Is a Cool Gym Better? What Experts Say About Air-Conditioned Workouts

When temperatures rise in summer, many people prefer to train in fully air-conditioned studios or gyms. But the article asks whether a very cold room is actually better for the body, and whether there is such a thing as being too cold for exercise.

The piece explains that sweating is a normal and healthy cooling mechanism. The body heats up during exertion, sweat evaporates from the skin, and that helps prevent overheating. It also stresses that sweat volume is not a measure of workout quality: a hard workout in an air-conditioned room may produce little sweat, while a moderate walk outdoors on a hot day can cause heavy sweating.

Prof. Yuval Halad, described as an expert in human physiology and exercise physiology, says that when the goal is improving fitness, such as cardio endurance, strength, muscular endurance, or speed, it is better to exercise in a comfortable, cooled environment. Heat adds physiological stress, forces the body to spend more effort regulating temperature, and can cause earlier physical and mental fatigue, reducing training quality.

He adds that training in heat can be useful if the goal is heat acclimatization, as some soldiers and athletes do, but that should be controlled and not too intense. For the general public exercising in studios or gyms for health and fitness, the recommendation is to keep conditions cool and air-conditioned. The article says the comfortable and effective range is about 20 to 24 degrees Celsius. Below that, people may experience muscle stiffness, reduced range of motion and flexibility, respiratory sensitivity, coughing, wheezing, or a mild feeling of suffocation, especially those with asthma or allergies.