Sauna Recovery: How to Use it Properly

Dropping weight in the sauna…

This isn’t an an argument about whether you should or should not use one. I see both the benefits and flaws in doing so, but the answer largely depends on your REASON for using a sauna and the preparation you’ve done up to that point.

With the amount of self-proclaimed "sauna experts" there are in the sport of wrestling, many of us are taught how to use the sauna that doesn't make sure we get the most benefit out of each time we’re in there.

The Myth

The myth is this: the more clothes you wear, the more you sweat.

This is most definitely NOT true and here’s why. In the sauna, you sweat because the heat absorbed by your skin increases your body temperature, and to cool it down your body sweats and releases heat through evaporation and water release.

When you’re wearing multiple layers of clothes, your CLOTHES absorb the heat and in turn your body takes much longer to heat up. Second, when you do start to sweat your body can’t release heat due to being blocked by all the clothes. This is why people wearing full sweats in saunas can sit in there for hours and not lose much water weight. They were taught wrong and doomed from the start.

The better way is to wear no layers and go shirtless with shorts, allowing as much skin to be exposed as possible. By doing so, you allow your skin to absorb the heat and give it the space it needs to sweat productively and more quickly.

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The next time you go to drop weight, don't wear three layers of clothing and try a better way.

If you have any other tips on using a sauna or questions I can help answer, feel free to comment below or message me!