Hey everyone! I was recently doing some research on sauna sessions, as I've been a big advocate of doing long sauna sessions post-workout for the past few years. I've been doing these post-workout sauna sessions myself for about 3 years now and I have read about a lot of the benefits that come along with doing so, but I've never really taken a deep dive into the research. I decided to do that today and I've dug up some really fascinating stuff!
In this post, I'll share some of the endurance benefits associated with post-workout sauna sessions. Forcing your body to adapt to high heat conditions (like those experienced in a sauna) can have 2 major benefits for endurance:
- Increases blood flow to your skeletal muscles and heart
- Improves thermoregulatory control
1). Increases blood flow to your skeletal muscles and heart:
Regular sauna sessions that follow an intense workout have been shown to increase the blood flow to your skeletal muscles and heart, which brings many benefits:
- Reduces your dependency on glycogen stored in the muscles, which can allow you to run longer and avoid "the wall" that many runners talk about. "The wall" refers to the point when your body has depleted its glycogen stores and is frantically searching for energy to burn. This feeling is exhaustive and detrimental to endurance performance!
- Increases oxygen in the muscles - having more oxygen in your muscles brings some obvious benefits. Namely, fatigue will take longer to set-in and you may even feel additional strength in the body.
2). Improves thermoregulatory control:
Regular sauna sessions can also increase your body's ability to regulate heat efficiently. Heat adaptation will increase blood flow to the skin and enhance a few other bodily functions which will lead to more efficient heat regulation. Your body will sweat at lower core temperatures and will be able to sweat for longer periods of time.
The Study:
A study was done on 6 endurance runners. These runners each engaged in an average of 12 sauna sessions per week, with each session being 30 minutes in length and following an intense running session.
These runners experienced, on average, a 32% increase in the distance that they could run before hitting the point of exhaustion.
32% is a HUGE performance increase, and certainly not something for anyone to overlook - professional athlete or not. I've been doing sauna sessions for years but haven't really been studying any of the physiological changes that can occur from doing so. I've been doing sauna sessions out of the "feeling" that it was helping me recover faster and be able to perform better, it's nice to know that there's some science literature out there to back those "feelings" up!!
I'm going to keep doing some research so stay tuned in future posts for more benefits of sauna sessions and heat conditioning!
Day 20 Log:
Weigh-In:
| Start Weight (lbs) | Goal Weight (lbs) | Weight Lost (lbs) |
|---|---|---|
| 198 | 173 | 10 |
| Today's Weight (lbs) | Fat Mass (%) | Body Mass BMI |
|---|---|---|
| 188 | 21.3 | 21.5 |
I've officially hit the 10lb milestone! Just 15 more to go!!
Workout:
Leg Day:
| Movement | Weight lbs | # Reps | # Sets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back Squat | 285 | 5 | 4 |
| Leg Extensions | 180 | 12-15 | 4 |
| Leg Press | 450 | 10 | 4 |
| Lying Hamstring Curl | 165 | 12-15 | 4 |
| Standing Calf Raises | 225 | 15 | 4 |
| Cardio | 15 Minutes - Stair Master |
What I Ate Today:
| Meal | Food |
|---|---|
| 0 | Coffee - 2 TBSP Half & Half, 1 TBSP MCT Oil |
| 1 | 4 Eggs, 6 oz Turkey, 2 oz Cheddar Cheese |
| 2 | 6oz Chicken and Asparagus with Olive Oil |
| 3 | 10 oz Steak with Mushrooms, Broccoli, Onions, Garlic and Bell Peppers |
| 4 | 1 Serving of Nuts, 2 Low-Carb Tortillas |
Here's the Question of The Day, don't forget to post your answers in the comments!
QOTD: Have you ever used the sauna? Do you use it regularly and have you noticed any benefits from doing so consistently?
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave your thoughts below and I look forward to seeing you in the comments!
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12 Sauna sessions seems excessive...if it helps though can't complain.
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Yeah, I didn't see what period of time the 12 sessions per week is kind of a lot!! I usually get about 6 per week myself. There's a ton more benefits associated with sauna use that I'll go over in the next few days also! Stay tuned for that!
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12 is quite a bit! I don't know if I could make the time for that!
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If this sauna session can only be done in a closed room as the one I saw when I browsed about it on the internet to then ibmustbsay we don't have a lot of them around here. But can it be done locally? Like , without going into the sauna room? Coz i would live an experience.
And to thing that the research carried out on those runners came out that positive is really great.never knew sauna had such potential to-do that. What can you say about your own sauna sessions? Did you always notice an improvement in your future workout sessions after each sauna?
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Hey @sistem! Saunas are closed rooms, but I would imagine that you'd get similar or the exact same benefits from any other type of rapid heat adaptation - if you don't have a sauna, try going to a really hot environment like a building/gym with no air conditioning or even outside in the sun. If you want to try and get the benefits of high-heat stress on the body, then try working out in those conditions as well. I like to also do push-ups while in the sauna to heat my body even faster.
I have noticed that the sauna sessions have helped my cardiovascular endurance as well as general performance in the gym. I can't really put any numbers to it, but I definitely can feel a difference when I do the sauna consistently after workouts.
Let me know if you find a good workaround for the sauna, I'd love to hear what you come up with!!
