As title. Honestly I’ve searched as much as I can - I can find a lot of information about how to manage heat on the day, but not much on how to prepare for it in advance. This is what I have found so far and related questions and ideas:
Many people recommend saunas after training. (why specifically after training and not at any unrelated time?)If I do the sauna *before *indoor bike training, my core temp is high and my heart rate is notably higher during sets. On the face of it this seems quite a good idea, to replicate to some degree the physical stresses of the day. Why is this not more prevalently recommended?in my gym’s sauna the remp is 80C (176F) or more and the humidity is 20-25%. I can easily drink 500ml water per 10mins. is there value in restricting drinking?Training in heat seems like a good idea, although heat chambers are not available to me (including homebrew bathroom-based ones since I live in a shared house).Turbo without fan will rapidly produce a sweatfest and is very uncomfortable.I’m not averse to doing it if there is benefit. Can an intervals approach be usefully adopted? (for example: 10mins turbo without fan, 5 mins turbo with fan, repeat)Does bike heat training adequately transfer across to run heat training?This link found in another thread features a kind of heat suit. Seems very accessible. Anyone had success?I tried bikram yoga for kona a few years ago and it was too hard for me. I felt like I was about to die every single time and found that it severely compromised real training for a long time afterwards even though I did all the recommended electrolyte supplementation. I think this was counterproductive, unless I’d have started much much earlier or was well able to withstand it about 2 months out.Overdressing in day-to-day life. Yea/nay?At what point would I be able to tell if these methods are being counterproductive, eg through reduced performance, recovery, fluid loss etc.I have always had a relatively low-salt diet and it seems beneficial to keep it that way, I’m not particularly planning to use electrolytes, although I do plan to take salt on race day (which I normally do for long events)
Please explain which of the above ideas are stupid and wrong?
Worth the listen. They did around 14-17 days of heat training right before the race. It was an add on session so that it didn’t impact the quality sessions. I think he mentioned doing some runs in Florida during the summer while wearing a sweatsuit and beanie. He also did some longer sauna sessions.
I’m going to implement the same plan for Augusta in a week or so.
My body doesn’t cool very efficiently and never has. Summer running, in particular, has always been a big struggle for me. This year before it got too bad I made a concerted effort to do three or four sessions a week in a sauna before runs. I was careful to still hydrate well and I really think it helped me once it did get hot. I was in a tiny bit better shape this year than the past few, but not THAT much. Was able to get through a LOT more runs without having to walk than in previous summers. Now that the heat is breaking a bit, I’m really doing well in my training program for my first 50k trail race (I’ve never done more than a HM, and I’m slow…2:10 slow…I’m a much better cyclist than runner, always have been).
As for Bikram, forget that crap. I’m a 200RYT yoga teacher, and that crap is terrible. You might find some benefit to a normal hot yoga class for heat training, but IMHO the actual Bikram sequence is a pile of steaming garbage. I’d bet that a lot of hot yoga is really not great as it’ll still be trying to be like Bikram, and most it’s simply that the sequences are a bit too extreme for endurance athletes. It’s not what you need as it’s too much exercise and too depleting. You really want to mix a fairly mild yoga class with the heat, IMHO, and even then the heat is ONLY for people who want heat acclimation. For everyone else I highly recomment “yoga for athletes” type classes once or twice a week without heat. Basically anything named “slow flow”, “alignment”, etc. Most of you do NOT want “flow” or for God’s sake avoid “power flow” if you’re also running/biking six days a week. My bet is with the Bikram you simply got fairly dehydrated and damaged yourself slightly and thus the extended required recovery.
Anyway, yes, I’d add heat but be careful to monitor hydration levels. I’m not sure I’d ever restrict fluid intake, but I do think it’s fine to add insulation to yourself while working out. Just be careful, obviously, not to over-do it.
