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Sun’s out, gun’s out! We’re approaching that time of the year (in Britain) where that mystical ball of fire in the sky actually makes it’s annual 2 week appearance. Tops come off, vitamin D levels go up and the mood of the vast majority of the population goes through the roof. But what about your training? Does this warm weather have any effect on your sessions? 

The first thing we need to consider is that in Britain, the weather for want of a better word, is Shite. The climate is cold, the sky leaks for the vast majority of the year, and the sun only appears on a leap year. What this means is that for anybody who trains in this country, does so in this climate. 

As a result, your body becomes conditioned to training in such conditions. You become accustomed to wearing and training in certain gym gear, using certain warm up routines, and drinking certain amounts of fluids. So what happens when the temperature shoots up from 6 degrees to 26? 

Several years ago my wife and I paid a visit to Thailand. Whilst we were over there we dropped in at a number of the local gyms. Rather than trying to work of percentages, we just completed some moderate sessions using daily maxes and rate of perceived exertion. This turned out to be a good call, as not only could we not perform maximally, we couldn’t get anywhere near it. What we perceived as maximal, translated to almost 85-90% of our actual max from back home. Not only are you unable to push the same, you’re also having to deal with a slippy bar, sweat dripping off your nose, and if you’re anything like me, being a cranky motherf@£$er because you’re too hot. The owner of the gym obviously found this hilarious as apparently he watches every travelling gym goer have the same realisation. 

Now even though at first glance, training in the heat may look like a negative, there are some benefits that we can take advantage of. First things first, your warm up doesn’t take as long. Rather than having to wait 20 minutes for your knees to thaw out, you become physically warmer and ready to lift in a shorter space of time. This also means that you have less chance of cooling down between lifts and going cold. 

The main adavantage however is how the sun can positively effect your mood. If you come in to the gym in your shorts, flip flops and holding a frappuccino, you’re going to be feeling pretty damn good and ready to crush your session. This positivity can feed your mindset before you have even picked up the barbell. 

Even though it is different training in the heat, it is something that we all need to learn how to do. Just because the temperature isn’t quite how we like it, that’s not an excuse to not get your training done. As long as you’re aware that on certain days, you may not be able to push quite as hard because it’s hot, then use this knowledge to adapt your training. Up you fluid intake, potentially reduce your warm up time and increase your cool down time. 

So enjoy the sun, crush your training and then finish with an ice cold Beer, Fitaid or Nocco!

If you enjoyed this post, check out my next post “Technique or Strength, which is more important?“