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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