EBR Friday Focus

by ENDURANCE BIKE AND RUN

"Practical insights for sustainable progress"

Hello ,,

Heat Wave Training | When Recovery Becomes the Limiting

This time of year often brings sudden increases in temperature that can be fairly sustained. These changes impact both events and training in ways that need managing differently. In training, it's easier to back off or take extra recovery, but in events where optimal performance is the focus, heat management becomes more complex.

3 Insights About Systematic Training

I.

In hot weather, your heart rate is higher because more blood flow is used to manage body temperature. However, you can still use heart rate as a guide to physiological responses and adjust effort level accordingly. As you become better acclimated to the heat, your body will start to respond more normally. However, this adaptation takes time and consistent exposure, like any training.

II.

In events, it's important to accept that performances will not be the same as in the ambient temperatures you're used to. Some compensation from the start is better than just going for it and hoping for the best. It's very difficult to know exactly how much heat will impact you, so if you can do a test or get some acclimation sessions before the event, it could make a significant difference.

III.

Taking more recovery is one approach to adjusting, but if you don't have an cooler place to recover, the recovery process itself is also impaired. In fact, if temperatures rise very high, your body might be working hard even when you're not training, and your sleep may be significantly impaired in quality. Remember that we spend more time training than not training so that part of life is critical to optimal performance.

2 Questions For You

I.

When you notice elevated heart rates for familiar efforts in heat, do you have a plan for systematic adjustment, or are you making reactive decisions that might compromise your weekly training structure?

II.

If your recovery environment is also affected by heat (poor sleep, elevated resting heart rate), how might this change your approach to training intensity and volume?

1 Real-World Example

One of our clients was worried about heat for the London Edinburgh London bike ride, his main goal for the year. He does some running to supplement his cycling training, so throughout the winter he has been doing running sessions on a treadmill with lots of clothes on.

At first he really struggled just to jog for any length of time, but he quickly made gains and can now work quite hard even though the temperature where he has his treadmill is significantly higher than when he started out in the winter.

We all know that our bodies are very trainable, and this goes for heat as well. At British Cycling, heat training for Rio started early to make sure that everyone was as prepared as possible. Karen Darke was lucky enough to spend time in Mallorca, where heat training wasn't so hard in the beautiful countryside.

Acclimation might not help you if you have an event this coming weekend, but you can achieve a lot in just a few days. If your events aren't for a few weeks, you could take advantage of the warmer weather to aid your preparation.

Remember to drink plenty as well and think about nutrition because it can be hard to eat when it's hot.

If you're an endurance athlete stalling through fatigue. We build training and recovery systems so you can race at full power – without burning out.

Just click this link or the button below to arrange a time to find out how we can help you.

Book a consultation to explore how we can help you develop sustainable training patterns that work for your life.

Keep moving forward,

John and Clare

The EBR Newsletter delivers evidence-based endurance insights every Friday. If you know someone who might benefit from our systematic approach to endurance challenges, please forward this email to anyone who might find it useful or interesting.