Anyone here use sauna or steam room after a workout? I've been getting into it recently. Some of the folk in the gym say it's a great way to relax the muscles and reduce stiffness the nest day. Not sure it works, maybe I'm not staying in long enough. Is there any 'science' to heat therapy post workout?
In my experience any kind of breathing work or focused relaxation (if that makes sense ) is a good thing post-workout with a sauna , also want to make sure you aren’t getting dehydrated. a short time should be ok . I wouldn’t stay in too long
Yeah, dehydration is the thing. After a workout you have lost so much fluid that you really need to be careful not to tip yourself into dehydration. And a sauna could do just that if you spend too long. I've been reading up on it. If you get it right there seems to be some benefit to it in terms of relaxing the body and speeding up recovery. Take a look at this post - https://homesaunaheaven.com/sauna-workout-recovery/ Snowconeman, how long would you stay in? Would 5-10 minutes be safe enough if you are careful to sip some water??
^^ I would say of course a sauna heaven website would say positive things about it lol also yeah 5-10 min should not be too long . if you’re hydrated even 10-15 is ok I might not do it after every workout . Maybe Try every other and see how you feel . Sauna one day , Ice bath the next lol . what type of workouts are you planning on doing and how often ?
There's been a ton of study that shows going to a sauna (not sure about steam room) 3 to 5 times a week for atleast 10 minutes per session is incredibly beneficial for your health. It has something to do with increasing the shock proteins or cells or something due to the heat. it helps inflammation in your system and has all kind of other benefits (such as respiratory, heart and others). Studies were done on on the swedish/scand countries who routinely uses it. I first learned about it awhile ago from dr rhonda patrick on the JRE podcast and learned of the studies the past year. Shows up on google right away. I've been using it after gym sessions religously (before covid) and I felt it made a ton of difference in my recovery. Nothing beat lifting or basketball then sauna then cold shower for me to feel great the rest of the day. Covid shut down the sauna's in my gym and i've been feeling more stiff since.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog...-life-fewer-fatal-heart-problems-201502257755 https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wa...8-aed9-001309990777_story.html?outputType=amp https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(18)30275-1/fulltext https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5941775/