Heat Training for Runners — Train Smart
Heat training improves cooling capacity—separate it from speed, avoid hero sessions, and use it as a smart tool.
Key takeaways
- Alright, let’s talk about heat training.
- When we run, our body produces energy — we burn carbs and fat, and as a by-product, we create heat.
- If that heat can’t be released efficiently, our body basically starts protecting itself — it shuts down performance to avoid overheating.
- So, heat training is about teaching your body to cool itself better.
- That’s important: heat training isn’t about building strength or improving form.
Article
Alright, let’s talk about heat training. First, we need to understand what it actually is.
When we run, our body produces energy — we burn carbs and fat, and as a by-product, we create heat. If that heat can’t be released efficiently, our body basically starts protecting itself — it shuts down performance to avoid overheating.
So, heat training is about teaching your body to cool itself better. It’s a functional adaptation — the body learns to circulate blood more effectively, increase plasma volume, and improve how it handles temperature.
You can trigger this adaptation simply by training in hot conditions, or by creating environments where your cooling system is challenged. It’s similar to altitude training — we train function, not muscles.
That’s important: heat training isn’t about building strength or improving form. It’s about your cardiovascular system, heart, and buffer capacity.
Now, it’s critical to separate heat training from speed work. If you mix them, you get the worst of both worlds. In the heat, you just can’t hit the same paces — the body limits you. That means your muscles don’t get the right mechanical or neuromuscular stimulus.
So, don’t try to do fast sessions in the heat — you’ll just turn quality work into survival mode. Same as with altitude: you live high, but train low. With heat — you train functionally in hot weather, and do your speed work in cooler conditions.
And about that survival mode thing — I know a lot of people, especially in the U.S., love to push hard. That “grind” culture is real. But science is clear: training to exhaustion doesn’t make you faster. It just shortens your running career and raises injury risk.
It’s actually better to undercook a little and come back tomorrow, than to “win” a workout and lose the week. Consistency beats hero sessions.
Still, I get it — many runners enjoy that struggle. And that’s fine. Just understand the consequences and know why you’re doing it. Nothing comes for free — effort has a cost.
And yeah, I love the saying:
“There are no medals for suffering in training.”
We race to win on race day — not on Strava. So, train smart. Respect the process. Enjoy it.
Heat isn’t an excuse to skip running — it’s a chance to train smarter. Use it wisely, and it’ll make you stronger.