Any advantage an athlete can legally take to make them stronger, be more equipped for the challenges ahead, and more likely to succeed is usually worth taking. The NFL’s San Francisco 49ers were recently found working out in the hot, humid temperatures of a sauna. How can a sauna help a football player – well, the answer’s pretty advanced.
A football player’s going to be working in some pretty hot and humid temperatures at times. Football players are expected to perform regardless of climate. If one practices their workout in regular weather, they don’t get the experience of what it’s like to have to push back against humid heat. The 49ers aren’t coming into battles unprepared, adding temperature and humidity to their workouts. This gives them the full experience of what it’s like to have to succeed in less than desirable environments.
A sauna creates heat tolerance in people who work out in them as it causes the body to work harder. Then, when someone is faced with high heat, the body’s already used to working out in these conditions. It doesn’t phase the body as much. It’s built up the endurance to keep going. Subsequently, in non-high heat, the body benefits from having extra energy and endurance. A body’s strength slowly builds, which is precisely why the San Francisco 49ers use these saunas.
How the 49ers have done it is by taking stationary bikes inside a tent with sauna conditions. Temperatures inside reached north of 100 degrees, giving them a little bit of what it’s like to play in territories like Tampa Bay where the temperature can be expected to climb high for some games and where humidity can soar. This is called ‘hyperthermic conditioning’, working from what’s called ‘heat stress’. Normally, we may think that stress is bad. In an environment like this, stress is actually a good thing. Here’s why.
An athlete lifts weights and trains to get their bodies accustomed to a certain level of activity. Adaptions in the body are created to accommodate a stronger, healthier self. In time, we become resistant to certain types of physical stress. Like exercise, sauna heat stress is similar. An example of this is in the increased production of heat shock proteins or HSPs. When cells’ mitochondria are damaged or weak, this affects energy production in a big way. Through exposure to a sauna environment combined with exercise, we are increasing HSPs which elevates energy production.
At the same time the body is adapting to high heat conditions, it’s also creating more efficient systems within the body. The heart and cardiovascular system strengthens, the immune system does as well, blood pressure is regulated better, weight loss occurs, and more. In a recent study, sauna use was also associated with increased endurance. In the aforementioned study, male distance runners took in 30-minute sauna sessions post-workout over a 3-week period. They found their run time to exhaustion increased by 32%!
A sauna is similar to a supplement, workout routine, or treatment program to rehabilitate performance. As athletes are coming up with natural ways to amplify their performance, an infrared sauna, Finnish sauna, and steam room all are high-heat environments that challenge, strengthen, and improve the body’s systems. Get your very own sauna today and tap into performance, endurance, and energy you didn’t know you had!