Victor Urquhart Smångs is on a quest to unlock peak human performance. At 33, the Swedish runner ventured into the competitive world of running with no previous experience. Thanks to his strong genetics and disciplined training, he rapidly improved, slashing his 10k time to an impressive 29:30 within just a couple of years of self-coaching. However, when his performance plateaued and even regressed, Victor knew it was time to take a more scientific approach.

Victor teamed up with his coach Mads Taersboel and began introducing heat training with the CORE Sensor into his regimen. Within weeks of starting the protocol, Victor has already measured significant physiological improvements, including increased blood plasma volume and hemoglobin mass.

He writes, "The protocol that I've used has been very day to day based. The aim was 5 x 60 min on the test bike weekly. During the first week I could see that that would be too demanding together with the running I needed to do every week. So it's mostly been 4 x 50 min on the test bike for me. But I've also found that 40 min on the treadmill with 2 layers of clothes together with 40 min, directly after on the test bike, with 4 layers of clothes works well. It's been a very individual approach where Daniele Cardinale has been helping me a lot with supervising me with small details."

Now, Victor is back on track and better than ever, setting his sights on an ambitious goal of 28:30 at the Valencia 10k in January. His progress is a testament to the power of smarter, data-driven training.

Heat training has emerged as a game-changer for athletes like Victor, who aim to push past performance plateaus. Research shows that heat training can boost VO2 max by 4–6% in sub-elite athletes, leading to an estimated 3–4% increase in running velocity. Get ahead of next season's competition this indoor training season by starting with our introductory 5-week heat training plan here.

Sources:

https://journals.lww.com/acsmmsse/abstract/9900/heat_suit_training_preserves_the_increased.601.aspx (2024)

Heat acclimation improves exercise performance - PMC (nih.gov) (2010)

Hematological, skeletal muscle fiber, and exercise performance adaptations to heat training in elite female and male cyclists

Five weeks of heat training increases haemoglobin mass in elite cyclists