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Hmm.... Impressive research. I appreciate your study about sauna session. It is not available in our country. Yet I will try as per your research. Anyway Thank you so much for a very nice informative post.
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If you don't have a sauna, you could also try rapidly raising your core body temperature in other ways like working out in intense heat (out in the sun) - just be careful and talk to your doctor if you feel unwell!
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Its again a Very good post and good job done by you @khaleelkazi, keep it up, thanks for sharing with us, you are a good stemain and doing better work @ this platform. Thank You.
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Thanks! What did you think about the Question of the Day?
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saunas were used from thousands of years and are still popular today and many people enjoy it. a sauna can assist people to unwind and loosen up, and it can have other fitness benefits.@khaleelkaI almostly you have shared a nice info post about sauna .nice boss
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Absolutely!! Saunas are hugely beneficial! I recommend using them to all my friends!
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Nice tips.I want this tips for my health.
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Bro give me some up vote****
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Looks like you got hit by gentlebot. Please try to leave thoughtful comments and I'd be glad to give you upvotes. That is my job as a comment curator!
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Hmm what is that bot? I'm kind of confused how it works tbh.
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Hmm what is that bot? I'm kind of confused how it works tbh.
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Yeah I know, I haven't found any info on it yet!
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Thanks! What do you think about the sauna? Will you start using it post-workout for the endurance benefits?
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I’ve never tried the sauna, I’ll have to try it out. How long do you recommend?
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Once in a blue moon. Well, I would try if I have time and money to benefit my health!
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I think everyone has the time, you just have to make time for what matters, health is #1!
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Cute picture, did you think about the QOTD? What do you think of saunas?
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I personally have enjoyed the past few days of using the sauna. It's hard to tell if there's a performance increase, but I think I might be experiencing some increases!
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I regularly use sauna's as well. I find it helps after i workout, stretch with foam rolling and sauna session. I find it the sauna really helps with myofascial circulation and metabolite recovery. Have you @khaleelkazi used cold rooms after a sauna session?
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Yeah I love to stretch/do abs and push ups in the sauna post-workout. I've never tried cold rooms, what are those? I've done the cryo chambers with liquid nitrogen before, is it similar to that?
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I forgot to mention that I also find the cryo machines really helpful for joint pain, I'll have to write a separate article about that, thanks for the idea!
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happy to help. Cold rooms can be thought as a walk in slightly cold room. Similar to how steam rooms are slightly hot. The cold rooms are often used after the workout and warm-tech rooms to help flush out lactic acid, close skin pores and jump start immune system based recovery.
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Interesting conversation here, I may have to research these cold rooms! It seems they have similar benefits to cold baths which is something that I've done in the past.
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Just started doing them again, I highly recommend it, especially in conjunction with the sauna!
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Hmmm I’ll have to try it out. Thanks for the recc!
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Honestly, I have never used a suana before. Probably because it's not that popular in my country and the fact that sauna houses are rare here. Basically it hasn't gone mainstream yet. Nonetheless I found its benefits really fascinating. As someone who is beginning to get health conscious I'm looking for ways to stay healthy and sauna seems like a good way. Thanks for the wonderful article and stay healthy.
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Ahh I see, you could also try working out in the sun and raising your core body temperature!
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I tried that in the past, it's much more effective than you'd expect! I recommend trying it!
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Nothing like repping to failure and then going for a nice long sauna after. I used to do this all the time when I could afford the posh gym. That and alternating ice cold plunge pool.
Alass my new gym is half the price, better weights and bar selection, but no sauna 😀
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Hahah 100% That's the way to do it! It's all about trade-offs.. I would also make a choice for better weights over the sauna!
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Hmm, yeah that's a tough one... I think I'd probably go with the better weights!
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You have been doing sauna for years ,guess you can beat Usain Bolt ....
Quite informative ,i didnt knew about sauna , maybe i will try it after my workout session...
Maybe i can beat usain bolt as well ..who knows..😁
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Hahahaahah I wish I could!
Please do and let me know how it goes for you!
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I recently started doing sauna sessions at your suggestion, and I do think I've noticed a slight increase in my endurance performance!
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wow sauna . i tryed it before and it was very enjoyable, and it make me relax and make me comfortable and fresh . wish to go again and again
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Haha I feel the exact same way! I love going in the sauna!
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Have you ever felt overly tired after leaving the sauna? I felt that after a 30 minute session today
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I've felt some fatigue in the past as well after a really long session.. I think its just adaptation in the body and loss of electrolytes
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Ya the fatigue can be a killer, I started bringing big water bottles in with me and it makes a big difference!
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Wow that's a great tip, I will try that next time I hit the sauna! Thanks for the advice!
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Just bring some nice ice cold water and it will fo the trick!
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I also just saw something about drinking powerade in there! Try it out!
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Can I just say that I love love LOVE reading your posts?! What a perfect mix of informative and enjoyable. That's what I hope to provide in my own posts as a fitness fanatic (and trainer) myself - you're a great inspiration for me! I've gone way back and checked out a bunch of your keto cut posts, I really enjoy them... I appreciate that you educate your readers about keto itself as well as sharing your own experiences. It's a home run! I look forward to reading more :)
Ps. QOTD - I have used a sauna whenever it has been available to me post-workout and have also enjoyed the feeling! I don't have access to one regularly, but I wish I did... It would be so interesting to test it out and note the effects on myself as they pertain to performance and recovery!
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