Abstract
Objective
We examined the impact of simulated Tokyo 2020 environmental condition on exercise performance, thermoregulatory responses and thermal perception among Dutch elite athletes.
Methods
105 elite athletes from different sport disciplines performed two exercise tests in simulated control (15.9 ± 1.2 °C, relative humidity (RH) 55 ± 6%) and Tokyo (31.6 ± 1.0 °C, RH 74 ± 5%) environmental conditions. Exercise tests consisted of a 20-min warm-up (70% HRmax), followed by an incremental phase until volitional exhaustion (5% workload increase every 3 min). Gastrointestinal temperature (Tgi), heart rate, exercise performance and thermal perception were measured.
Results
Time to exhaustion was 16 ± 8 min shorter in the Tokyo versus the control condition (− 26 ± 11%, whereas peak power output decreased with 0.5 ± 0.3 W/kg (16 ± 7%). Greater exercise-induced increases in Tgi (1.8 ± 0.6 °C vs. 1.5 ± 0.5 °C, p
Description
The study investigates how heat affects elite athletes' performance and thermoregulation.