German Champion Lisa Brennauer and Performance Coach Daniel Healey Talk Heat Acclimation

Hot on the heels of the stunning double-victory in the German road race and time trial titles, Lisa Brennauer gets to wear the black, red and gold stripes again and is a dominant force in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics. While Brennauer is no stranger to racing success, the standard of competition continues to evolve and means she has to remain on the cutting-edge.

Performance coach, Daniel Healey outlines one of the focal points in her training, "a critical factor in Lisa's success at the 2021 German Road Nationals was handling the heat. These results are confirmation that one aspect of our preparation for Tokyo 2021 is going as planned: heat acclimation".

While all athletes competing in the Tokyo Olympics have been encouraged by the IOC to prepare and train for the expected hot racing conditions, the restricted travel conditions have made it harder for many athletes to undertake heat acclimation in hot locations ahead of their major races. This has fuelled the demand for training options that can still enable them to reach their targets.

“Core Body temp gives me a tool to really monitor what’s going on inside my body during training or racing in terms of body temperature," says Lisa Brennauer. "I’ve used it to prepare for racing in hot environments and to find the perfect cooling strategy for me especially for the warm-up before a time trial. It’s great to be able to keep track of progress on how to beat the heat.”

Brennauer has been spotted on German television undertaking heat training in saunas and using the ice-cooling vests ahead of her races. While specific details for her training and racing remain under wraps, Coach Daniel Healey brings in years of know-how in this field, in particular through his engagement with High Performance Sports New Zealand and Olympic and Commonwealth games preparation for athletes. His performance insights feature regularly in Rouleur Magazine where he contributes as a leading expert.

Healey closes by saying, "For many weeks leading into the 2021 German Road Nationals we have been looking at Lisa thermoregulation patterns during training and specific heat acclimation sessions. The CORE body temperature monitor has been an essential tool in this process. If you can't measure it then you can't fix it".

Photos: Lisa Brennauer © Arne Mill