As title. Honestly I’ve searched as much as I can - I can find a lot of information about how to manage heat on the day, but not much on how to prepare for it in advance. This is what I have found so far and related questions and ideas:
Many people recommend saunas after training. (why specifically after training and not at any unrelated time?)If I do the sauna *before *indoor bike training, my core temp is high and my heart rate is notably higher during sets. On the face of it this seems quite a good idea, to replicate to some degree the physical stresses of the day. Why is this not more prevalently recommended?in my gym’s sauna the remp is 80C (176F) or more and the humidity is 20-25%. I can easily drink 500ml water per 10mins. is there value in restricting drinking?Training in heat seems like a good idea, although heat chambers are not available to me (including homebrew bathroom-based ones since I live in a shared house).Turbo without fan will rapidly produce a sweatfest and is very uncomfortable.I’m not averse to doing it if there is benefit. Can an intervals approach be usefully adopted? (for example: 10mins turbo without fan, 5 mins turbo with fan, repeat)Does bike heat training adequately transfer across to run heat training?This link found in another thread features a kind of heat suit. Seems very accessible. Anyone had success?I tried bikram yoga for kona a few years ago and it was too hard for me. I felt like I was about to die every single time and found that it severely compromised real training for a long time afterwards even though I did all the recommended electrolyte supplementation. I think this was counterproductive, unless I’d have started much much earlier or was well able to withstand it about 2 months out.Overdressing in day-to-day life. Yea/nay?At what point would I be able to tell if these methods are being counterproductive, eg through reduced performance, recovery, fluid loss etc.I have always had a relatively low-salt diet and it seems beneficial to keep it that way, I’m not particularly planning to use electrolytes, although I do plan to take salt on race day (which I normally do for long events)
Please explain which of the above ideas are stupid and wrong?
last year i had good luck with layering up for a run and a bike each week…like long sleeves and tights. i also sat in the sauna after my swims at the pool. did that for three months leading up to kona and felt great during the race. good luck!
Sauna for 30 minutes after a training session three times a week is recommended for heat acclimation. This is not done before training. You’ll be depleted of fluids, sodium and electrolytes.
Sauna helps with recovery. Since I’ve started by sauna regimen, I never seem to get hot training or racing.
From what I’ve read and listened to (podcasts), it sounds like the idea is that the last ten days to two weeks prior to departure for a hot/humid event are the days to work the heat prep. I believe the basic idea is that using a sauna post workout (20-30 minutes without any hydration) is to increase blood plasma volume, which is a bit like tricking your body into being more effective when you get to your race. I plan on doing this in my lead-up to Kona and will probably also do a few ‘easy’ rides layered up as well.
During Matt Dixon’s recent podcast on Tim Deer, who raced Badwater, they talked about the sauna, but also doing rides and runs with multiple layers of clothing in the heat, but this was pretty specific for Badwater. It’s worth a listen.
No hydration would be for cutting weight like MMA fighters or boxers. There is no benefit to not hydrate for training. If I feel like I’m holding too much water I may keep hydration under control. It’s not like you need to enter the sauna with a full gallon jug of water and leave with it empty. Rehydrating can take place over the remainder of the day.
The no hydration part is only during the time in the sauna. Hydrate as usual during a workout, then into the sauna for up to 30 minutes w/o hydration. If you haven’t spent time in a sauna, it can be quite taxing and becomes a lot of a psychological game of staying in for the allotted amount of time.
Matt Dixon talks about in his podcast, episode 74 “Beat the Heat and Convert it Into a Performance Toolâ€
He recommends doing a light workout and then going directly into a sauna for 15-30 minutes. No hydration in the sauna is his recommendation. Only begin rehydration after you’ve gotten out.
He recommends nailing your primary workouts in ideal conditions and adding these session onto it. As I mentioned in a prior response, his interview with Tim Deer is worth a listen as well as the episode I noted in this post.
I live in Vancouver but spend April to July in Jacksonville and focused heavily on heat training. Always cycling without a fan or in a 95F garage, running with layers and sauna post swim 4-5x a week. Naturally I got very heat adapted to the point where I was cold during Ironman Whistler in 75F.
After being in Vancouver for 5 weeks never seeing a temperature above 77F but going into the sauna for 6-8 25-35min sauna sessions a week I went back to Jacksonville and went for a few runs in a heat index of 107F. I was more heat adapted after that 5 weeks in Vancouver than I was when I left Florida.
