exercise and heat tolerance

Since summer is right around the corner, it seems fitting to start talking about heat tolerance. This is when beginning an endurance training program will be a good thing. Research shows that consistent training of 30-45min/session and 3-5x/week will produce physiological changes after 8 weeks “Developing Endurance” by Ben Reuter and NSCA.

1. A very important change is the increase in blood plasma volume and increased capillarization of muscles. Think of this as adding more chambers to the radiator of your car.

2. A second benefit of endurance training is that your body becomes more efficient at burning stored fat. And stored fat with all of its blood vessel (1mile per pound) acts as a big heat storage unit. So the more fat you can burn off, the less heat you will be storing.

3. Combine the benefits of #1 and #2 and you will be less bothered by the heat.