Heat Slowing You Down on Race Day? Beat The Heat Like a Cycling Pro, Here's How: Episode 22 with Dr. Stephen Cheung

Every year athletes drop out of races because the heat beats them down. It's a hard pill to swallow after all of that training you've put in, to have to DNF. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Heat adaptation is a powerful performance tool that even the best in the world aren't implementing, but they should be. The proof is in the science and the many Olympians who have put it to the test.

In this podcast episode I had the privilege to speak with Environmental Physiology expert

Dr. Stephen Cheung. Dr. Cheung has been instrumental in preparing many athletes for Olympic games including the Tokyo Olympics and Doha World Championships, where the heat was guaranteed to be a factor.

Dr. Cheung is a Professor and Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Kinesiology at Brock University. He was also Canada Research Chair in Environmental Ergonomics from 2007-2017. He's also the author of several books including the Science of Cycling and Environmental Exercise Physiology 

With over 25 years of research in Environmental Physiology, he is known worldwide for his expertise and has collaborated with other world renowned scientists in this space. Dr. Cheung has worked in the field with numerous elite level athletes including Olympian Amber Neben, who helped prepare for the high temperatures which were well anticipated at the Tokyo Olympics.

Here are some of the things we cover during our conversation and time stamps:

• Definitions of heat acclimation, acclimatization and habituation (9:55)
• Why are high temperatures bad for performance? (14:30)
• Heat and neuromuscular function (17:00)
• How does heat affect cognitive function and decision making? (22:25)
• How do we get rid of heat? (28:00)
• What is cardiac drift and how does can it affect our performance? (30:15-33:30)
• Managing sweat losses. How much is too much loss? (33:40)
• What's the best was to prepare for the heat? (36:15)
• What does heat adaptation involve? Steps. (37:25)
• Are there sex differences in adaptation duration? (44:45)
• How do I time my heat adaptation plan? (47:55)
• How do you know you are getting hot enough during adaptation? (1:04:21)
• Are all forms of heat exposure the same (hot vs hot and humid)? (52:35)
• How does heat adaptation impact your thirst mechanisms? (1:08)

Remember, a LOT of your competitors will NOT undergo a heat adaptation protocol, so by doing so, you may really surprise yourself on race day! You'll be FLOORED when you hear the percentage of athletes who didn't heat adapt for the 2019 Qatar World Cycling Championships. Shocking!

Remember, you can't make up for all of the ramifications of the heat with a cold water bottle, you really need to invest the time and do the work. That's what it takes to beat the heat.

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Stay tuned for some interesting episodes on inflammation and training technology. See you in the pod!