Heat Training vs. Altitude Training

[Listen to an audio version of this blog here.]

A few years ago, a friend invited me to a hot yoga studio. They were running a special: $20 for a 10 class intro package. I said, “sure,” and plopped my happy little naive booty into a studio heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, 40% humidity. I had done yoga before, but never consistently and never in a hot room. I loved it and hated it. I struggled and sweat. I vowed to never go back, then promptly used all 10 classes and bought more. All winter, I went to hot yoga twice a week, gradually getting better at each pose and not really thinking about whether or not it was good for me. Because I’m an avid runner, the yoga helped keep my muscles loose and limber, or so I thought. That spring, I rain a trail marathon in Big Bear, CA, which sits around 7,000 feet. I was apprehensive about the elevation because it had always bothered me in the past but for some reason, this time around, I felt almost nothing. No familiar chest constriction. No gasping for air, even when running up steep inclines. I was pleasantly surprised, but also confused. The only thing I had changed in my training was the hot yoga, and it seemed to really help.

Everyone knows that a lot of serious (and not so serious) athletes train at altitude (usually 7,000–8,000 feet above sea level) to improve oxygen efficiency. Less oxygen availability means a…