training camp advice

elite-performance – performance guide – warm weather training

Acclimatisation and Performance Advice

Compiled from data and information obtained from Olympic Conditioning and Acclimatisation Camp

Cyprus 2003.

This guide has been prepared from current information available and is based upon the findings of the support staff of the BJA whilst at the Cyprus Conditioning and

Acclimatisation Camp 2003.


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PREPARING FOR - Warm Weather Training Issues to be addressed: Environmental Conditions Heat, Humidity, Air Pollution, etc. Heat Experience Acclimatisation Strategy Warm-up Routines Rehydration Strategies Lifestyle Issues Hot and humid conditions provide an opportunity for the athlete who is prepared.

They are only a problem for those who do not prepare. Environmental Conditions Information about weather conditions: http://www.weather.com or http://www.zunis.org You can learn about what to expect in Athens from these sites. By doing this,

you become self-sufficient and don’t have to rely on information from others. Dehydration and Performance Studies have shown that dehydration can affect all athletes’ performance.

So, if you think it will only affect endurance athletes, think again.

Exercise performance is dramatically reduced in hot environments.

Severe dehydration impairs brain function and decision-making.

Everyone in the squad will be affected by climatic conditions. Athletes will be affected if they start in a dehydrated condition, if they are not

used to the heat and have not prepared properly. They will need a rehydration strategy for between rounds, and they will need to look at their warm-up strategy and lifestyle issues.

This is different from what you do at home in training and competition, so you need to learn some new things.

COACHES WILL FACE THE SAME PROBLEMS!


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Summary

Performance is impaired in hot weather.

Performance is impaired by prior dehydration.

All events are likely to be affected to some degree: some people will be affected more than others.

The athlete who leaves nothing to chance will have an advantage over

anyone who is not well-prepared. Find out More Gatorade Sport Science Exchange: http://www.gssiweb.com and go to the

“Sport Science Centre”. http://sportsci.org - Sports Medicine Section an article on heat acclimatisation

by Larry Armstrong.


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ISSUES TO CONSIDER TIMESCALE

Heat Experience Years

Acclimatisation Days/Weeks/Months

Pre-Camp Events Weeks

Training Taper Days

Pre-Games Prep Camp Days Heat experience is about learning how you cope with the heat and devising a

strategy that will allow you to perform at your best. ~This takes time to learn what works best.

You need to know how you will be affected. Makes sure that your mistakes don’t

happen at a major event. Heat acclimatisation must take place in the days and weeks

before competition, as most of the physical changes are reversed rapidly if you return to a cool climate. Everyone reacts differently and each athlete must learn by experience how they respond to heat and how he/she needs to modify drinking habits, warm up routines, clothing to be worn, etc.

You should use every available opportunity to learn more about how your body

reacts to different conditions. Always remember that you are a unique individual. Learn from others, but learn only

what will help you. Why Acclimatise? Exercise performance is reduced when ambient temperature and humidity are

high. Repeated exercise in the heat results in adaptations that reduce the impact of

heat on exercise performance and reduce the risk of heat illness. Your opponents will be talented, motivated and highly trained. You can beat

them if you are better prepared.


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Acclimation and Acclimatisation Acclimatisation is the process of adaptation to a change in one specific

aspect of the environment. Acclimatisation involves adaptation to a new environment where several

different factors have changed. You don’t need to be in the heat all day, every day to acclimatise. By the end

of a European summer, you should be well acclimatised. Rehydration Experiment with different drinking schedules – as this is part of the heat

experience process. It should only be practiced in the heat! Try different drinks and different amounts. See what flavours and what

brands you like. Do you know what will be available in your area = Try using insulated drinks bottles to keep drinks cool. Be alert to other signs – tiredness, headache, and nausea. You might be

dehydrated. GET HOLD OF A URINE COLOUR CHART. IF YOUR URINE IS DARK,

YOU ARE NOT DRINKING ENOUGH.


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3 HEAT EXPERIENCE Heat experience is all about learning how you as an athlete and an individual

respond to hot weather. Others can help, but only YOU can develop the strategy that best meets your needs.

Examples of things you need to learn:

What 30°C feels like.

The best type of clothing.

Changes to your warm-up routine.

How much fluid you need.

What kind of drinks you like best.

Monitoring your body You can also use warm weather training and competitions to acquire various

bits and pieces of kit that will be useful: insulated water bottles, sunshades, good sunglasses, a water aerosol spray, etc.

DON’T JUST EXPECT THESE THINGS TO BE PROVIDED FOR YOU.


