|
|
Back to Archive Index |
 OCTOBER 29, 2010 Heat Acclimation Improves Athlete Performance In Cool Environments, Too Turn up the heat on your workouts and you might perform better in cool weather. It sounds odd, but the same heat acclimation techniques that help athletes compete in hot weather may improve athletic performance in cool environments as well. There is little doubt that hot environments can impair exercise performance. That's why top runners or cyclists spend a week or two in a hot environment to prepare for a race in the heat. Heat acclimation improves the body's ability to control body temperature, improves sweating and increases blood flow through the skin, and expands blood volume, allowing the heart to pump more blood to muscles, organs, and the skin. Researchers at the University of Oregon Human Physiology department recently conducted exercise tests on 12 highly trained cyclists (10 men, 2 women) before and after a 10-day heat acclimation program in a controlled laboratory setting. The participants had physiological and performance tests conducted under both hot and cool conditions. A group of 8 other highly trained cyclists followed the same testing while exercising in only a cool environment. As expected, heat acclimation improved performance in the hot environment and, to the researchers' surprise, increased performance by 7% under cool conditions, reported lead researcher Santiago Lorenzo in the October issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology. The control group showed no changes in performance. The heat may produce changes in exercising muscle, allowing enzymes to improve the amount of work done by the muscle, the researchers speculate. The next step is to find out whether heat acclimation improves athletic performance in competition. The researchers point out that exposure to heat must be in addition to an athlete's normal training regimen. This may put you at risk for heat exhaustion, which is due to dehydration and the loss of electrolytes. Heat exhaustion causes you to feel light-headed and dizzy, and you may even faint. Your cooling mechanisms are working overtime so that you are sweaty, and your skin is cool and clammy. You may also have severe muscle cramps due to the loss of salt and potassium. If you experience these symptoms, stop whatever you are doing, rest in a cool place, and replace your fluids with water or an electrolyte drink such as Gatorade. |
|
|
|
Disclaimer and Copyright · Site design by Marketorial.com
|