Heat Training, who's with me

Adaptations from training at a higher power than you normally would be able to don’t just disappear though.

Also if combined with work where extra blood volume can be helpful you can enhance those adaptations as well.

wiko4,

Because just like training (or altitude camp) , hard consistent heat training takes a toll and will impact your training.
So you can do it slowly or all at once, do a block of it and hope it was enough for you. However like most things if it becomes consistent and ‘every day’, it won’t hamper training as much. Also then gains can later be maximized with a smaller dose of heat training load, impacting workouts less as you are approaching peak events.
I believe like elevation and general fitness, the longer you maintain it…. the more residual it is or easily restored.
Also if you maintain heat training long term, high blood plasma volumes eventually results in increased red blood cells (but takes time to ‘balance out’)… essentially blood doping. Helping you also in training, not just for the event! If you can maintain 300w intervals at the effort of 290w intervals in training… long term, good stuff!

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What I do is a block of 7-10 sessions finishing about 4 weeks from target event. Then 2 sessions per week as doubles on hard days or as the end 60-90mins of endurance days from then on. I remove it entirely the week of the event for taper and freshness along with travel etc, I will still do hot tub or a sauna if available but I don’t force that in the last week.

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It’s been warm (mid 80’s) the last couple weeks and have gotten some unplanned heat training in. Amazing how quick the body adapts, actually felt pretty good today. Saw 100F+ on the garmin for the first time this year on a climb with heat/sun coming off the blacktop. Uncomfortable, but the power was there. Dropped over 5 lbs during a 3.5 hour ride (4 big bottles), time to break out the hydration pack and start carrying more fluids.

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Has anyone had much success with Infrared sauna blankets? They seem pretty cheap on amazon.

Not the blanket. But I use a cheap Amazon sauna where your head sticks out the top.

I have tried sauna but in terms of time availability and specificity I like to do it on the bike still. Watts don’t have to be high and adding the hour onto the end of a workout has done the job quite well.