Feeling The Heat? Give Water Training A Try.

Scorching would not best define the dry heat in Sydney yesterday. Like a convection oven on hyper drive. Knowing that you have options in extreme conditions can be a godsend. Not many teams utilise water, except perhaps professional clubs. In Australia, soccer clubs still have the tendency to take on the summer heat for pre-season training instead of utilising one of the best options in extreme heat…the water. Why is water training so beneficial to any athlete? First we have to look to the physiological responses of training in extreme heat.

• When exercise intensity increases, blood is redirected in the body to areas of greatest need, the skin and working muscles.

• In very heavy exercise, the increased muscular demand for oxygen may lead to a decrease in blood flow to the skin which can increase the body’s core temperature.

• Your hearts stroke volume is decreased during exercise in the heat which leads to a great amount of fluid loss. the greater the fluid loss the greater the increase in heart rate, the harder it is for you to keep up maximum performance

• Maximum cardiac output and maximal aerobic capacity is decreased in hot conditions which leads to a decrease in performance. (Above Sources: Richmond, W. Nutrition & Weight Management, 2001)

Losing water through evaporation can also lead to big decreases in performance. Your body can lose large amounts of sweat which means a reduction of electrolytes and body fluids which can lead to several symptoms such as severe thirst, nausea, decreased mental functioning and decreased motor performance. This is where water training can be really cool…no pun intended. Water training can help keep the body cool during the haze of the summer heat. It can also help increase strength from resistance training. Water training is also a great way of getting the body in shape after overcoming a debilitating injury. What are some exercises you can do in the pool or at the beach for maximum strength and minimal exhaustion from the heat? Here is a few tips:

• Deep Water Interval Running: Get waist high in the water at the pool or beach and do some quick sprints for 10 seconds followed by 10 seconds of slow jogging. Repeat 5 times and work your way up in time each week.

• Weighted Water Running: Want to up the ante? Push your body to the limit with some weighted water running for extra burn and a huge cardio hit.

There are obviously tonnes of other exercises to utilise and you can even join in on some classes at your local pool or gym. The beauty of water training is that you can diversify your current program and get those muscles working under different conditions to continually maximise your training intensity. Water training is also fantastic in keeping your body cool from the summer scorch.