Even if you want to get faster on the bike, copying pro cyclists isn't always advisable...But is their latest training tool too good to be true? We dive in to the pros and cons of heat training and why it's changing indoor training for cyclists all over the world.
Unlike other cycling training methods such as altitude training or carbon monoxide rebreathing, heat training is relatively inexpensive, especially if you use a free indoor training app like us.
00:00You join me on a mild but rather wet August evening for a bike ride in my shed.
00:07Now that might sound like a rather odd concept, but this is what the top riders are doing up and down the country.
00:15But why? Well, in this video we're going to find out. Things are about to get nerdy.
00:21For absolutely years, cyclists have been feasting themselves and putting themselves in uncomfortable situations in order to get an edge over their rivals.
00:38Whether that be slogging up a really long climb or sitting at the top of a mountain where there's no air.
00:45Well, now there's a new way and it involves wearing one of these. Rather fetching if I do say so myself.
00:55It might not win any prizes for fashion, but apparently this is going to help me get faster.
01:01The 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.
01:12For about three quid you can pick up a set of cobles.
01:17For, yes, a turbo might set you back a bit, but there's lots of deals on secondhand marketplaces, especially at this time of year.
01:24And then I'm using my whoosh, which is completely free.
01:28And if I get really good, then it might even make me money.
01:32So, how does this work?
01:34Well, as the sweat pours, my motivation inevitably wanes, and my heart rate climbs disproportionately to the power that I'm putting out,
01:45this discomfort can unlock a range of physiological adaptions that will not only prepare me for hot weather racing,
01:53but improve my performance across all conditions.
01:56Train hot, race cool.
01:58That seems to be the phrase of the pro peloton in 2025.
02:02This is significant as cyclists are not particularly efficient.
02:07At best, a top level world tour pro will be having a maximum efficiency of around 25%,
02:14whereas most other riders, riders like me, I don't know if I'm even pushing 20% efficiency.
02:21Let's say I produce 300 watts of power.
02:24This generates 1080 kilojoules of energy to power the pedals,
02:28as one watt equals 3.6 kilojoules per hour.
02:32With a 25% efficiency, that means 4,320 kilojoules is being burned,
02:38of which 3,240 kilojoules is being turned into heat.
02:43It takes a hell of a lot of energy to remove from the body.
02:48And when the body temperature level heats up too much,
02:51well, the body starts to prevent itself from generating more.
02:55In other words, you can't sustain power and you have to slow down.
03:01Just like normally happens to me on my whoosh.
03:05If you can improve your capacity to lose heat,
03:08you can push more watts for longer before thermal load becomes too much.
03:13So, what is the science behind heat training?
03:18How can you use it to your advantage?
03:21What do you need to be cautious of?
03:23And how can you use hydration, fueling and recovery strategies
03:27to be adapted to support this unique form of stress?
03:32Right, let's get this show on the road.
03:35So, when the body is exposed to repeated heat stress,
03:40it undergoes several key adaptions.
03:44Within a span of around 7 to 14 days,
03:48assuming that you're at least doing it a bit consistently,
03:51cyclists can experience significant improvements
03:53in their ability to tolerate thermal strain.
03:57Much better than I am doing this next interval.
04:01So, basically, this is known as heat acclimatization.
04:06You've probably heard of that.
04:07And one of the primary adaptions of this
04:10is an increase in plasma volume.
04:14Now, this enhances your cardiovascular stability
04:17and improves the oxygen delivery to the working muscles.
04:21And what that means is it enables you
04:24to sustain efforts at low heart rates.
04:28Look at that guy going next to me.
04:31That's an absolute sprint.
04:33The body also becomes more efficient at cooling itself,
04:37which will be quite useful right about now.
04:40So, it begins sweating earlier and more profusely,
04:45which helps dissipate heat more effectively
04:48via the convection process of evaporating sweat.
04:52Over time, these changes result in a lower core temperature
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