CORE, maker of the non-invasive core body temperature monitor reportedly used by over 65% of the UCI WorldTour, has launched a new app update.
Core’s new Heat Adaptation Score shows athletes how their bodies are adapting to thermal stress in real-time, with a rating that compiles the results of the Heat Strain Index and Heat Zones launched by the brand recently.
According to the company, this new feature will enable all athletes to capitalize on the performance gains of heat training and adaptation.
CORE adds… ‘It is no surprise that the more an athlete is exposed to thermal stress, the more adapted he or she becomes. However, it has been challenging for athletes to track their heat adaptation progress without the involvement of a sports scientist or coach – until now.
‘CORE’s Heat Adaptation Score, a new feature available in the CORE mobile app, enables athletes to track their heat adaptation progress and see how much of their potential they have reached. This gives the athlete full control over their heat training and advancements made towards reaching their goals.
‘The score indicates how adapted you have become to the heat, using an evidence-based formula derived from extensive independent scientific research and refined in CORE’s lab in Zurich.’
The new metric, available to all users of the CORE body temperature sensor, will make tracking progress easier and provide indicators to optimize specific training protocols for improved heat adaptation.
CORE’s new Heat Adaptation Score is based on the level of heat strain accumulated during daily training sessions. This accumulated heat strain is measured by CORE’s Heat Training Load, which ranges from 0 to 10 each day.
The Heat Training Load is calculated based on how much time has been spent with an elevated Heat Strain Index (heat zones 2 & 3). On days with an adequate heat training load, heat adaptation scores will increase. The higher the load, the larger the heat adaptation benefits. A couple of days with no Heat Training Load will cause the Heat Adaptation Score to decline.
CORE has categorized heat adaptation into four distinct levels:
1. 0–24%: Thermal Rookie
2. 25–49%: Heat Accustomed
3. 50–89%: Heat Adapted
4. 90–100%: Heat Champion
This new update from CORE comes while concerns are rising over the predicted adverse effects of heat at the Tour de France and Paris Olympic Games this summer.
CORE Physiologist, Puck Alkemade PhD has been intrinsic in the development of the Heat Adaptation Score. She said “Most athletes do not have a team of sports scientists on staff. So, we want to make it easier for athletes to learn and use thermal data like the pros and for coaches to give more specific direction.”
Scientific studies exist to support the gains resulting from the adoption of heat training. While performance loss is typically dependent on the type of metric analyzed, studies have shown that during a 43k cycling time trial, average power was reduced by 16% in hot (36’C) relative to cool (8’C) conditions.
While after just one week of heat training, the performance decline in the heat was reduced to 8% relative to cool and with twho weeks of heat training, the decline was reduced to only 3%.
Ross McGraw, VP and Global Head of Core, said “We are excited to make some of the thermal data and insights used by the top elite athletes in the world more accessible to endurance athletes.
“We know that heat has a massive impact on performance, and with rising global temperatures it’s more important than ever to bring CORE technology to more athletes. We believe this latest update will profoundly impact how athletes understand and relate to thermal stress.”
The CORE app is free to download for Android from Google Play and iOS from the Apple App Store and use, and is available in English, Spanish, French, German and Japanese. Another update to in-app insights is planned for mid-summer.
