You join me on a mild but rather wet August evening for a bike ride in my shed
Now that might sound like a rather odd concept but this is what the top riders are doing up and
down the country. But why? Well in this video we're going to find out. Things are about to get nerdy
for absolutely years cyclists have been feasting themselves and putting themselves
in uncomfortable situations in order to get an edge over their rivals whether that be slogging
up a really long climb or sitting at the top of a mountain where there's no air well now there's a
new way and it involves wearing one of these rather fetching if I do say so myself
it might not win any prizes for fashion but apparently this is going to help me get faster
the good news is that for not a lot of money you can take advantage of what is potentially
one of the most powerful performance enhancing tools at your disposal for about three quid you
can pick up a set of coals for yes a turbo might set you back a bit but there's lots of deals on
secondhand marketplaces especially at this time of year and then I'm using my whoosh which is
completely free and if I get really good then it might even make me money. So how does this work
Well as the sweat pours my motivation inevitably wanes and my heart rate climbs disproportionately
to the power that I'm putting out. This discomfort can unlock a range of physiological adaptions
that will not only prepare me for hot weather racing, but improve my performance across all
conditions. Train hot, race cool. That seems to be the phrase of the pro peloton in 2025
This is significant as cyclists are not particularly efficient. At best, a top level
World Tour Pro will have a maximum efficiency of around 25 whereas most other riders riders like me I don know if I even pushing 20 efficiency Let say I produce 300 watts of power This generates 1080 kilojoules of energy to power
the pedals as 1 watt equals 3.6 kilojoules per hour. With a 25% efficiency that means 4,320
kilojoules is being burned, of which 3,240 kilojoules is being turned into heat. It takes
a hell of a lot of energy to remove from the body, and when the body temperature level heats up too
much, well, the body starts to prevent itself from generating more. In other words, you can't
sustain power and you have to slow down, just like normally happens to me on my whoosh
If you can improve your capacity to lose heat, you can push more watts for longer before thermal load becomes too much
So, what is the science behind heat training? How can you use it to your advantage
What do you need to be cautious of? And how can you use hydration, fueling and recovery strategies to be adapted to support this unique form of stress
right let's get this show on the road so when the body is exposed to repeated heat stress it
undergoes several key adaptions within a span of around 7 to 14 days assuming that you're at
least doing it a bit consistently cyclists can experience significant improvements in their
ability to tolerate thermal strain. Much better than I am doing this next interval
So basically this is known as heat acclimatization and you've probably heard of that
And one of the primary adaptions of this is an increase in plasma volume. Now this enhances your
cardiovascular stability and improves the oxygen delivery to the working muscles. And what that
is it enables you to sustain efforts at low heart rates. Look at that guy going next to me
That was an absolute sprint The body also becomes more efficient at cooling itself which will be quite useful right about now So it begins sweating earlier and more profusely which helps dissipate heat more effectively
via the convection process of evaporating sweat. Over time these changes result in a lower core temperature at any given workload, a reduction
in received effort as well. Again, that would be lovely right about now. And enhanced efficiency
So, how do you do it? Well, one of the most effective ways to create a heat adaption stimulus
is through indoor training, just like I'm going to do here on my whoosh. The indoor environment
naturally limits airflow and creates a pocket of warm, humid air around the rider. This amplifies
thermal strain, particularly if the fan is used sparingly, or an extra layer of clothing
is being worn. Even moderate intensity sessions can raise core temperature significantly in
this context. It's no surprise then that indoor training is one of the most effective
ways to train. Whilst riding on these rather fetching virtual reality roads, I can adjust
my effort based not only on my power or heart rate, but also my thermal stress. Apparently
core temperature between 38.5 and 39.5 degrees centigrade during these sessions will provide the
optimal balance between stimulus and safety. Now it should be noted that exceeding that temperature
can cause excessive thermal strain and that will probably mean that I never recover
If you do decide that you want to copy the pros and add heat training to your schedule then it is
wise to err on the side of caution. Heat training adds another level of stress to an already demanding
training load. It is essential to monitor for signs of non-functional overreaching or early
burnouts. These can include, but are by no means limited to an elevated resting heart rate, poor
sleep, low mood, declining power outputs, or an inability to recover between sessions. Given that
just about all training is about balancing the overall stress load For people who are working full jobs have children or are in education it probably best to avoid adding heat training to your routine That is unless you undertaking very specific events where heat acclimatisation
will make the biggest difference, such as an event in high temperatures. Adding an additional
stressor might be better served by incorporating appropriate high-intensity training or maximising
volume. Basically, as with everything, train for the demands of your specific event or goal
and work backwards from that end target. As with all training interventions
heat adaption should be individualised. Start with a short, low-intensity session, and gradually build exposure as your tolerance improves. Use metrics such as perceived exertion
it can often be underrated, heart rate and temperature feedback to gauge internal load
and be prepared to back it off if the fatigue begins to accumulate
In summary, training in hot conditions, whether indoors, outdoors, or passively through hot water
immersion, offers a potent stimulus for performance gains. The physiological adaptions include improved
cardiovascular function, enhanced thermoregulation, and more efficient energy use. When combined with
appropriate hydration, salt intake and carbohydrate fueling, heat training can form a valuable
part of any rider's preparation for competition. With specialist tools like the core body temperature sensor and heat suits, applying this training
method to the same degree as the pros is even more practical and achievable
Used wisely and with respect for the body's limits, heat adaption can help riders build
resilience, increase blood volume, improve endurance and achieve peak performance in all weather conditions
It's even been described by some World Tour trainers as a sort of altitude light training
but let's be honest, it's got significantly less financial investment required. Thank you to MyWish for sponsoring this video and making it possible
If you want to find out any more about their free indoor training platform then we'll
pop a link in the description below. let us know your thoughts on heat training in the comments section
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for lots more like this and we'll see you next time