Hi everyone,
I recently started integrating heat training into my routine. For those unfamiliar: Heat training involves exercising in elevated temperatures (e.g., indoors without a fan or outdoors in the heat) to trigger adaptations such as improved sweating efficiency, increased plasma volume, and better heat tolerance. This can be beneficial not only for hot races but also for overall endurance performance.
I’m wondering how to best combine heat training with Xert:
Should these sessions focus more on low-intensity workouts, since the heat itself adds stress?
How does heat affect XSS/XEP/TP calculations in Xert?
Should heat training be considered a “hidden load” (e.g., by lowering target power), or treated as a full workout?
Are there any official recommendations from Xert or useful experiences from the community?
As I understand it, it makes the most sense to do this during low-intensity (endurance) sessions. Alternatively, you can do a high-intensity workout followed by some low-intensity work at the end. In that case, the heat exposure would be part of the low-intensity segment.
I’ve also started integrating heat training into my program. I’m not entirely sure if it’s the right approach, but for these more endurance-focused sessions, I’ve been removing power data from the FIT file before uploading it to Xert. This way, Xert calculates the XSS value based on my elevated heart rate rather than the (lower) power I’m producing, which better reflects the increased strain and stress caused by the heat.
I don’t have a Core sensor or anything, so I basically aim to ride the session at a constant heart rate (high Zone 2/low Zone 3) adjusting power as needed - the Trainerday app is great for doing this automagically. I then just record the session on my watch which isn’t linked to my trainers power meter.
Would be good to hear how other folk are handling it too.