{"id":31792,"date":"2025-07-02T05:36:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T05:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/31792\/"},"modified":"2025-07-02T05:36:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T05:36:11","slug":"heat-training-could-improve-your-running-performance-but-only-if-you-do-it-right-5-ways-to-try-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/31792\/","title":{"rendered":"Heat training could improve your running performance, but only if you do it right \u2013 5 ways to try it"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ice baths<\/a> have been floating around for some time now as the coolest way to recover post-workout<\/a>. But another way of enhancing your endurance performance that’s gaining traction \u2013 particularly in running<\/a> circles \u2013 lies at the other temperature extreme. Heat training, or heat acclimation, involves exposing your body to warmer temperatures, either through exercise or more passive ways like saunas<\/a>, to enhance fitness<\/a> results. <\/p>\n

It’s sometimes called a substitute for altitude training, as it mimics a few of your body’s adaptations experienced when at higher elevations with less oxygen available. This includes increased red blood cell production, which improves oxygen delivery to your muscles by enhancing the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), their main energy source. <\/p>\n

But does it really work? While research<\/a> has suggested that short-term heat training before endurance events in hotter climates helps athletes to regulate their body temperature and become more accustomed to the heat, it may not be suitable if you’re not aiming to exercise in higher temperatures in the near future. Here’s all you need to know.<\/p>\n

Meet the experts<\/strong>: The information here has been checked and approved by: Lawrence Tackie<\/a>, PT at Anytime Fitness with 15 years’ experience and a background in semi-pro sports like boxing and football; Joe Bingham<\/a>, endurance competition, strength training and body transformation PT at Core Studio<\/a>; Ellie Walting<\/a>, PT, ambassador at realbuzz<\/a> and founder of Rewild and Reset, wellness retreats encouraging reconnection with nature; Sarah Campus<\/a>, a women’s and NASM-qualified PT and coach with over 10 years’ experience, and the founder of Soho House Chiswick Run Club.<\/p>\n

What is heat training?<\/p>\n

Heat training involves exercising in a warmer environment (active heat training), such as doing hot yoga, or exposing your body to high temperatures like saunas or hot baths (passive heat training) with the aim of improving your aerobic performance, cardiovascular<\/a> efficiency and thermoregulation (the process by which you can maintain a stable body temperature). <\/p>\n

‘The aim is to reach and maintain a core temp of 38-38.5 degrees,’ says sports-nutrition postgraduate student and runner, Sian<\/a>. <\/p>\n

How does heat training improve endurance? <\/p>\n

Heat training causes a process in your body that leads to enhanced endurance capacity using the following steps:<\/p>\n

1. Increased plasma volume<\/p>\n

First, when you train in the heat or add heat after working out, your body makes more plasma, the liquid part of your blood, explains sports and exercise postgraduate sports and exercise student and runner, Charlie Norris<\/a>. This is due to your body using more plasma to produce sweat, which triggers a hormonal response to expand plasma volume. <\/p>\n

A review<\/a> somewhat confirms this, highlighting that plasma volume usually expands after repeated heat exposure and another 2010 study<\/a> showed that heat acclimation increased plasma volume. Increased plasma provides cardiovascular stability \u2013 your heart and blood vessels functioning consistently and effectively \u2013 and improves thermoregulatory function, or your body’s ability to maintain a stable internal core temperature, confirms research<\/a>, allowing you to train more efficiently in the heat. <\/p>\n

2. Increased red blood cell production <\/p>\n

Increased plasma ‘will water down your red blood cells’, lowering hematocrit, the percentage of your blood made up of red blood cells, says Norris. <\/p>\n

Your kidneys detect the relative drop in red blood cells. They release more erythropoietin (EPO), the hormone that stimulates red blood cell production, ‘to balance out’ the increased plasma, research<\/a> and Norris explain.<\/p>\n

Red blood cells \u2013 and in particular haemoglobin, a protein in these cells \u2013 carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. More red blood cells therefore mean more oxygen delivered to working muscles to increase endurance (for exactly how, keep scrolling!). <\/p>\n

Research confirms this, with one study<\/a> showing that five weeks of heat training increased the amount of haemoglobin and improved exercise performance in 23 (male) cyclists. <\/p>\n

3. Better oxygen delivery<\/p>\n

More oxygen in your muscles improves performance because it helps your body produce energy.<\/p>\n

You makes adenosine triphosphate (ATP), your body’s energy molecule, using oxygen and food. Your muscles then use ATP to move and contract during aerobic activities like running and cycling \u2013 they can’t work without it. More ATP leads to being able to exercise for longer without getting as tired. <\/p>\n

One study<\/a> backing this up suggests that heat exposure leads to increased aerobic performance by proposing that heat exposure can encourage ATP production.<\/p>\n

4. Increased sweating<\/p>\n

Heat training improves your body’s capacity for thermoregulation, or maintaining a stable internal body temperature. Your body starts sweating sooner and produces more sweat overall, allowing your body to keep cool more efficiently by taking heat away through evaporation. A 2015 review <\/a>found that exercising in heat improved sweating by making people sweat earlier and at a higher rate, ‘improving evaporative cooling, which reduces skin temperature and heat storage.’<\/p>\n

Related StoriesIs heat training effective?<\/p>\n

‘Heat training has its benefits \u2013 it’s great at boosting endurance, recovery and performance \u2013 but it needs to be done correctly and it\u2019s certainly not a one-size-fits all,’ says women’s personal trainer with over 10 years’ experience, Sarah Campus<\/a>. ‘Structure is important and you need to give time for the benefits to be seen.’<\/p>\n

Some experts believe it is the most important thing an athlete can do when preparing to compete in the heat, like a marathon on a hot day, or in another country, with one review<\/a> saying that heat acclimatisation was the ‘most important intervention one can adopt to reduce physiological strain and optimise performance’. Sian also notes that one study<\/a> analysing heat training on eight athletes aged 38-46 before a multi-day desert marathon found that four days of 60 minutes at 45\u00baC and 30% relative humidity improved:<\/p>\n