How do you train in the heat?

[JusticeZero]

So i'm in this new city, where it's freaking hot and muggy - New Orleans. And I meet with some of the people in the group i'm switching to and we meet in the park in the shade. I'm hydrated, I bought bottles of cold water, i'm training and suddenly I realize - i'm.. really.. really hot..., and I feel dizzy...

So I end up sitting out through an exercize or two.

Other than light clothes and 'keep hydrated' is there any tips for dealing with this??

[ShotokanKid]

Have a look at this, it might be helpful:

http://www.usariem.army.mil/pages/download/heatacclimatizationguide.pdf

This is what I was given in preparation to go to Ft. Benning. (I haven't gone just yet)

[Ashley]

Have a look at this, it might be helpful:

http://www.usariem.army.mil/pages/download/heatacclimatizationguide.pdf

This is what I was given in preparation to go to Ft. Benning. (I haven't gone just yet)

Interesting guide. Did you try it? I trained in hot conditions for some time but I thought that I would never acclimitize...

[Jeffrey]

Have a look at this, it might be helpful:

http://www.usariem.army.mil/pages/download/heatacclimatizationguide.pdf

This is what I was given in preparation to go to Ft. Benning. (I haven't gone just yet)

This is really good. Do they have one for cold. Being in Northern Canada it is just a little different.

[sensei8]

Have a look at this, it might be helpful:

http://www.usariem.army.mil/pages/download/heatacclimatizationguide.pdf

This is what I was given in preparation to go to Ft. Benning. (I haven't gone just yet)

Yeah, that was some pretty good stuff.

I just hydrate and take it easy when the heat is winning the battle. Big factor imho...LISTEN TO WHAT YOUR BODY IS TELLING YOU ASAP!!

[JusticeZero]

For cold:

Cotton Kills! I can't say that enough. Cotton Kills! Remove it from your wardrobe. Wear synthetics or wool instead.

Do NOT go out and get a heavy duty super cold weather coat. Repeat, do NOT go out and buy the SuperPolar -40 Arctic Coat.

Instead, get a lightweight wicking undershirt. Put it on. Now put on another shirt, maybe a t-shirt or a longsleeved polo or something. Now put on something else, maybe a light sweater. Now put on a light, windproof jacket. Get a hat, nothing too heavy. If (horrors of horrors) that isn't enough, add more shirts.

Get some ear covers too. Carry both, wear one. Do something similar with your pants - some sort of wicking tights or similar, then some pants, then if need be light snow pants. Get boots, big boots. Or big shoes, even. Put on a thick pair of socks and put the boots on. If one pair of socks and boots don't cut it, add more socks - but never to the point of making the boots feel tight. If the socks compress, their insulation ability goes DOWN.

If you're really somewhere cold, get a scarf, wrap it around your neck, put the ends in front of you and put the jacket on over it.

Now get mittens. Not gloves, mittens. If you can't feel your fingers touch each other all the way to the fingertips with the glove on, your ability to deal with the cold will drop by about forty or fifty degrees. If it's not all that cold, gloves are okay, but recognize the limits, and i'm describing a worst case prep setup.

You are now prepared to be outside and active in the middle of winter in Fairbanks, if need be.

Do not let yourself get HOT. Do not let yourself stay shiveringly cold either. If you feel chilled, ramp up your exertion. If you feel hot, ramp it down, or remove layers.

As an aside, recognize that if you are cold in this many layers, if you enter a hot place, the layers will protect you from getting warm, too.

Do not let yourself get exhausted. First aid question: Which is better to give someone with hypothermia - steaming hot tea, or an ice cold soda? Answer: The soda. Shivering is cardio exercize. If you run out of energy, you have problems.

I commuted seven miles each way by bicycle through a winter in southcentral Alaska. It's not at all hard to do, just make sure you are well lit up with safety flashers and reflectors, and have carbide studded tires. I had far better traction than any of the cars around.

I also went outside to do some training on a big frozen puddle in a parking lot a couple times. Which teaches you a lot about stance integrity and how your footwork functions, very quickly. More advisable for those who's art has at least some floor motion work, like Capoeira, because you WILL end up needing to go to the ground a few times during training, not necessarily very hard.

[Ashley]

This may sound strange but I prefer cold to heat. At least when it's cold, you can put something on. But when it's hot, you can do almost nothing...

[Jeffrey]

That is some pretty good advice JusticeZero. It took me a long time to get away from the cotton at first. I soon wised up. And yes mittens are a must.

[JusticeZero]

Just came back in from training. Did stuff like squats, fallbacks (don't know the term), au, kicks. When my head was throbbing and I started feeling stupid, I came back in to cool off. only 20 minutes? And no sun? Waah this is gonna take forever...

I should have my bike soon, then I can get some cardio while moving and getting a bit of a breeze at least.. but I don't know how much that counts for acclimation.

[bushido_man96]

I can't read that article right now. I guess I've worked out in hot and humid conditions for so long, I've never thought about having to acclimate to it. Keep your hydration level up by drinking more water throughout the day than you normally would; not just when training. Some elctrolyte replacements may help, too, but I usually just stick with water.