General Health
Benefits
- Reduces blood pressure.
- Improved relaxation
- Increase sweating therefore increases the ability to cool the body.
- Reduced arterial stiffness and improved endothelial function.
therefore
- Decrease in cardiovascular diseases.
- Lowered incidence of hypertension
- Lowered incidence of respiratory disease
- Reduced incidence of Alzheimer’s disease
Protocol
Sauna
- Dry or Wet, no evidence to support infrared
- Use a Dry Sauna at 80-90 degree C or Wet sauna at 60 degree C
- 2-4 times week
- 5-25 mins (build time in sauna as your body tolerates the heat)
Hot Water Immersion (spa or bath)
- 40 degrees C
- 2-4 times week
- 10-15 mins
Performance
Benefits
- Ability to tolerate racing in the heat. Increase in blood volume which increases ability to sweat therefore cool yourself in hot conditions. Your resting core and exercise core temperature is reduced. Therefore, your ability to cope with hot environments is improved.
- Physiological adaptations. Increased plasma volume, increased red blood cells and increased oxygen carrying capacity.
Protocols
Natural Heat Acclimatization
This is when you can go to the hot environment prior to racing. Takes 2-3 weeks to naturally adapt to the hotter environment.
Passive Heat Acclimation
Used prior to racing in hot environments and to gain cardiovascular gains. This protocol places extra stress on the body so needs to be managed alongside training stress.
- Use a Dry Sauna at 80-90 degree C or Wet sauna at 60 degree C
- 9 days in a row
- Done immediately post exercise. Within 5-20mins of finishing your bike session.
- If unable to get immediately into a sauna do a 10min primer in the sauna, then 5mins out then back into the sauna.
- Spend 20-30mins in the Sauna. (Build time in sauna as your body tolerates the heat)
- While in the sauna don’t hydrate, ideally take your protein recovery as solid food or sip slowly on your recovery shake.
- Rehydrate slowly over the next 2-3hrs (this dehydrated state is required to signal the kidneys to produce more EPO and get the cardiovascular benefits of heat training)
