Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: cross adaptation, haemoglobin mass, heat stress, human/environmental and exercise physiology, hypoxia Heat acclimtion has long been used to improve athlete tolerance and performance ahead of competition in warm-hot environments.Typically conducted across 5-14 days, repeated heat exposures improve thermoregulation while attenuating cardiovascular and perceptual strain.In recent years, research has shifted attention towards longer-term heat acclimation interventions (≥5 weeks), which elicit additional physiological adaptations, most notably elevations in haemoglobin (Hb) mass that might contribute to improvements in maximal oxygen uptake ( VO 2 max ) after 5 weeks of exercise in the heat (Lundby et al., 2023).The concept of cross-adaptation, whereby adaptation to one environmental stressor (e.g., heat) induces beneficial physiological responses to another (e.g., hypoxia), has also garnered growing scientific interest.Previous research investigating crossadaptation has typically involved <10 heat exposures, demonstrating consistent reductions in physiological strain during submaximal exercise in hypoxia.In this issue of Experimental Physiology, Rodrigues et al. (2025) advance this work by using a substantially longer, 6-week postexercise hot-water immersion (HWI) intervention to evaluate its impact on exercise performance in acute hypoxic conditions (O 2 = 13%).The authors should be commended for extending the duration of intervention beyond previous studies, providing valuable insights into the temporal progression of cross-adaptive responses.Primary findings demonstrate enhanced maximal exercise performance in acute hypoxia, characterized by increased aerobic peak power and absolute VO 2 max .Notably, participants also exhibited elevated Hb concentrations and reduced physiological strain during steady-state
Source: Experimental Physiology
DOI: 10.1113/ep092883
Authors: Elliott J. Jenkins, Michael Stembridge
Institution: Cardiff Metropolitan University
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,940
OpenAlex ID: W4410906126