Research
Mixed
Heat acclimatisation (repeated exercise-heat exposures over 1–2 weeks) is the most important intervention to reduce physiological strain and optimise aerobic performance in hot ambient conditions.
If you are competing in the heat, you must spend 1-2 weeks training in the heat before the event. Do this daily. If you can't travel, use a sauna suit or hot room to simulate the heat. This is more important than any other strategy for performance.
StrongSupportsHIGH confidence
The most important intervention one can adopt to reduce physiological strain and optimise performance is to heat acclimatise. Heat acclimatisation should comprise repeated exercise-heat exposures over 1–2 weeks.
Why this rating
This is a consensus statement from a panel of experts reviewing extensive literature.
Source
Consensus recommendations on training and competing in the heat
Sébastien Racinais et al. · British Journal of Sports Medicine · 2015
DOI 10.1136/bjsports-2015-094915
clinical_guidelineCited 330×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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