Jul 29, 2015Heat Acclimization Tips
With summer workouts now in full swing, this article from Training & Conditioning looks at heat acclimization tips to keep your athletes safe. The article is part of T&C’s “Digital Guide to Heat Stress Prevention,” an interactive tool containing important information about heat stress illnesses, risks and prevention, along with product solutions from leading heat stress prevention companies. It’s a great resource to share with coaches, players, and parents.
Heat Acclimatization:
Physiological adaptations that occur over a 10-14 day period of repeated exposures to exercise heat stress. This will reduce the cardiovascular and thermal strain, as well as improve exercise tolerance.
Adaptations include:
- Decreased heart rate
- Decrease rectal temperature
- Decrease in rating of perceived exertion
- Increased plasma volume
- Increased sweat rate
Pre season heat acclimation guidelines outlines preseason practice for football, but can also be used for other sports, such as lacrosse, soccer, and baseball. These guidelines include a progression of equipment, number of practices per day and a progression for contact practices. This guideline allows athletes to physiologically adapt to exercise in the heat, which will reduce the risk of EHI and improve exercise performance.
Click the icon below to o view the complete interactive “Guide to Heat Illness Prevention.”
