I am following the HWI recommendations of this article:
I’ve done 4 Heat Adaption (HA) sessions so far and today will be my 5th after my Carpathian Peak o/u workout. I am doing HA training only on my work days (5 days a week) and sorta “nothing” on my rest days (see below exception to this rule). Here is the protocol I follow.
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I do all workouts above z2 optimized with a cool room and fans. My goal is to keep training performance high, so I don’t want to add another stressor of heat to that equation likely limiting my power output.
- For z2 rides I workout without fans and don’t take off my shirt/jersey when I get warm. I just sweat it out (towel on/under the bike is now needed). I’ve seen no negative recovery affect and my HR does NOT raise higher than normal.
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At the end of of intensity workouts I turn off the fans during the “cool down” spin to maintain internal body heat. After I get off the bike I immediately put on a sweatshirt hoodie and sweatpants, again to maintain internal body temperature as I prepare for the HWI.
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HWI:
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I start running the tub with 109-110 F degree water (tested with kitchen meat thermometer). I add in bath soap/bubbles to retain heat. According to the above article 104.5 is the suggested temperature, but I find the tub tends to cool over time, so I go a little above that to make sure. I test the water coming out of the faucet and at the far end of the tub to ensure the water is within the 105-110 F range. I’ll adjust accordingly until it fills.
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I have a heater fan in the bathroom which I also turn on until the tub fills, but this is probably not needed. Once the tub fills completely, I take off the sweats and riding gear and get into the tub up to my neck. Tub is usually about 109 F +/-. I set a timer for 30 mins and put on either music, podcast or a YouTube video on my iPad (distractions are very beneficial).
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Roughly every 4-5 minutes I take the temperature of the tub to ensure it is at or above 105 F, but I’m realizing this is not needed as the bubbles seem to keep the temperature for the full 30 mins. I may start at 110 degrees and by the end it only slips to 107 degrees after 30 mins. However having something to do every 5 mins breaks up the session.
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With a separate medical thermometer, every 4-5 minutes I take my body temperature (under the tongue) to ensure I’m not over the 101.3 F recommendation. I’ve found that I often creep up to over 102 F, so I raise up out of the tub to my waist to cool off, then take my temperature a couple minutes later. If I’m at the desired temp, I’ll sink back in up to my neck. I’m learning that I can actually tell when I’m starting to get over heated and a quick temp check ensures that.
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I continue this process for the duration of the 30 minutes of HWI. Additionally I consume a recovery drink, about 1 liter of water/mix during the HWI. I ensure that the drink is warm and not cold, as I don’t want to cool off my internal body temperature. Once the 30 mins is done I hop out into a warm/cool shower and actually bath myself.
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HA training is not easy especially after a hard workout. In the beginning I was actually dreading the HWI more than the workout. Now that I have my protocol dialed and I know what to expect its not as bad.
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Pro Tip: You absolutely need thermometers. The first 2 sessions I only lasted 15-20 minutes of HWI. I thought it was because I wasn’t heat adapted, but then I realized I had the water way too hot (115+ F) and my body temperature also raised to over 103 F 
. So for success and safety use thermometers.
Yesterday after Pettit with no fans it was not bad at all. I additionally lasted the full 30 mins during my HWI training. My next race is in 9 days and it’s expected to be 80+ degrees with high humidity. I will continue my HA training to see if it has any benefit. However, I can tell already that I’ve gained some mental adaptation of working in the heat.
Extra Credit: I have also introduced “living warm” every day to include rest days. Meaning I am ensuring I’m a little warmer than I’d prefer to be throughout the day. I may put on a little extra clothing during the day at work and keep the AC lower in the car and house. I want to be comfortable, but I also don’t need the AC blasting all day while I’m also going through HA training. The only exception to this is at night when I want to maximize sleep with a cool room.
I’ll update next week with how it’s been going.