Starting a thread on active heat training. I am currently on day 6 of a 10 session heat block (done in a 2 week span) and curious who else with TR is doing active heat.
Last week 5 sessions were done as doubles in the evening after hard AM workouts, and one evening heat only day. The fatigue is real right now and this week I will do 5 heat sessions during what is a “deload week” in my training program.
Here is my set up:
-sessions are 60-90 minutes spending 30-45 minutes in peak heat zone
-using HR as proxy for core temp as surface temp core sensors are as accurate as a random number generator. My goal is 30-45 between 145 and 152
-Wearing paint suit, long sleeve jersey, ss jersey, baselayer, and normal bib shorts. Beanie and gloves occasionally
-use layers and power target as titration options when HR runs above range
Questions I want to ask the group and myself:
-will I get the mythical 8% Vo2 bump and “20-30w FTP”
-what other benefits will I get and will I hold on to them until Cape Epic in March?
-how does TR AI respond to very low relative power with oddly high relative HR…will it detect a decline in fitness when it is a change in stimulus?
so much to consider! Who else is heating it up out there and following the trend?
*also note, since doing active heat, passive heat feels like a cold tub. Even a hot bath doesnt budge my HR, and my HR to Power while outside seems to be improving with higher output at lower HR. So curious how the body will respond once this block wraps and the training goes back to normal with all the cooling!
I do, regularly right now. Did a bunch last summer too leading into my A Event. Passive only, cheap Amazon Infrared Bag Sauna with an Aux small electric heater.
I HATE paint suit, insulated, active heat rides. Much more stress on the system for me, other than the extra time the Sauna really seems to put no extra stress on me. Basically, I stay in until my Heart rate starts to get into my Z2 Range, then end it.
Anecdotally, I think it made a difference at Leadville last year, adding it in this year to see if it makes a difference during VO2 and Threshold work. And plus, it’s cold as shit here so it’s nice….
Also - no, there wasn’t a large VO2 Max or FTP Jump. I’m a maybe for 5-10W and better acclimation to altitude. But, enough for me to give it a go during this time of year. Also very easy to see that the RPE associated with the same heat goes way down after an initial acclimation.
I read this as I am going to forgo recovery and heap on additional stress. Why not just allow your body to adapt to the stress you’ve already accumulated?
yeah that is confusing how I wrote this so fair assessment,. The net stress and volume will still significantly lower and planned to add some recovery following this week so it absorbs. The “fatigue” I am referring to is last weeks 5 heat sessions. I am using the “deload” as the power targets for those workouts is more in line to what Id need for heat sessions. Also with the average temp at cape being 90 degrees, a heat block feels borderline necessary
Also should’ve noted I am doing this under supervision of a reputable sports doc who works under a certain salty drink brand based in colorado.
This is something I have been thinking about as my A race is quite a bit higher in elevation than where I live/train. Instead of going and living/training at elevation, how well does heat training of this sort adapt one to elevation?
I’m not talking “real” elevation. I’m simply going from ~500ft and racing at 5k ish.
I remember in Rich Froning’s Leadville video, he mentioned thinking training in heat and humidity was good preparation for elevation. I realize he’s not a cycling authority, and I’m not sure where he got this, but I did hear it again somewhere else (maybe AACC, maybe another cycling podcast?). As a lifelong Alabamian, I find solace in this possibility
Research says it helps, and subjectively my n=1 in Leadville from Sea Level says it helps.
One thing I noticed is I acclimated faster - I felt a lot better on day 1 last year (with heat acclimation) than I had the prior 2 years.
Although I was training at the same sea level FTP, my performance in Leadville, and my altitude-adjusted FTP was higher by the time I got to Leadville last year (Did some of the same intervals on the same days leading up to the race, compared power, heart rate, etc. - and there was performance difference)
Now, it could be that I was just in better overall shape, but the FTP I was training at was the same, and volume / program leading up was pretty much the same too.
i am all on on heat training, too, but i am doing the passive sauna instead, because i like being in the sauna and i hate riding in the heat. i did the sauna exposure last summer, when my july was quite cool. i don’t think that it actually increased my ftp, but i was surprised at how well i tolerated the heat once it did arrive in late summer in august and i did very well at my hot event.
Heat training when done well is rather miserable. It can lead to noticeable gains in performance depending on how you utilize the effects that come with it but you have to be extremely careful not to overdo things and keep well hydrated.
wonder if we can get a TR staff member in here to recco how to track and account for this in TR AI. Maybe we can bait @SeanHurley or @Jonathan to recommend how to track active heat training. my calendar is public if you want to look at the heat blockLog In to TrainerRoad
I’m planning to do this In April as i’m doing the Mallorca 312 and will be coming from lovely cold England. I don’t have a bath or sauna so can’t do it passively. My thoughts was to do it after interval sessions when my core temp is already elevated. ~30-40 minutes of z1/low z2 with a winter jersey and no fans. Has anyone else done it this way?
Is there a number of sessions I should do? does the initial block need to be every workout? or can I get away with 2-3 sessions for a couple of weeks?
Yes. Or at minimum there should be a box to select that says “this was heat training” so the AI can account for that somehow, or dismiss the HR data and RPE results.
Today I was at 160bpm at low z2 doing heat training after doing high sweet spot for 3x25, also at 160bpm. I lied on the survey response and said it was easy even though I had to lay down for 5mins after. I can only imagine AI having no idea what to do with that info. Either it thinks I’m sandbagging the sweet spot intervals, or I have no resiliance/durability if I can’t even do z2 after a workout without my HR going through the roof.
Yes, this is what I’ve been doing. Tack on 30-40mins after any TR workout and set it at 60-65% FTP or so. Or pick a short endurance ride at level 2-3 and use that. Sweat pants and a few long sleeve layers and I warm up quickly. It’s definitely noticeably more difficult when your core temp is already high than if you start off cold and do it. If I go up to 75% FTP it’s basically unsustainable after 10mins or so…..start feeling not good at all to the point it feels unhealthy. It’s a wierd feeling cause your legs aren’t tired but your whole body is screaming for you to stop or pedal easier.
Doing it every day would almost certainly be too much. It’s an added stress to the body, so a couple sessions a week is a good starting point, probably on your already hard days. Even mentally that’s tough, cause it really is uncomfortable after 20mins or so. Same feeling as being in a sauna at 180-190 degrees after 20-30 mins…..you just want to get out and cool down.
Dylan Johnson has a good video on heat training, covering initial acclimation period and how much maintenance is needed to hang onto the gains. Worth a watch.
I haven’t been a subscriber in a bit, but thought about getting back in and this was one of the main sticking points. The response from TR support I got was to exclude these workouts from the AI (this was for anything that changes the HR <> power relationship, so heat, low torque etc.).
In your case that probably means saving the workout after sweet spot and answering the survey correctly, then doing an extra Z2 workout that you exclude?
