Heat Training for Runners Over 40 | Sports Scientist

Most runners think about training in terms of mileage, intervals, and long runs. Very few think about heat as a performance tool. But heat training could be one of the most accessible and evidence-based performance levers available to any recreational runner — and it requires no extra miles, no gym membership, and no expensive equipment.In this episode Dr. Daniel Snape — sports scientist, environmental physiologist, and the researcher behind the heat and altitude programs for 2025 UTMB winners Tom Evans and Ruth Croft — breaks down exactly how heat training works, what it does to your body, and how any runner over 40 can use it to run faster at a lower heart rate without adding more mileage or intensity to their week. Whether you have access to a sauna, a hot bath, or just a treadmill and some extra layers, this episode will change how you think about what counts as training. Customised heat and hypoxic training programs by Dr. Daniel Snape and his team at Leeds Beckett University Health and Performance Hub: https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/carnegie-school-of-sport/health-and-performance-hub/ 0:00 Run faster at the same heart rate 4:00 Heat training vs heat acclimatisation 8:10 What temperatures are we actually targeting 9:51 Plasma volume — what it is and what heat training does to it 11:14 Hematocrit and red blood cells explained 13:44 Does heat training affect the heart 15:01 What training zone are you actually in during a heat session 16:32 How heat training changes your sweat response 18:54 Core temperature and performance range 20:07 VO2 max — how much does heat training actually increase it 22:19 EPO — how heat training naturally upregulates it 24:51 Are older athletes more vulnerable to heat stress 26:29 How to measure core temperature safely 44:39 Passive protocols — saunas and hot baths5 2:42 Active heat training — intensity and pacing 54:42 The ideal heat training block for a goal race 59:01 How long do the adaptations last 1:00:47 Maintenance dose to keep adaptations 1:01:19 The one thing any runner can do at home 1:02:31 When heat training is not worth it