How hot is too hot to train?

[mikes]

How hot is too hot to train? I have occasionally experience nausea and cramps training outdoors in hot weather. I try to stay well hydrated, but I have to wonder at what point is it a bad idea to engage in serious physical exertion?

[tenchijin2]

It's too hot when you think it's too hot! If you get symptoms like nausea, dehydration, or throbbing headache, take a rest!

aric keith

[fifthchamber]

Hi all.
Training in severe heat is not a major problem. AS LONG AS YOU PREPARE before actually training...This is vital. You need to be aware that you need FAR more water than you think you should drink...Since you can't really overdose on it just keep on drinking..This cuts down the risks of cramps and dehydration considerably.
The water you drink will reduce the risks of dehydration and should stop any nausea from lack of water..However, if you train outdoors you should also be more aware of sunstroke, this combined with dehydration will leave you in no state to move, let alone train.
If at all possible avoid it...If not then water is a major part of the routine...As long as you are hydrated it will be harder to cause any damage through heat...And warmups are a little easier also I guess!
HTH.
Abayo

[meat]

What sort of temperatures are you talking? My definition of too hot is probably way different than yours. I live in Sydney Australia, so during summer its not uncommon to train at temperatures of 35+ Degrees (celcius). Someone living in a middle eastern country will probably have a higher tolerance, whilst someone living in Canada or England will have a lower tolerance. But as the other guys said, its too hot when u think its too hot. Drink plenty of water and dont push too hard

[Joseph Svinth]

It's rare, but actually, you can drink too much water. Thus, the US Army is currently recommending no more than 1 liter of water per half hour during hot weather physical training.

The reason you can OD on the stuff is that your intestines can only process about 1.5 liters per hour. Anything more than that just bloats you.

That said, you can sweat 2+ liters per hour. Thus, even if you're drinking your 1.5 liters per hour, you can still go into a deficit. Consequently, you have to rest regularly, too, thus allowing your system to catch back up. At air temperatures ca. 90 F/30 C, assuming that you're acclimatized and taking it easy, then a good plan is to train moderately for about 30 minutes, then rest 30 minutes.

If you have to do hard physical labor (running, marching with packs, digging ditches, etc.), then restrict this training to early morning, when it is still cool.

For some charts showing how much water you should consume at various air temperatures and levels of exertion, see http://216.239.39.100/search?q=cache:a_gobp93iAIC:safety.army.mil/pages/media/pubs/cm/cmjuly99.pdf+army+hydration+liters+hour&hl=en&start=19&ie=UTF-8 .

An additional question. Do you drink beverages containing caffeine or alcohol? If so, then you may be reducing your body's ability to process fluid by as much as 2/3s. Fruit juice is okay, but it contains a lot of sugar (e.g., calories). Thus you want water, not soda pop, coffee, etc.

Something to try is adding a touch of lemon or lime juice to your water, and freezing your water bottles the night before, thus keeping them chilled throughout training.

For detailed discussions, see:

* http://216.239.39.100/search?q=cache:h2_5pBcA-oIC:www.bragg.army.mil/www-44md/PM/HEAT%2520INJURY.doc+army+hydration+liters+hour&hl=en&start=11&ie=UTF-8

* http://216.239.39.100/search?q=cache:vDFHPcFT-rgC:amsa.army.mil/1Msmr/1997/v03_n06_Article2.htm+army+hydration+liters+hour&hl=en&start=2&ie=UTF-8

* http://www.nap.edu/books/NI000136/html/37.html

[mikes]

Thanks for the suggestions.

FYI, by hot I mean around 85-95F, I think thats around 30-35C but I can't remember the formula. Humidity around 65%-99%.

I can vouch for the too much water bit, especially while doing ukemi. I do drink coffee in the morning and often beer in the evening. I could see giving up beer.. but coffee would be a problem ;)

[Qasim]

There also is a condition called "Water Intoxication" that can range from stupor to coma. I was reading about it either Wednesday or Thursday. It turns out you can OD on water.

What happens is you drink too much water and you end up diluting/depleting the sodium in your blood. Which in turn causes the headaches and nausea also.

Of course the levels are not the same for everyone. Larger people are less effected by it, etc. I'll be hitting the Gatorade after training, get those electrolytes and sodium replenished and then drink a normal amount of water the other times.

[red_fists]

Michael.

Those temps are pretty much what we got right now in Toyko.

The place where I train is a School Gym Hall with the Doors open.
Most of use go through about 500ml of Drink per 2 hr training.
Need to ask the Table Tennis Guys how much they use,
Drinks range from Water/Tea up to Isotonic Drinks.

And we are pretty much soaked by the time we finish.
Granted we are not as high intensity as other MA styles.

Apart from that pretty much what everybody else said.

Cheers.