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Think

Don’t wait until you get back home before starting the process of Analysis.

Make sure that you know the temperature and humidity when you are training.

Think about the conditions and about how you feel when it’s cool/hot etc. What’s different?

Sunburn and Sunscreen At training camps, it is often tempting to spend time between training

sessions by sitting in the sun or sunbathing. Some degree of tanning of the skin can be beneficial in reducing the risk of sunburn.

However, even mild sunburn – just sufficient to cause redness of the skin –

can have negative effects that last for up to 10 days. A high factor sunscreen should be used when exposure is unavoidable and

time spent sunbathing should be severely restricted. Clothing Clothing should be chosen to protect the skin from direct sun but to promote

evaporation of sweat. It is important to choose clothes that are comfortable even when wet.

A hat is helpful in protecting the head from sun. Vulnerable areas like the

neck and shoulders should also be covered. Light coloured clothing improves temperature regulation: avoid dark colours

if possible. Personal hygiene is important. Bugs like to grow on sweaty kit. Wash your

kit frequently. Air Conditioning Some athletes are tempted to switch off air conditioning, thinking that the

extra heat exposure will help the acclimatisation process. This is not the case.

A cool bedroom will help you to sleep and to recover faster. If you have air

conditioning – use it. You should soon become accustomed to even the noisiest system.

Remember that Air Conditioning can also contribute to dehydration, sore

throats and congested noses. It is therefore important to adequately hydrate.


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Things that can be useful Sunglasses : get ones that are good rather than just looking good. That

means they must be both comfortable and effective. A parasol : Don’t assume there will be enough shade. Be self-sufficient. A fan : the sort that helps you keep cool. You can get good battery

operated ones; also ones with a water aerosol spray are available.

An Icebox : a small insulated container to hold a wet towel, drinks etc.

This can help you cool down between rounds. Spare Kit : because you may need to change kit between rounds if you

sweat heavily. Have some towels to dry your face and hands if necessary.

The better your preparations the more likely you are to compete well. Remember: Hot and humid conditions provide an opportunity for the athlete

who is prepared. They are only a problem for those who do not prepare.


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4 ACCLIMATISATION Acclimatisation is necessary for all hot weather competition. Some of your

opponents will have lived and trained all their lives in hot climates. You need to make sure that you are as well prepared as they are.

Heat acclimatisation must take place in the days and weeks before competition.

Most of the physical changes are lost rapidly on returning to a cool climate. Serious heat problems in sport are most likely:

on hot days during summer. on warm days in early spring. in pre-season training after a day-off.

The body adapts to regular exposures to the heat and can cope with high

temperatures. Aerobically fit individuals cope much better with heat stress. Principles of Heat Acclimatisation

Endurance training counters some acclimatisation. You acclimate to a specific heat stress. You acclimate to the amount of heat strain. Some adaptation occurs within 24 hours, but the process continues over

weeks, months and perhaps even years. Exposure time of about 60-100 min/day seems to be optimum but shorter

durations are better than nothing. Exposure needn’t be everyday, but de-acclimatisation will occur if more

than about 3-4 days elapse between exposure. Choosing the right Conditions

Temperature should not be too high or exercise intensity and duration must be reduced.

Humidity should match that expected at the destination.

Acclimatisation sessions should be quite separate

from training sessions and athletes must appreciate the difference.

You don’t have the luxury of choosing the conditions at a warm weather

training venue.


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Acclimatisation and Fluid Needs One of the key adaptations to heat acclimatisation is an increased sweating

response. The body does not adapt to dehydration, so fluid intake must be increased as acclimatisation progresses. The acclimatised athlete who becomes dehydrated responds as if they were unacclimatised, so replacement of fluid losses by regular drinking is even more important.

It is not worth going warm weather training if you ignore the rehydration issue –

it’s a waste of time and money. REHYDRATION STRATEGIES It is a waste of time to acclimatise if you don’t drink enough. You should be prepared

to meet your fluid needs in training and competition. The difficulty is that fluid needs and replacement options vary greatly between

individuals and between events and also depend on environmental conditions and other factors. General guidelines may not be helpful and individual planning is essential.

Body Water Content The water content of the human body is usually about 60% of total body

mass, but it varies greatly between individuals. The water content of lean tissue is about 75%, but fat tissue contains only 10% water, so water content is determined primarily by body fat content.

