If you are not implementing heat training are you leaving performance on the table?

Evidence suggests yes.

Yes from my experience. However it comes at a cost. Whether you have to have access to a sauna, hot bath or do active heat training, you’ll need the time or resources to do it. I did it last year and made the time and effort sacrifices to do so, but I wouldn’t do it again unless I had some event that was important enough to warrant the extra effort.

It works but when done properly, can be very taxing and can interfere with other aspects of your training due to the recovery needed.

1 Like

I never have to worry about it. I work in the heat all day :joy:

1 Like

Only if your events will be in heat you are not used to.

I would go read the first study I linked. There was performance improvements in both hot and cool conditions.

The effects of heat training to improve performance are to improve cooling. Accomplished by higher plasma volume and subsequent higher mass of red blood cells. So one would benefit regardless of the weather conditions. What you’re saying is like altitude training only helps if your events are at altitude.

3 Likes

A little snarky, but this thread is equivalent to saying “if you aren’t training 20 to 25 hours a week you are leaving gains on the table.”

Very few of us are professionals, so we are all balancing training time with life / life stress. So unless you are going to an event where it’s significantly warmer than your usual training environment, is heat training really the best use of limited training/ recovery time? I doubt it for most of us

3 Likes

Kind of? In the first study trained cyclists in the heat group saw significant gains in what was basically 2 weeks/10 sessions of work.

Sure, many people are time constrained but maybe the gains are worthwhile? They saw a 5-8% increase in vo2 max and TT performance increased by 6-8%.

I would not think many other 10 session interventions would have the same impact, especially on already very fit individuals.

2 Likes

This is N=1, but I live at sea level. Heat training here helps me when I travel to places with significantly higher elevation. I assume it’s due to red blood cell count, but could be wrong.

2 Likes

The biggest question about all of this that is as-yet not in the published literature, is what the minimum maintainance dose of heat is once adapted. Some pros are trying one to two sessions a week after loading. I this works, then yes - everyone should be replacing one of their endurance sessions or supplementing with a heat session every week.

Both of which endurance training delivers. I suppose the question is whether it’s additive if you are doing both and which is best use of time.

Based on the fact that many pros are doing it regularly on top of their already heavy aerobic training load it seems like it’s additive. But like someone else mentioned, is whether that extra physiological stress and logistics is ‘worth it’ for most amateurs.

1 Like

Jakob Ingebrigtsen youtube rehab

This discussion reminded me of this video I saw the other day of him using the elliptical in a hot room.

Wait until the OP discovers carbon monoxide training.

So much being left on the table.

4 Likes

Been doing that for years now, it’s added at least 5w to my ftp, very effective :tada::roll_eyes:

1 Like

This has me wondering about heat training for something like unbound. Especially getting near the end of unbound training my body is already stressed and worn down. So I would definitely worry about heat training just wearing me down even more. It’s a challenge though as it’s something that is almost needed for unbound

I’d probably say if the race is going to be hot then it starts to become more and more worth it. But if you’re looking to do it for pure performance gains (in less hot conditions) then it starts to be less worth it.

But remember if you already live in a place that has hotter conditions in May and early June then you are probably getting decently heat acclimated just by doing your normal training rides outside. You don’t have to do a ton of extra stuff to get most of the benefits. But if you’re traveling from like Scandinavia or the southern hemisphere then maybe you’d have to squeeze in more sauna or fanless trainer time.

2 Likes

For what it’s worth, I’m less than 8 weeks out from Leadville , and giving it a try this year. Have one of those cheap Amazon Infrared Sauna in a bag setups. Takes a little bit to get heated up, but sweat is POURING off me by the end of 30 minutes. I’ll combine that with all the normal outside heat of the day rides. Starting now because the first heat wave here is looking like it’s going to set in right in time for some of my long fatigue-resistance rides.

So far, actually feels quite relaxing as long as I remember to weigh myself before / after and take in enough fluid and electrolytes to replenish what I lose. And I’m also not doing it when I’m already wrecked from a workout - only along with easier to moderate days.

Anecdotally, I’ve had some people tell me that heat training absolutely helps at Elevation, and the whole Hemoglobin Mass results from the studies linked above seem to indicate that’s true…

2 Likes

Let us know how it goes. Last year leading up to unbound where I live in GA, we just did not have that many warm days so I was concerned about the heat in Kansas. It was warm but more tolerable than when I was there in 2021. My wife would think I was crazy with a sauna from Amazon :joy: