As runners, we’re after those fitness gains. Most of us are constantly trying to figure out how to run a faster 5k, 10k, marathon, ultramarathon. Whatever the distance, we want to go faster. What if I told you there was a simple way to run faster that doesn’t involve more running. And no, I’m not talking about adding strength and plyos (although those do help). I’m talking about getting hot.
Heat training has become a popular training modality among elite endurance athletes. Even if you’re not planning on racing in hot conditions, there are still benefits. Heat training can lead to an increase in blood plasma. This has the potential to increase the amount of oxygen delivered to the working muscles; your heart gets to work less to pump the necessary oxygen throughout your body. This results in a lower heart rate while performing the same work/running at the same pace. Lower heart rate means you’re running more efficiently.
My personal experience with heat training has been positive. After heat training, my heart rate is lower overnight. The next morning, my heart rate is lower on my run.
I purchased a tent sauna for my garage gym for about $300 and it has been great. I try and get in it 3-4x/week for about 20 minutes. It works especially well immediately after a run or other cardio. This is because your heart rate and body temperature are elevated from the activity when you enter the sauna. If you really want to go for it, consider training in a heat suit then hopping into the sauna. Big time gains! If you do, it is imperative that you hydrate very well before and after the session with electrolyte supplements and lots of water!
What’s a heat suit you ask? Basically, anything that gets you warm and keeps you warm. I like thermal leggings and jogging pants, with a base-layer, puffy jacket, rain jacket and a beanie. The goal is to overdress to the point of feeling uncomfortably warm before you start your activity.
One of the best things about heat training is that it’s free! In-home tent saunas a very affordable, however, you can simply wildly overdress for a run or two each week (if you don’t mind looking a little out of place) and get massive benefits. If you live in a place that gets super hot in the summer, try waiting until the heat of the day to go for a jog.
Heat training can place a big stress on the body, so be sure and ease into it. If you’re going to start running during the heat of the day, start by doing a short, easy run with light clothing. Slowly start to add layers of clothing and run duration as you acclimate. Don’t heat train every day. Give your body a recovery day or two in between sessions.
Heat related illness is no joke, so be careful! Hydration is key. Knowing your body is also key. Don’t push it to a place you can’t come back from.
I used to absolutely melt in the heat. My stomach would go sideways and my head would start spinning. I would get a panicked feeling in my soul. But after a few years of various forms of heat exposure, I can perform well in hot conditions. One of the biggest things that helped was just pretending I liked the heat. I convinced myself that I enjoyed the way my body felt when it was triple digits out. Eventually, it worked.
I am normally a big fan of training based on heart rate zones. There are a few exceptions, and heat training is one of them. Since your body responds to heat by elevating your heart rate to cool itself, don’t worry too much about your heart rate when heat training. Just listen to your body and go off effort, keeping it comfortably aerobic.
One drawback to running in hot conditions (be it a heat suit, hot day, or both) is that you will be running slower than you normally would. You don’t want to spend too much time doing this since you don’t want to train your body to run slower. Cross training with a heat suit is a great option. I like to do one cross train/week in a heat suit and maybe one run on top of that.
Another drawback is that it puts more stress on the body than your typical easy run. So, if you’re adding heat training, be sure and subtract a little bit of high intensity/high stress training to ensure you’re not overtraining. Don’t be doing one workout, one long run, and multiple heat sessions without considering the stress of the heat training. Consider doing some passive heat exposure after a workout to stack the stress on the same day, allowing your body to recover the next day.
Sadly, heat training is likely not as effective as altitude training but is infinitely more accessible if you don’t live in high altitude. So, if you’re a lowlander like me, add some heat training to your routine for some free fitness gains. Like my granny always used to say, if you can’t get high, get hot.
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