All kinds of health benefits are attributed to sauna visits. But what about sauna in bodybuilding purposes?
SAUNA AND HEALTH
You can read about the benefits of the sauna here. The main benefits are for relaxation and cardiovascular health. A visit to the sauna also makes you relaxed.
SAUNA FOR MUSCLE GROWTH
But you would like to know what sauna can do specifically for muscle growth.
According to bodybuilding coach Layne Norton, research shows that sauna visits have no direct effect on your muscle mass, let alone that it directly promotes muscle growth.
A sauna session may promote recovery after training, but this has not yet been convincingly scientifically proven.
In addition, the sauna can make a positive contribution to your sleep: if you take a sauna just before going to sleep, it can improve the quality of your sleep. And a good night’s sleep is also good for your muscle recovery.
SAUNA FOR LOSS
As a bodybuilder you want to look as lean as possible in addition to being muscular. Unfortunately, a sauna visit cannot really help you with that either.
It is a myth that sauna use leads to weight loss. Yes, it is possible to lose about a pound after using a sauna, but that weight loss is due to fluid loss, not fat. As soon as you drink something, that loss is undone.
Feel free to go to the sauna during the cut, but know that the loss must come from a calorie-restricted diet in combination with (more) exercise.
CONCLUSION AND ADVICE
A sauna visit has various health benefits and many experience it as relaxing. However, it is not or hardly linked to bodybuilding purposes. Perhaps the sauna does ‘something’ for your recovery after a workout, but that has not yet been convincingly demonstrated. However, a sauna visit can improve sleep and that is indirectly beneficial for your muscle recovery.
Do not go to the sauna before, but after training. Are you still sweating from exercising? Then wait a while before you step into the sauna, so that you have cooled down a bit. Take a (cold) shower before entering the sauna.