The heat can make your usual workout a lot more difficult. It also puts you at risk of heatstroke if you’re not careful. If you want to get your sweat on when it’s burning up outside, adjusting your intervals can make it a little easier and safer.
Photo by Luisen Rodrigo.
If possible, Brad Stulberg at Outside suggests you do your workout when it’s cooler out and sunlight isn’t as prominent. But sometimes you can only sneak a run in at lunch, so Stulberg recommends adjusting your work-rest cycles, or implementing some if you don’t have any to begin with. For example, if you do two 20-minute intervals with a five minute rest in between, switch it up to four 10-minute intervals with eight minute rests in between. If you normally go for a half hour run, consider changing it to two 15 minute runs with a 10-minute rest period in between. Get in the shade and give yourself some time to cool down.
And don’t worry about not getting a good workout because of the rest periods. The heat is making your body work harder than normal, so you’re still doing plenty. This is especially helpful if you’re trying to adapt your body to the heat of the summer, or you just moved to a warmer location. It takes time to build up your heat resistance, so don’t push yourself too hard.
Your Body In Extreme Heat [Outside Online]
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