Steam Room/Sauna/Hot Tub before workout?

[willstrickland]

Last few times in the gym I've jumped in the steam room for a while before working out to try to combat residual soreness. Is there any reason (besides dehydration from sweating) not to use steam/hot tub/sauna as a warm-up method before a workout? It seems most people use these after a workout.

[RuMR]

i dunno...might not be a bad idea if you drink tons of H20...

 

I personally run hot water over my hands while flexing my fingers to get them loose at the gym...

[jon]

You are increasing the temperature of your body but not metabolically preparing your muscles.

[Dr_Flash_Amazing]

willstrickland said:

Last few times in the gym I've jumped in the steam room for a while before working out to try to combat residual soreness. Is there any reason (besides dehydration from sweating) not to use steam/hot tub/sauna as a warm-up method before a workout? It seems most people use these after a workout.

 

Perhaps if you did your stretching and whatnot while in the heat? Also, the new ish of Outside was mentioning that the hot tub can be soothing, but after more than about 15 minutes, has a more deleterious effect on your body (although this was in the context of post-workout dunks in the hot tub).

[Courtenay]

I'd save this for after any really taxing workout to help speed up recovery (and it feels really good) but not so much before -- stick to standard "increasing range of motion and heat in the muscles through muscle action" (cardio or active stretching or light reps through increasing range of motion) movements as a warmup.

[forrest_m]

personally, i'd find it hard to jump into a hard workout after the relaxation of a sauna or hot tub, but there might be something to the stretching + heat. isn't that the theory behind those "hot box" yoga places? i asked my yoga teacher about it once, but she was so incensed by that Bikram guy's over-commercialization that she forgot to answer my question about the method itself...

 

for avoiding soreness (post-workout), i've had a lot more luck with the hot-cold-hot-cold shower than the hot tub. YMMV, but the theory is that by constricting then dilating your blood vessels, you supposedly are pumping waste products out of your system. plus, i have a shower at my house but not a hot tub - but the hot tub sure feels better after a day of skiing!

[adventuregal]

I would think that that a sauna may not be the best plan for warming up. It increases the blood flow to your skin so it can cool. I think this would be taking away blood flow to your muscles. I can not see a sauna increasing blood flow to muscles, as would happen during a regular warm up like a jog, etc. Which is what you REALLY need before a workout....

[Mtguide]

jon said:

You are increasing the temperature of your body but not metabolically preparing your muscles.

 

True.Actually,20 reps with a light weight(5 or 10 lbs) or using bodyweight resistance(ie,pushups,crunches,etc.)will be enough to get blood pumped into the muscle and warm it up.And NEVER stretch a cold muscle.Latest research also indicates only minimal stretching before a workout,more thorough stretching after wards.

[RobBob]

I've been surprised to discover that a number of runners advocate never stretching, believing that stretching often causes injury. I can see how this might happen, given the fast/incorrect stretching that I have observed in the gym.

 

my personal sauna rule is only after exercise, and only in mixed company.

[erik]

RobBob said:

my personal sauna rule is only after exercise, and only in mixed company.

 

i find exercising with mixed company in the sauna is great too!! tho limit the ipa's b4 hand!

 

 

[specialed]

willstrickland said:

Last few times in the gym I've jumped in the steam room for a while before working out to try to combat residual soreness. Is there any reason (besides dehydration from sweating) not to use steam/hot tub/sauna as a warm-up method before a workout? It seems most people use these after a workout.

 

It feels better to sauna afterwards. But really its a good idea to do it before - the maxim "warm up, cool down" fits well. Like Jon said, it might be best used in conjunction with stretching. If you sauna afterwards, you're not doing your muscles a favor because they're probably already warm.

[Stefan]

What about an Olympic shower after a workout like Mark Twight recommends in his Alpine Light book?

 

Damn, that is tough to do. It is invigorating though, and I do have to say I feel somewhat different, but I don't know if my performance improves because I keep getting older with each day.