Fitness myths, training truths, and other surprising discoveries from the science of exercise
Why do you slow down in the heat? This may seem like a painfully obvious question, but it’s a topic of heated (oops) debate among physiologists. There are two basic camps: You slow down because the increasing temperature in your body begins to cause some sort of physical problem — maybe it’s in your muscles, …
Continue reading “Does heat slow you down if you don’t know it’s hot?”
Another interesting hydration study [UPDATED WITH LINK TO STUDY] from Tim Noakes and his collaborators, studying South African Special Forces soldiers marching in hot conditions — following up the one I blogged about last year. The basics: 18 soldiers did a competitive 25 km march (taking about four hours), carrying 26 kg packs and wearing …
Continue reading “Extreme heat, dehydration and sodium balance”
There’s a great (and timely) article called “Myths About Running in Heat” in the current issue of Running Times (linked to from Amby Burfoot’s latest blog entry), in which Phil Latter takes a look at six common myths relating to topics like thirst and acclimatization. It’s all good stuff, and worth a read. The one …
Continue reading “Pre-drinking to hyperhydrate, and other heat-related research”
This week’s Jockology column in the Globe and Mail is a round-up of a few recent studies on exercise in hot weather: how the brain slows you down more than the body; how acclimatization does (and doesn’t) work; and how cooling your palms can make your workout feel easier. […] “Slowing down in the heat …
Conventional wisdom says that we adapt to deal with heat after a week or two of high temperatures. But a study in the current European Journal of Applied Physiology suggests that it doesn’t happen automatically. These days, we spend a lot of time in air-conditioned homes, offices, cars and even gyms — so we may …