There are ways for athletes to keep cool while training
Getting used to hot weather helps some athletes
Every time I see a runner sweating it out midday during a heat wave, I wonder why they chose to do so at the hottest time of day. Combining an already tough workout with high heat and/ or humidity isn't a recipe for success. Not only does performance suffer and motivation lag, the chances of experiencing heatstroke or heat exhaustion increase as the temperature soars.
For some athletes, however, the decision to do a workout in the middle of a scorching hot day is a calculated one. Working out in the heat makes you better at working out in the heat, which is why athletes training for a competitive event held in a hot environment may choose to acclimatize in the preceding weeks. Yet even the best preparation and a high level of fitness don't make you immune to heat-related illnesses, so it's important to know how to stay as cool as possible.
When it comes to athletes competing in the Tokyo Olympics, recreational runners, cyclists and triathletes putting in the miles during a heat wave, or kids participating in soccer tournaments at the height of summer, a strategic approach to exercising in hot and humid conditions will reduce performance deficits and keep active individuals as comfortable as possible under the blazing sun.
Acclimatization:
Heat acclimatization typically begins in the weeks preceding an event and consists of working out in conditions similar to those faced on game day — which is why a lot of Canadian athletes are heading to Tokyo, or places with similar weather, well in advance of the start of the Olympics.
Living and training in the heat allows the body time to make the physiological changes needed to become more efficient at dissipating the internal buildup of heat that negatively affects performance.
Heading to a competition site weeks ahead of time isn't always practical for recreational athletes, which means they need to simulate conditions similar to those expected on the day of the event. If that can't be done by training in the summer months at home, then adding layers of clothes, turning up the heat in your home gym and spending longer and longer periods in hot baths or saunas — especially after a workout — can provoke the same physiological changes that occur naturally in hot outdoor conditions.
Just make sure to expose yourself to the heat in small increments of time while keeping your workout intensity moderate to easy. As you become more accustomed to the heat, you can start adding minutes and intensity to your workouts.
There are no absolutes in determining how long it takes the body to acclimatize, but count on somewhere between five and 10 days, depending on your level of fitness and how well you tolerate the heat.
Ideally you want to acclimatize while doing the same type of workout as you would during competition, but it's still possible to prepare for challenging environmental conditions while on a stationary bike or treadmill at home, as long as you're able to turn up the heat.
Game-day strategies:
The likelihood of high heat and/or humidity on the day of the event demands more than just relying on acclimatization to optimize cooling. Athletes should institute a few key cooling strategies before and during competition, with the goal being to keep their internal temperature within a healthy range and to reduce the energy-sapping buildup of heat that makes exercising in hot conditions so challenging. Finding ways to stay cool, even during shorter bouts of exercise, makes the workout feel easier.
The first trick is to start off cool, which can be accomplished by taking a cold shower or bath before leaving home. It's also a good idea to bring a cooling kit with you. Pack a cooler with cold packs, wet towels and a handheld mister filled with cool water and apply them to the head, neck and shoulders after the warm-up or during any extended stoppage in play.
You'll also want to cool more than just overheated skin. Drinking cold water or a slurry of ice and water is surprisingly effective at lowering the temperature of overheated internal organs and circulating blood. It also makes you feel cooler, which helps with the mental challenge of working out in the heat. Be careful: Too much icy liquid can lead to a brain freeze or upset stomach, especially if consumed too close to the start of a competition or workout.
One final caution about cooling strategies: The time to test them out isn't on game day. The last thing you want is to be faced with a brain freeze or gastrointestinal issues during competition. The goal is to improve performance, not make an already hot day even more uncomfortable.