Whatever your body water content, it must be kept very close to its normal

level to maintain performance. Body Water Distribution Plasma volume represents only about 4-5% of total body water, but

maintaining this volume is essential for circulatory function.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Total IntraCellular

ExtraCelullar

Inter Stilial Plasma

The volume of cells is important for the balance between anabolic and catabolic processes


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Daily Water Balance Normal water intake is influenced by many factors: Climate, activity, diet and social factors. About half of the daily intake is usually from food intake, with the remainder

from drinks. Much is related to habit rather than thirst. Increasing water intake to meet needs of intensive training requires a major behaviour change.

Because there is normally some delay in increasing intake to match increased

losses, some degree of dehydration is probably common and perhaps even normal.

Normal People Source of Water

(ml) Daily Water Losses

(ml) Food 1000 Urine 1300Liquids 1200 Faeces 100Metabolism 400 Skin 800 Lungs 400Total 2600 Total 2600

In hard exercise, water loss from the skin and the lungs is increased and this

is even more pronounced in the heat when sweat losses can be very high. Food intake will be higher in the athlete and more water will be available from

food oxidation, but this will not be nearly enough to match the increased water loss from the body. You may double your food intake, but sweat losses can increase by a factor of 10 in the heat.

Urine output will be decreased to conserve water but only a large increase in

liquid intake can restore fluid balance.

Athlete Source of Water

(ml) Daily Water Losses

(ml) Food 1500 Urine 500 Liquids 1200 Faeces 100 Metabolism 600 Skin

(during exercise)

6000

Lungs 800 Total 3300 Total 7400


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Heat Production in exercise The body is not efficient at converting foods and stored fuels into chemical

energy to power cell activities. Almost 80% of the available energy is lost as heat. This helps us stay warm in the cold, but causes problems in hot weather.

How much heat we produce depends mainly on body size and how hard we

are working. Big people produce more heat than small people. At rest the energy demand is low and heat production is about 60 watts for an

average sized person – equivalent to the energy output of a small electric light bulb.

In hot weather, we also gain heat from our surroundings. Mostly, we can

control our body temperature by wearing more or less clothing; only when it is very hot do we have problems.

During exercise, the energy output increases, depending on body size and

exercise intensity. Controlling Body Temperature Body temperature must be kept within narrow limits to ensure that tissues

function optimally. If temperature rises (or falls) too far, damage may result. During exercise, the body must lose heat at high rates. The main mechanism of heat loss from the body is by evaporation of sweat from the skin surface.

Water and Salt Losses in Athletes

Sweat loss normally exceeds fluid intake: some dehydration is almost inevitable.

Electrolyte composition of sweat is highly variable: main

electrolyte loss is sodium.

General guidelines are not helpful for individuals at the extremes of the normal range.


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FLUID LOSSES OF ATHLETES HUMAN SWEAT COMPOSITION

Sport

Environment

(0°C)

Sweat Loss (ml/L)

Sweat

Plasma

Inter

cellular Marathons 6-24 540-1520 Sodium 20-80 30-155 10Soccer 10 1000 Potassium 4-8 3.2-5.5 150 25 1200 Calcium 0-1 2.1-2.9 0Athletics 20-30 1600 Magnesium 0.2 0.7-1.5 15Avge (event dependant)

Chloride 20-60 96-110 8Rowing 10 1165 30 1980 Some people are salty sweaters? ARE YOU?


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Some Effects of Dehydration

Reduced exercise performance. Impaired thermoregulation

Reduced blood volume Increased heart rate

Increased perception of effort Headache, nausea, insomnia

Impaired mental function e.g. confusion Increased risk of illness

Performance Hypo hydrated subjects have a reduced exercise capacity. Exercise is

terminated at a lower core temperature. [Sawka et al (1992) JAP 73, 368-375] Extent of hypo hydration is correlated with the increase in rectal temperature,

increase in heart rate and decrease in cardiac output. Fluid provision is associated with lower core temperature and increased performance.

[Coyle and Montain (1992) MSSE 24, S324-330] Dehydration and Performance Prior dehydration of about 2% of body mass was shown to reduce

performance. [Armstrong et al MSSE (1985) 17, 456, 461] Remember that skill, judgement, alertness and other factors are also

reduced with dehydration. Issues in Fluid Replacement Pre exercise hydration: Ensuring full hydration prior to exercise Fluid ingestion during exercise Optimising composition Optimising timing and volume consumed Post exercise rehydration and recovery: Volume replacement Electrolyte replacement


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Summary Even small reductions in body water content impair performance. Water and salts are lost in sweat, but the compounds lost vary greatly

between individuals and in different conditions. Replacement of losses is vital to maintain performance. You are an individual: you need to know what will work best for you.


