Heat training could enhance fitness among elite athletes

Researchers at the University of Canberra are looking into whether training in a hot, humid conditions can help Australia's top athletes improve their performance.

Dr Naroa Etxebarria, Assistant Professor of Sport and Exercise Science at the University’s Research Institute for Sport and Exercise (UCRISE), Senior Physiologist and Professor David Pyne from the Australian Institute of Sport and PhD candidate Rachel Gale (UCRISE/AIS) are working to put their hypothesis to the test.

As part of the project, players from Canberra’s Ainslie Football Club have taken part in regular training sessions in a room heated to about 35 degrees Celsius and 50% humidity.

Dr Etxebarria said that, in theory, when an athlete trains under the additional stress of a heated environment, their body adapts, so when competing in normal temperatures, the athletes are should perform better.

Dr Etxebarria stated “we are basically trying to enhance their cardiovascular fitness and some of the thermoregulatory capacities that the body has.”

"That means that in hotter conditions they will be able to cope with exercise better."

Dr Etxebarria said the research could also have implications for athletes hoping to compete in the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games later this year, commenting “one of the challenges that Australia has is that every summer Olympics is in winter for us.

"That means that our athletes have to get used to the climate even more so than anyone in any other country.

"That's one of the shortcomings of the southern hemisphere and this is one way of helping our athletes get that competitive advantage."

On tests with the Ainslie Football Club players she added “we are comparing their core body and skin temperature, heart rate, blood lactate levels, how hot they are feeling and the exertion they use to complete the exercise at the start and then again after their training program.”

PhD candidate Gale concluded “the way in which the body adapts to the heat training is really quiet impressive.

“Within a few days, the adaptions we start seeing include a reduction in core body temperature and heart rate, improved cardiovascular function and earlier onset of sweat at lower core body temperatures, among other changes.

“For those of us who aren’t elite athletes, the research may encourage people to train in the warm summer weather as a boost to their exercise, with proper preparation of course.”

When exercising in heat, it is advised to ensure good hydration at least an hour before exercise and to then introduce heat gradually.

The University of Canberra overs a range of sports perormance services.

For more information go to www.canberra.edu.au/research/institutes/ucrise/exercise-performance-services

Image: Heat training at the UCRISE environmental chamber is being assessed for the adaptations it can bring to sportspeople when they return to play in more temperate climates. From left: Dr Naroa Etxebarria, PhD Candidate Rachel Gale, Ainslie Football Club's #28 Damian Bowles and the Australian Institute of Sport's Professor David Pyne. (Courtesy of Vanessa Lam).

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