High Temperature Gym

Discussion in 'General Forum' started by bluejeff, May 23, 2004.

  1. bluejeff

    bluejeff Regular Member

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    I just came back from today's badminton play, basically, I am feeling like a 1/2 dead man now.

    Because my school is doing some construction work nearby the gym, so they said they could not turn on the fan or air (for min. electricity). Now, the gym is basically like a extra large size of oven. I can guarantee that the temperature inside the gym is definetely higher than 90F. I was sweating like raining and I was just sitting at the sidelines!

    So, I went there at noon, and came back at 1PM because I couldn't take the heat anymore. 3 singles for today is already my strength ceiling since the heat took out a lot of me.

    Have you guys ever been to a really hot gym? (hot=high temp :) , not people)
    I think the temp has the most effects on the player's strength and precision of the shots in badminton other than the wind. (Like Peter Gade in TC....he just twisted his shirt a bit, and it was like raining....:()

    Also, please share you thoughts on how to deal with the gym like this :rolleyes:
     
  2. BobbyGeneric

    BobbyGeneric Regular Member

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    the gym i play at in toronto, ON regularly leaves the A/C off during the summer just because they're cheap! argh... some days it's about 32+deg outside and it can feel ever hotter inside (most likely due to stuffiness).

    in situations like that i felt like you did. i bring about 6 tshirts for 3 hours of playing and sweat through them all. also my energy definitely feels drained even after just a few points of playing, and it doesn't really seem to come back, as i can never cool down in there.

    in my attempts at dealing with it, i've:
    • worn the thick wrist bands so my racquet isn't covered with sweat (quite useful, but i also go through about 1 per hour)
    • use two layers of socks, and switch them if they get too sweaty
      same with tshirts (you can guess my bag gets pretty full)
    • if i have ~10 mins between games, i'll try going for a quick really cold shower, but this will only last for about 1 game before i'm really hot again
    • always stay very hydrated! and sports drinks help, as they replenish the salts you sweat out
    • i've tried towel grips instead of PVC ones, but they'd probably take some time to adapt to and were more pricey, so i just stuck with the cheaper stuff
    • always carry around a towel to dry your arms and face with, if you don't already!

    that said, it's still definitely a lot harder for me to play badminton in lots of heat. i'm not someone who deals with heat very well naturally - I'm Canadian and I do like the cold! :D
     
  3. Pecheur

    Pecheur Regular Member

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    Build a bridge?

    My home gym isn't air conditioned at all and even if it's hotter than 100 F outside there are still people playing and we still insist on the fans being turned off since they make the shuttle deviate :)
     
  4. peyter

    peyter Regular Member

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    Dear all,

    I live and play in Malaysia...lately we have been having a really hot spell
    (noon time temperature can reach 39 degrees celcius)
    On top of that, the two gym (badminton hall) I play in has very bad ventilation...I play at night so all the hot air stays trapped in the hall (plus the halls have bright overhead lights which are hot)

    I compensate by drinking lots of sports fluid (100 Plus anyone)

    Anyone plays in an air cond hall? Lucky you! :D
     
  5. Dill

    Dill Regular Member

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    And then there's the constant having to use a new shuttle becasue it was too fast because of the heat so it was tipped to slow it down and then people who can't hit feathers properly tear them to shreads becasue of the part that sticks out from the notmal line of the feathers because it was tipped :mad:
     
  6. LiLYu

    LiLYu Regular Member

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    one day we went to this school for our game, the temperature was really high(couldnt recall the exact degree) their gym has not windows!! there windows cannot be opened, and it only has one door but that coach kept in close cuz she said the winds will affect the game(personally, i dont think it does), two of the our singles players was affect by the heat...one just collasped on the ground after she was done(she won, after three games, could have won with two) and the other one just give up on the her second game cuz she felt like fainting....urggg, of course we lost 3-2!!:mad:
     
  7. cappy75

    cappy75 Regular Member

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    Geez! Sounds like a recipe for a lawsuit:(.

     
  8. bigredlemon

    bigredlemon Regular Member

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    Bring lots of water and a towel. Take a 15 minute break every 30 or so minutes to cool yourself down. Wipe off all the sweat and drinks lots of water. I've easily drank more than a liter an hour, and I'm sure its much worse in Taipei than in Canada.
     
  9. bluejeff

    bluejeff Regular Member

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    I know exactly what you guys feel :)

    (Damn, I hate those......can't they just build a gym with A/C?)

    Anyway, this makes me to wonder, if IBF ever set up a equipment rule on the max/min temperature in the tournaments??
    (ie: if it's too hot, will the umpire halt the games and have the place (the host ) to put up an A/C?)
     
