, the theory being that as baking soda\u2019s an alkaline, it raises the pH of blood.<\/p>\n This means you can tolerate a greater bandwidth of blood acidosis when working hard as you\u2019re starting from a lower base.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also used by athletes as a hyper-hydration tool. In effect, you enjoy a blood plasma increase, so as well as preventing dehydration, it helps with bloodflow and circulation.<\/p>\n It sounds parochial but applying more layers of clothing during training is another acclimation strategy. It won\u2019t be as effective at raising core temperature as exercising in the heat, but it will deliver partial heat stimulus.<\/p>\n Polyester\u2019s a must in the heat as it wicks sweat far more efficiently than cotton; that said, if you\u2019re wearing a cotton race outfit, you might be stuck in the early 80s!<\/p>\n A lighter colour\u2019s better for sun deflection than darker colours, albeit treatments like \u2018coldblack\u2019 perform a similar function.<\/p>\n A waterproof sunscreen<\/strong><\/a> of minimum factor-30\u2019s also a must. Look for titanium oxide \u2013 a proven ingredient that deflects the sun\u2019s rays.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> If you\u2019re racing abroad and are there a week or so beforehand, gradually increase your exposure to training in the heat, perhaps running for 30mins at the hottest part of the day and then adding further time each run.<\/p>\n Ensure you keep the air conditioning on overnight, though, as heat acclimation\u2019s impaired if your sleep\u2019s terrible. Also, if you puncture<\/strong><\/a> when racing, find a tree to shelter under when sorting the tyre.<\/p>\n Pre-cooling strategies are popular in an effort to lower your temperature before you hit the swim. Swallowing an ice-slushie drink\u2019s a popular one, but a very cool drink will suffice. Spraying wristbands with anti-freeze is another cooling option.<\/p>\n Dopamine<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s better known for impacting mood but it also plays a key role in the thermoregulatory centre of your brain, which is why changes in concentrations have been shown to affect core temperature regulation during exercise.<\/p>\n However, dopamine\u2019s synthesised in the body, so you\u2019ll need to consume foods that you\u2019ll assimilate to produce dopamine, such as fish oil, plus the amino acids L-theanine and tyrosine<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n As your fitness grows, you experience a host of adaptations that are naturally conducive to racing fast in the heat.<\/p>\n These include an improved sweat response to dissipate heat quickly, which stems from both lower core temperature thresholds for the initiation of sweating and greater sensitivity of sweating response to increasing core temperature.<\/p>\n10 ways to race well in hot conditions\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>1. Take a quick dip <\/strong><\/h3>\n
2. Use menthol\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3. Make a hydration plan <\/strong><\/h3>\n
4. Bring on the baking soda <\/strong><\/h3>\n
5. Add more clothing\u2026 <\/strong><\/h3>\n
6. \u2026Remove clothing<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>7. Expose yourself <\/strong><\/h3>\n
8. Start cold to warm up<\/strong><\/h3>\n
9. Dose up on dopamine<\/strong><\/h3>\n
10. Grow fitter<\/strong><\/h3>\n