Moral of story, if you commit the sauna can do wonders! Should note to take the sauna into consideration with your training volume as it is very taxing on your body. I have gone back and forth between hydrating or not during the sauna and don’t think it really matters. I have heard other Badwater competitors say that they drink to thirst while in the sauna and had success.
I have read a bit on this topic and listened to many podcasts as well. Living and training in Seattle makes hot, humid races a challenge for me. I do not have a sauna available but have a steam shower at home. I have not heard or seen a comment if the heat response is similar to the dry sauna. I know my steam shower would be hot but not as hot as a sauna. I believe the Werteles may have mentioned hot baths at some point as well. Anyone have experience subbing these in for sauna?
I did Hawaii 70.3 in June and trained entirely indoors in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories from January to June. The week before we left for Hawaii I was still running in long tights, gloves, and hat and there was snow on the ground in Yellowknife. I tried a lot of what you’re suggesting and I’ve commented below. Most of it didn’t work because what I couldn’t replicate was the power of the sun in Kona, but that all comes with the usual caveat of n=1.
Sauna: Good idea AFTER your workout. If you do it before your workout, the workout itself is actually going to feel cooler relative to the temperature in the sauna. Just sit in that sauna until you can’t take the heat anymore. Then the next day try staying a little longer.
Turbofan: Keep it off, at least for the run. Get used to be absolutely drenched in sweat, especially on the run. On the bike, however, it may be useful in that you’ll get used to the ‘dried out’ feeling, lips cracking, etc.
I overdressed and did more heat training on the run (treadmill with a space heater next to it) than on the bike (bike trainer with a space heater next to it, no fan). I can’t say if heat training in one activity (running) maps over to the other activity. The actual heat in Kona started around 9am, and it was the sun that made it so difficult. I was OK on the bike but really struggled on the run.
Someone else mentioned that Bikram yoga wasn’t helpful for them. For me, on the other hand, it was the closest I got to experiencing the heat of Kona while trying to focus and keep myself moving. I recommend it enormously, but obviously experiences vary. If you found it was too hard for you a few years ago, that might be a sign that you’ll be affected by the heat. Or maybe not!
I had no way of knowing if I was ready for the Kona heat or not, and no way of knowing what was counterproductive. Even if I had to re-do that training, I wouldn’t be able to figure out what things to look for since it was the one thing I couldn’t replicate - sun - that was the hardest to bear. That said, I’d probably overdress even more on my run workouts, like wear my full winter running gear on the treadmill or something ridiculous.
I live in Vancouver but spend April to July in Jacksonville and focused heavily on heat training. Always cycling without a fan or in a 95F garage, running with layers and sauna post swim 4-5x a week. Naturally I got very heat adapted to the point where I was cold during Ironman Whistler in 75F.
After being in Vancouver for 5 weeks never seeing a temperature above 77F but going into the sauna for 6-8 25-35min sauna sessions a week I went back to Jacksonville and went for a few runs in a heat index of 107F. I was more heat adapted after that 5 weeks in Vancouver than I was when I left Florida.
Moral of story, if you commit the sauna can do wonders! Should note to take the sauna into consideration with your training volume as it is very taxing on your body. I have gone back and forth between hydrating or not during the sauna and don’t think it really matters. I have heard other Badwater competitors say that they drink to thirst while in the sauna and had success.
I went from Fall in California (which might be hot depending on the year) to Cozumel in '16, and doing it again this year.
I used the sauna post swim, It’s not that easy to do. I had to build up in sessions with a little break. I hadn’t heard the no hydration thing so I’d have water but honestly it just got hot. As noted, about 2 weeks prior to the event.
I also turned up the heater in my car driving to and from work.
I did a couple bike trainer sessions no fan, but that’s for just acclimating, not a workout. And everything down to bike shoes was utterly soaked.
I think those are the only three things I did. Coz was warm but not terribly so, that or the acclimation helped
There’s also obv a whole other protocol for in race heat management.