30 min sessions of Sauna time may increase running endurance by 31%

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/16877041/
Your mileage may vary

[h=3]Abstract[/h]The physiological adaptations to sauna bathing could enhance endurance performance. We have therefore performed a cross-over study in which six male distance runners completed 3 wk of post-training sauna bathing and 3 wk of control training, with a 3 wk washout. During the sauna period, subjects sat in a humid sauna at 89.9+/-2.0 degrees C (mean+/-standard deviation) immediately post-exercise for 31+/-5 min on 12.7+/-2.1 occasions. The performance test was a approximately 15 min treadmill run to exhaustion at the runner's current best speed over 5 km. The test was performed on the 1st and 2nd day following completion of the sauna and control periods, and the times were averaged. Plasma, red-cell and total blood volume were measured via Evans blue dye dilution immediately prior to the first run to exhaustion for each period. Relative to control, sauna bathing increased run time to exhaustion by 32% (90% confidence limits 21-43%), which is equivalent to an enhancement of approximately 1.9% (1.3-2.4%) in an endurance time trial. Plasma and red-cell volumes increased by 7.1% (5.6-8.7%) and 3.5% (-0.8% to 8.1%) respectively, after sauna relative to control. Change in performance had high correlations with change in plasma volume (0.96, 0.76-0.99) and total blood volume (0.94, 0.66-0.99), but the correlation with change in red cell volume was unclear (0.48, -0.40 to 0.90). We conclude that 3 wk of post-exercise sauna bathing produced a worthwhile enhancement of endurance running performance, probably by increasing blood volume.

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If I was in a sauna for 30 minutes, I'd be running faster and longer too, anything to get away from that heated festering stinkfest a.k.a the perfect breeding ground for all sorts of biological specimens.

I've had some pretty terrible sinus infections after using steam rooms. Never from a sauna luckily.

Oath
Dirty feet, warts, tinea

Arse holes, nut sacks

Everything sits in a festering sesspool

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Too many fat hairy dudes with small towels in saunas.

We took advantage of using the sauna at the AIS over 30 years ago now for the single purpose of speeding recovery. It took me many years to find out how this worked. Immediately after using the sauna, we had a full body dip in cold water. Now I know that this hot/cold treatment caused / facilitated/ sped up the lymphatic drainage. Anything that would help one get rid of waste products/build up from his body would greatly help with the recovery process.

You don't have to go into a sauna if it's out of your way. You're able to achieve great results with speeding your recovery if you remain under as hot a shower as you could stand, before finishing off with a quick cold turn of the tap for few seconds (if you can handle it)!



Fadi.

Been making use of the bath to have ridicilously hot soaks on my off days. And its cold so win/win. How neccesary is the cold blast?

DREADLIFT said:

How neccesary is the cold blast?

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It's that sudden change in temperature that stimulates lymph movement (or speeds it up). Eating or drinking the juice (or smoothie) of astringent type of fruits also helps with lymph drainage. Try lemon juice and also give berries a go. Look up astringed fruits...



Fadi.