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Rehydration Strategies Starting exercise in a dehydrated state impairs performance, increases the

risk of heat illness and removes the benefits of heat acclimatisation. There have been suggestions that it may be beneficial to hyper hydrate prior

to exercise. Hyper hydration strategies have focussed on the use of saline and glycerol

solutions. Studies have also focussed on endurance events, but there may possibly be benefits in events of shorter duration.

The evidence is mixed, and there is no clear consensus!!!! Glycerol Hyper Hydration Ingestion of glycerol with water induces an expansion of the extra-cellular

space because of the elevated plasma osmolality. This temporary hyper hydration has not been shown to influence the

cardiovascular and thermoregulatory responses to exercise. Glycerol-induced hyper-hydration has not been shown unequivocally to

improve exercise performance and may have some negative effects, but commercial drinks containing glycerol are available. Some of the negative effects include severe headaches and intra-cellular dehydration. It should be pointed out that experimentation should be carried out with caution and certainly shouldn’t be carried out in competition.

Pre-Exercise Hydration Some athletes are tempted to restrict fluid intake before training or

competition because of concerns that they need to pass urine. A brief stop in training is not usually a problem and it gives the opportunities

to experiment with different drinking strategies both before and during exercise.

The kidneys generally shut down in response to exercise and stress. It is

extremely rare for there to be a need for a toilet stop during competition. Remember: It is vitally important to be fully hydrated when exercise

begins.


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Rehydration during Exercise Ingestion of fluid during prolonged exercise should:

Replace water losses in sweat Provide a source of energy Replace electrolyte losses

The balance of these different needs will depend on the event, the athlete and

the environment. Intestinal Water Uptake

Water is absorbed faster from a dilute glucose-electrolyte solution than from plain water. Concentrated (hypertonic) glucose solutions – like most energy drinks – cause net water secretion in the intestine, exacerbating any hypo hydration. Even coca-cola drinks cause a temporary dehydration because they are strongly hypertonic.

Water uptake (ml/cm/L) Water 2 Isotonic Drink 8 Energy Drink 4

What are Isotonic Drinks? In isotonic (iso = equal; tonic = strength) drinks, the concentration of sugars, salts

and other components is such that they balance those present in body fluids. There is no net movement of water when isotonic solutions are separated by a

membrane that allows water but not salts to pass through it. Hypotonic (Hypo = less) solutions contain solutes at a lower concentration than

those in body fluids. These drinks promote absorption of water if they contain sugar and salt.

Hypertonic (hyper = more) solutions contain solutes at a higher concentration than

those in body fluids. These drinks can cause temporary dehydration. Fluid replacement may be limited by: Gastric emptying Intestinal absorption BUT It is more likely to be limited by the volume of fluid consumed. Taste is important. Not every team member will like the same drinks, and not

everyone will like the same drink all the time. You have to find what suits you best.


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Drinking During Training Training provides many opportunities for athletes to practice drinking strategies, but

few take advantage of these opportunities. Athletes should experiment with: different types of flavours different amount of fluid varying drink temperature Athletes should use training as an opportunity to practise the

skill of drinking while exercising and to become accustomed to the sensation of exercising with fluid in the stomach.

How much should I drink? You can estimate sweat losses by weighing yourself before and after training. Each

Kg of weight loss means 1 litre of sweat loss. Try to get into the habit of doing this in training and see how your sweat losses vary

with different types of session and with different weather conditions. As a rough guide you should probably aim to limit the amount of weight loss in a

single session to about 1% of body weight. If your starting weight is: 52 Kg, don’t end up at less than 50,5 Kg 70 Kg, don’t end up at less than 69.3 Kg 90 Kg, don’t end up at less than 89.1 Kg What’s the best drink for me? Your needs are different from those of other athletes. You need to work out how much energy you need, how much salt you should be

replacing and how much you need to drink. This means getting help from the sports science and medicine team. Don’t forget that you should find a drink that you like the taste of.


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Summary Drinking is important in training and competition. Taking suitable drinks will improve performance and reduce fatigue. Drinks should contain some sugar and some salts. Sports drinks are a reasonable compromise, but elite athletes should look at their

own individual needs and drink accordingly. You may need more fluid and different drinks in hot weather. Practising drinking in-training is essential


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Urine Colour Chart

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Fig 1:0 athletes should be encouraged to monitor urine colour: darker colours indicate inadequate fluid intake. This method is just as reliable as more sophisticated measurements, such as osmolality or conductivity. Urinary Indices of Hydration Status. (1994). International Journal of Sports Nutrition. 4, 265-790.

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