Wet bulb temperature can tell you that it’s too hot to exercise outside

Working in summer can only be unpleasant, or it can be dangerous, depending on the day – and a good way to explain what it is. In this summer, I checked the temperature of the wet bulb before almost every run. This number is more important to me than the actual temperature, or even “feels like temperatures”, as it helps me to reduce the protection of outside exercise. If the wet bulb template is too high then I will delay or call a workout.

I always know that summer runs in summer, but this year I am experimenting with a core body temperature sensor about how my body responds to heat. (This is a good gadget – the same My review so far.) I was looking for warm temperatures in spring, it is better to customize my body for hot weather. But now it is mid-July, and even my hard-life summer optimization is not enough to keep me safe on the hottest, most moist days of the summer wave.

To help you stay safe when exercising during the hottest part of the year, let me explain what the temperature of the wet bulb means, and when you should try that outdoor workout, what numbers to see to see.

This is summer And Humidity

When it is hot, you can often exercise safely, and training in summer forces your body to be favorable. Nevertheless, our body has limitations. There are really temperatures and conditions that make exercise for a very long time dangerous. Most importantly, it’s not Now! About the temperature. Humidity also matters. A warm and dry day is much easier for your body to handle a warm and humid day.

I will explain below that the combination of heat and humidity to explain how to use wet bulb globe temperature that conditions to workouts are dangerous. But to give some examples, if you are trying to avoid the temperature of the wet bulb above 82 (a general recommendation), then these landscapes will be “very hot” for all long or intense runs:

• 80 degree 70% will be very hot at humidity

• 90 degree 30% will be very hot on humidity

• 100 degree 10% will be very hot on humidity

If you are used for heat, you may stand to work at high temperatures, as we will see. But let’s first see what the “wet bulb” temperature means.

How to use wet bulb globe temperature

Instead of checking the temperature forecast for the day, it is the best way to find out how heat will affect your body, watching weight bulb globe temperature, or a metric called WBGT. The weight bulb globe temperature comes from the idea that if you wrap an old -fashioned thermometer bulb in a wet cloth, the thermometer will then give a reading that tells you how cold the air can make you. (I am simplification; the actual process is more complex and Three thermometers include,

This is important because one of our body’s main cooling mechanisms cannot work well when humidity is very high. Sweating roots us by evaporating with our skin, but humidity intervenes with evaporation. WBGT measures how well evaporation can cool a wet surface in addition to considering temperature.

Fortunately, you do not require thermometer and wet clothes to calculate the temperature of the wet bulb: you can approximate it by looking at the temperature and humidity on a chart, or what I do, and using the carrot season app to look into an forecast. Weatherfax (iPhone, Android) There is another app that reports directly wet bulbs.

With carrots, I can see WBGT per hour per day. Interestingly, it is often more humid during the cooler parts of the day, so the wet bulb tempo does not always change much from morning to afternoon. I will still opt for the evening run when I can, because the sun is often on the horizon and does not directly go down on me. But I can use the temperature of the wet bulb of the day to decide if I need to shorten a run or perhaps leave it completely.

Two different ways to see the temperature of the wet bulb in the carrot weather app.
Credit: Beth Squareki/Carrot season

How to adjust your training based on wet bulb temperature

Now that you have WBGT, you need to decide what to do about it. We have football one Map It divides the country into three regions, with separate cutoffs to cancel practice in different regions. (If you live in Texas, they believe that if you live in Minnesota you can deal with a little more heat.) Similarly, here are here. Guidelines for road race organizers (Like marathon). If the WBGT is more than 82 degrees, the race should be canceled. Above 73, “extreme caution and slow pace” is strongly recommended.

To guess what can be seen, a WBGT of 82 degrees can be with 90% humidity in 75-degree season, 84-degree weather with 50% humidity, or 100-degree weather with 10% humidity.

If you do not use for heat

For a general set of recommendations, What does American College of Sports Medicine recommend here For those who have not been acted to work in summer:

• If WBGT is above 65 degrees FahrenheitTake extra rest and pay attention to your hydration.

• If WBGT is above 72Take extra rest and limit the duration of your exercise.

• If WBGT is above 78Extra rest, limit the duration, and tone down to the intensity (for example, do not try to run fast.)

• If WBGT is above 82You should rest as much as you are working, all of the above and keep a sharp eye for signs of heat disease, as the risk here is high.

• If WBGT is above 86Pack it and go home.

If you are already heat-noted

For those who are acclimatized for heat, which means that they have been exercising safely in summer for at least several weeks, safety guidelines can be a little relaxed because your body has learned how to cool down a little better. In those cases, the cutoffs look like this:

• If WBGT is above 72You can still exercise as normal, but pay extra attention to your hydration.

• If WBGT is above 82“Plan acute or prolonged exercise with discretion” and keep an eye on signs of heat disease in high risk people.

• If WBGT is above 86Limit acute exercise and limit your risk to warm weather. See out for signs of heat disease.

• If WBGT is above 90Risk is also very good for great athletes.

How much wet bulb temps affect my real -world workouts

Personally, I see anything between 62 and 72 “is useless, but it’s summer.” Most of my outdoor run occur in these conditions. When it is above 72, I start paying extra attention to my precautions. I will avoid directly sunshine (shady trails or an evening race), and I will be sure to pack lots of water. For me this means that for a one -hour race to carry at least half a liter (16 ounces) in my hydration belt. If I drive on my running route, I also sure that when I come back thirsty, my car has a lot of water.

When the wet bulb occurs in the mid-70s, I do the above, but even more: If it is a long race, I am planning to return to my car or home after the first 3-5 miles so that I can take some rest in air conditioning. Yesterday I did two miles at a distance of 10 miles in a 5-mile stent, with a slight cold brake in the car in the middle. (I packed a sandwich to eat during the break, and I also applied sunscreen again before going out.

Importantly, I have seen how fast I am running is a major factor. The 72-Digry weight bulb is not an easy run in temps. But if I have some difficult plans, such as Tempo runs or a session with a lot of hard gaps, then I need to be ready to cut it if I am getting summer.

Till now I did not go out when the wet bulb temperature was 80 or more. In a few days it is killed in that high number, I was able to move my run to another day. A flexible program is a beautiful thing when it comes to summer training plans.

All these advice goes with general precautions to stay safe in summer. Bring additional fluids and electrolytes for your hydration brake, and be sure to find places in sheds or air conditioning to cool. (A kidi pool with a bag of ice is one of the suggestions in the American football guidelines.)

It is also important to know the signs and symptoms of heat tiredness and heatstroke, and what to do if you see them in yourself, or your team partner or workout large. Heatstroke is 911-level emergency, so seek help when needed.