Temperature And How It Affects Our Training
In the world of fitness training, anyone can tell you that temperature plays a vital part in just how effective a session of training is. Anyone that takes their training seriously will always warm up before a workout, and while there have been some misconceptions surrounding this pre-workout warm up, there is actually a fair amount of biological science behind it. This extends to cooling down after a workout, and the two should be utilized together to get the most out of a session.
Whenever we want to start a new training regime, one of the first aspects we need to consider is temperature, and how we want to best make use of temperature to improve our workout. Both hot and cold training are popular options in the gym and on the field, and each has its own pros and cons, and it’s really up to the athlete to decide which works better for their body.
Temperature research has come a long way, and we have a much better understanding of how the human body reacts to both to ambient and artificially induced temperature.
Training Above 25 Degrees Celsius
Scientists generally agree that our muscles are much more efficient once they’ve been warmed up. Even those this is the case; it also means that our muscles cannot maintain sustainability under warmer temperature, meaning less session time. Warmth also affects how our blood vessels work, and above 25 degrees, our blood vessels tend to dilate.
This means better blood flow around the body, and a better workout all around. Anyone with an interest in sports betting NZ will have noticed that players always warm up before a game, generally to avoid muscle cramping.
Some research has suggested that exercising our muscles under higher temperatures increases their overall endurance, and many theorise it’s because our body’s need to work harder to maintain our core temperatures, meaning that our muscles are working harder to keep blood flowing effectively.
Training Below 12 Degrees Celsius
It’s a proven fact that one of the best ways to lose weight is to train in the cold. This is especially useful for those wanting to lose fat, as the body expends more calories to keep the body warm in colder temperatures, and many of these calories are taken from our fat stores.
Colder temperatures also mean less sweat, and for the most part, sweating is a hindrance for those trying to keep in shape. Sweating makes us lose vital salts necessary to keep our muscles working properly, and as we sweat, our muscles lose energy. Training in a cold climate can negate this, and keep us more hydrated.
The body also tends to make better use of oxygen at colder temperatures, and it’s been proven that athletes can run up to 30% faster in the cold than in a warmer climate. Of course, one of the biggest downsides to cold training is the higher chance of our muscles cramping due to them being more tense.
There is merit for both warm and cold training, and finding the one that best suits your workout regime is an important step toward staying healthy and strong.