  10. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    Remember, if you play in hot and humid conditions with temperatures near or exceeding your body core temperature of 38 degrees C or whereabouts, there are risks if this state of affair is prolonged.. It then comes down to how you can cool down your body core temperature. Drinking lots of fluids help. Splashing your face, neck with cold water frequently is useful. Wearing light clothing is a must. If possible wear sleeveless singlets, short shorts, short socks. Clothing must be porous. Contrary to what you may think, do not have any change of shirts. Remember, evaporative heat loss occurs only when clothing is thoroughly wet and sweat can vaporise. Therefore, changing into a dry shirt only hinders heat dissipation. You can actually test this out: changing into a dry shirt and/or towelling away your perspiration will actually make you feel hot. This is the worst thing you can do.
    Remember, your body absorbes ambient heat if the ambient temperature exceeds your skin temperature. Your body also produces heat from within your working muscles. This heat is transferred to the body core and skin. During exercise, body heat is dissipated into the surrounding environment by radiation, conduction, convection, and evaporation. So, please do not towel your perspiration away and do not change into a dry shirt. The wetter your shirt is the better. Your dirt and smelly sweat may save you your life!
    If your body core temperature goes beyond a certain safe limit for prolonged period, you can collapse and expire.
     
  11. Pecheur

    Pecheur Regular Member

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    Whoa this is actually quite untrue depending on the material of the shirt. DO NOT DO THIS WITH A COTTON SHIRT. Cotton does not wick when wet and you lose any heat. Staying sweaty is fine, however wet shirts, depending on what they are made from are not.
     
  12. wilfredlgf

    wilfredlgf Regular Member

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    I play in high temperature courts almost every Friday, cool only when it rains then. The temperature is at a constant 28 - 30°C for about six hours in the afternoon; I play in the two of those.

    It's tiring, yes, faster than usual. One would be looking for the bottle of water more often than normal, and the shirt would be soaked with sweat without even hitting a shuttle!

    Worst still, in Malaysia, it's humid! Funny enough though, incidence of heat stroke and muscles cramps are so very rare or never reported by people playing in the hall.
     
  13. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    The best is no shirts. If you must wear shirts, then it must be porous and light. Cotton shirts can come in light or heavy weight or weave. Yes, cotton does wick, if the cotton shirt is porous. The best are of course silk and linen. The lighter the better. Never ever wear non-porous shirts. Your sweat is your cooling system. Drying them off with a towel removes this natural airconditioning. Players in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia can try my theory out . Try playing without any shirt or with a light cotton sleeveless singlet and then with with frequent change of shirts, and see the difference!
    This is not something new. Those in sports injury management use this as gospel. I have been using this for years especially during summer. I sometimes wonder why I am the only player with sleeveless singlets.
     
  14. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    if its really bad, I go for a walk outside, or even take another shower in cool water
     
  15. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

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    High temp and humidity is nothing new here as well. In summer time (actually, begin in May) we often gets like 90+F and 80+% humidity combo. the high school gyms have no window to be opened and the overhead fans (blower) could only be turned off in advance to let the games going.

    Most ppl here sweat like hell, so everyone just bring in 3+ bottles of sports drink, fruits, and a dozen shirts. Yesterday, I went through 5 shirts in 5-6 hrs of training and playing. Everyone was like water washed. Lucky I still saved the last clean one, otherwise, ppl will give me dirty looks in subway. :eek:
     
  16. wood_22_chuck

    wood_22_chuck Regular Member

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    Whoo ... don't know about this one. If I had a six-pack maybe. But I have a one-pack. A huge one-pack. A keg.

    -dave
     
  17. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    LOL, yah, i hope it catches on :p ;)
     
  18. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

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    Well, better than my 3 huge packs in parallel. :( :D That's why I always hide myself in the locker room, when I need to change shirt. Nothing proud to show. :eek: :cool:
     
  19. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    time : a couple of years ago in the sumer.

    place : somewhere in HK. i think Tai Wo

    who : Cheung and kwun

    so kwun went back to HK for a few weeks a couple of years back. natually, he called up Cheung to play badminton together. Cheung brought kwun to this badminton gym and pre-warned him, there is no A/C.

    kwun was like, ok. i will bring some water. no problem.

    and goodness, i think it was not even 30C, maybe 26-27C. but little kwun knew then, it was drenching hot, kwun was sweating all over, his t-shirt looked like it just came out of the washing machine, it was hot, water wasn't enough, and he was so dehydrated he could hardly move at all!

    and worse is, he never realized that a shower is an absolute must afterwards and failed to bring a towel.

    that was then, now kwun learned....
     
  20. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    There is a fellow at our club who doesn't believe in drinking any fluids, including water, before, during, or after badminton matches. His reason for not wanting to drink is he hates the messy sweating that comes from drinking fluids. What an incredible reason! Maybe he wants to look regal. I have told him for years that he is going to collapse one day and never wake up. He looks very dehydrated and easily becomes lethargic after a couple of games. I am at least 17 years his senior and yet he doesn't look much younger than me.
     

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