Practical Implementation Strategies for Heat Acclimatization and Acclimation Programming to Optimize Performance

Abstract

Repeated exercise heat exposures enhance exercise performance through a complex series of adaptations that are referred to as heat acclimatization (HAz), which occurs in an artificial environment, and heat acclimation (HA), which occurs in a natural environment. Special considerations are needed to induce adaptations and verify HAz and HA status. To ensure the effectiveness of each session, sufficient duration of exercise-induced hyperthermia is required. To this end, environmental conditions and exercise frequency, intensity, time, type, volume, and progression can be adjusted to achieve optimal adaptations. Furthermore, adaptations are typically lost within 1 week to 1 month following the cessation of exercise heat exposure and maintenance of adaptations is an important factor. Additionally, selecting the appropriate testing procedure is critical to ensure an athlete's HAz and HA status. The purpose of the current study was to provide various HAz and HA frameworks based on different sports so clinicians can implement HAz and HA to optimize performance. [Athletic Training & Sports Health Care. 2021;13(4):e238–e246.]