Its Gettin’ Hot In Here (Adjust Your Workouts For The Warmer Weather)
It looks like we’re finally done with the cold weather and with lockdown restrictions easing up we may finally be able to workout somewhere other than our homes. However we have to take into consideration how this warmer weather will impact our workouts. Please don’t forget to abide by your city or region’s COVID-19 safety measures. In this article we’ll go over a few guidelines on how you can exercise safely during the warmer weather.
Changing The Time Of Your Workouts
The hottest hours of the day will be when the sun is around its peak; typically between 11am and 3pm. Schedule your workouts around these hours, aiming for either early in the morning or late in the evening. If you can’t reschedule your workouts, don’t worry, by following the other tips and giving your body some time to adapt to the warmer weather you too can exercise safely and productively over the summer.
Don’t Neglect A Proper Warm Up
You might be thinking “Why would I need a warm up when I’m already hot?”. We need to understand the purpose of the Warm Up, the phrase really does a disservice to why we do one in the first place. Yes, we’re trying to increase your body temperature, but that’s only part of the warm up process. A proper warm up prepares your brain and nervous system, muscles (including the heart), and joints for the work ahead. You can shorten the aerobic portion a bit, but don’t remove it and still perform your mobility and muscle activation portions.
Expect More Fatigue & Adjust Your Program Accordingly
You may find yourself fatiguing earlier, that’s normal, especially early in the season as your body gets used to the higher temperatures. Adjust your program to account for it by allowing for more rest time between sets, reduce or remove accessory work or temporarily reduce your overall workload to allow yourself to adjust to the heat. You can then work back to your original program. Don’t be afraid to make some adjustments on the fly, you’re not married to your program. If your workout is getting significantly taxing, you’re getting headaches, blurry vision, skin is turning very red, don’t be afraid to call it a day; there’s no need to feel discouraged by it. You can even switch up your higher intensity workouts for more moderate-lower intensity workouts temporarily. Once you’re accustomed to the heat, you may even find that you’re feeling stronger or more energetic, take advantage of that.
Stay Ahead Of Thirst
You’re going to be sweating more (heck I’m sweating buckets writing this in my backyard!) You need to get ahead of your body’s thirst response, anticipate it. Stay well hydrated before, during, and after your workout so that it has as little effect on your performance both in and out of the workout. If you’re a heavy sweater you may want to consider a drink with electrolytes as you’ll be sweating out plenty of these minerals over the course of the day (check out this article by the Cleveland Clinic on the topic) You can even make these at home to better control the amount of sugar and additional ingredients used.
Don’t let the heat become a barrier to exercise. Adjust your workout time, warm up properly, listen to your body; expect more fatigue and don’t be afraid to make adjustments on the fly and get ahead of dehydration. Follow these guidelines and you’ll be welcoming the additional heat and sunlight into your workouts. Remember it’s within your control to affect how you feel and how you perform.
