Explore the potential benefits and risks of incorporating sauna bathing into your workout routine. Learn how saunas can affect your warm-up and recovery, and discover ways to stay safe while enjoying their thermotherapy effects.
Gyms and spas often promote sauna bathing, a type of thermotherapy involving sitting in a room with temperatures ranging from 113°F to 212°F for about 20 minutes. Sauna bathing comes in various forms depending on the heating method, including traditional wood-burning, electric, and infrared saunas.
While regular sauna bathing can potentially improve overall health, especially for individuals with high-stress jobs and may positively impact markers related to cardiometabolic diseases, its role in pre- or post-workout routines is less clear.Some suggest that sauna bathing can prepare the body for exercise or aid in recovery, but robust scientific research supporting these claims is lacking. Furthermore, there are potential health risks associated with sauna use, such as dehydration. This article delves into the potential benefits and risks of incorporating sauna bathing into your workout routine, outlining how to stay safe if you choose to do so.A sauna might complement your warm-up routine, but it shouldn't replace dynamic muscle movements that gradually transition your body from rest to exercise. A proper warm-up increases body temperature, blood flow to working muscles, and heart rate, providing muscles with more oxygen for energy production. Saunas, with their high temperatures, can also raise body temperature and dilate blood vessels, promoting blood flow and cooling. However, saunas don't actively engage muscles in the same way a dynamic warm-up does. Effective warm-ups involve movements that fully activate all muscles used during the workout, mimicking the exercise patterns. For instance, before a 5K run, gentle movements targeting hip stabilizers, glutes, hamstrings, and quads, and mimicking running motions, are recommended. Such warm-ups reduce injury risk and enhance neuromuscular efficiency, allowing for smoother, easier performance.While saunas can elevate body temperature, they don't substitute for dynamic warm-up exercises. If you opt to use a sauna before your workout, ensure proper hydration by rehydrating with the amount of water lost during the session (tracked by body weight changes). Also, perform a few exercises to activate your muscles and prepare them for the workout.Post-workout sauna use might offer relaxation and aid in heat acclimatization, but research on these benefits is limited and typically involves small sample sizes. It's possible that saunas contribute to a sense of relaxation and the transition from exercise to rest, but more evidence is needed to confirm their effectiveness. Saunas might also help acclimate your body to warmer temperatures, increasing sweating efficiency and skin blood flow. However, further research is necessary to solidify these claims
SAUNA WORKOUT WARM-UP RECOVERY HEALTH BENEFITS RISKS HYDRATION
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