A special sponsored bonus episode for you diving into a topic that’s become one of the biggest trends in endurance sports over the last few years: heat training. Olympian and CORE-supported athlete Clayton Young joins to share what it is, why it works, and how to do it safely at every level.
Discussed in this episode:
– Why heat training has gone mainstream in running: Running follows cycling, and the data has finally caught up to what some athletes like Clayton were already doing as far back as 2019.
– Heat training isn’t just for hot races: The cardiovascular adaptations — increased plasma, blood volume, red blood cell production, VO2 max, recovery — translate to cool races just as effectively.
– Clayton’s heat training origin story: NCAA 10K in Austin, 2019 — hot, humid, and Clayton was the only guy in the field who didn’t grab a water cup at a single aid station. He’d been implementing sauna sessions based on his own reading of the literature.
– The near-blackout story: Ten days before that same national championship, Clayton pushed too far in the sauna, blacked out twice in the hallway and it only got scarier from there.
– The Core body temperature sensor: Provides real-time zone tracking (Zone 1-2 = safe, Zone 3 = target for heat adaptation, above Zone 3 = stop). Takes the guesswork out of a discipline that was previously measured with nothing more than a watch and willpower.
– Heat adaptation score: Ranges from 0-100%. You gain benefits quickly and lose them slower than you think. Even one to two sessions per week during peak training blocks can maintain most of the adaptation.
– How Clayton structures heat training into his week: Key workouts are done as cool as possible — that’s the time to get fit, not to heat adapt, per USOC researcher Randy Wilbur’s framework.
– For everyday runners: Start with 15 minutes every other day and build from there just like mileage. Adjust your paces for heat and humidity the same way you would for altitude.
– Safety guidelines
– Special offer: If you’re interested in trying the CORE 2 Body Temperature Sensor yourself, CITIUS MAG podcast listeners can get 10% off with the code CITIUS10 at corebodytemp.com.
