Threshold | The fitness newsletter

Threshold #13 | Body temperature is everything

It may be obvious but body temperature really matters for serious good quality training.

I’m sure we have all experienced a slowdown in brain function on hot days, or an inability for muscles to get to full flexibility in sub-zero temperatures, yet in training it seems we all just assume we’ve had good or bad training days based upon anything other than body temperature.

Only recently have I been paying attention to body temperature and the effect it has on my workouts.

But why?

Why does temperature affect the body’s performance?

An engine generates heat. This heat is taking away from the performance of the vehicle. Formula one engines can be thought of as the most efficient engines in a car, but even those can lose as much as 50% efficiency due to heat.

We’ve all seen the car warning light come on signalling “engine overheating” and it’s the same principle when training.

Take cycling as an example, we may be pushing out 200 watts over the course on an FTP test, but there is lost energy through drive chain & tire friction and the heat generated. Put simply, if you can reduce the heat given off through training, the output shall be higher.

How can you measure it

There are multiple ways to measure your body temperature:

• Garmin watches

• CORE body sensor

• Your perceived body temperature

For general purposes trust and learn to understand perceived body temperature. If you can dial in your understanding of how your body feels during low and high intensity sessions, make changes to your training and further assess how this impacts your perceived effort, you’ll be on the correct path to maximising your training.

To take one strep further, using your Garmin or CORE body sensor, post workout look at where your body temperature started the session and where it ends. Feed back the environment you trained in too.

What you can do to maximise performance

You can maximise performance by taking note of the environment you train in, changing that environment such as leaving the heating off all day or using a fan when cycling indoors. Comparing the two workouts will help you assess if there are changes in your physiology, alongside changes in output - however your define it. This could be power output, or ability to ride continuously at a certain pace.

So, that’s how to train whilst understanding your body’s temperature.

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Base run: Build over 4 weeks

Warm up:

• 2km @ Z1 heart rate

Main set:

• 10-15km & Z2 heart rate

Cool down:

• 1km @ Z1 heart rate

Thanks again for reading this week. You can follow all my training on Strava.

Have a great week,

Robert