Rothstein Weighs in On Heated Workouts

Alexander Rothstein, Ed.D., assistant professor of exercise science, was quoted in a Women’s Health story about the benefits and risks of heated workouts. As Rothstein explains, the point of any workout is to put your body under stress so that it learns to adapt and gets stronger, and increasing temperature is one stressor that can lead to adaptation.

“People will perceive the workout as harder because it’s hot,” he says. “Your perception of everything being harder—even if you’re just standing there or lying there—that’s a good thing. You’re stressing your body.”

He adds that readers should also be aware of potential overheating warning signs, including any sort of mental confusion, cramping, lightheadedness, feeling dizzy or off-balance, disruptions in vision, and cessation of sweating.