Skip to main content

The 5 benefits of infrared sauna workouts you need to know

inside of infrared sauna
Lukas Kubica/Unsplash / Unsplash

Between the newest diets and fitness crazes, it can be challenging to differentiate between real and fake. While there’s nothing quite like your favorite cardio and strength training, there’s a new alternative to these workouts that’ll have you breaking a sweat. Infrared sauna workouts are the newest fitness gyms that kick up your typical workouts and give you an added layer of difficulty that does more than help you build muscle and lose weight. 

Working inside a sauna gym, you not only have the difficulty of the expected cardio, strength training, or HIIT workouts, but you also get elevated temperatures that can cause lots of sweating. While this can help you shed those extra pounds quicker, these sauna workouts are known for delivering plenty more benefits. While helping you lose weight, these workouts can help regulate and detox many aspects of your body, proving to be much more than just an ordinary workout. 

man's back with sweat
HUUM/Unsplash / Unsplash

Calorie burning

Infrared sauna workouts can be the right place to start for those wanting to shed a few more stubborn pounds. While not a quick weight loss tool, infrared saunas can increase your metabolism, which can help you manage your weight over time. One study by Binghamton University in New York found that continued infrared sauna workouts helped reduce body fat weight by 4 percent compared to those who did not. While this study is only one sample, it does help to understand how an increased body temperature could lead to losing body fat over time. 

As a short-term option, infrared sauna workouts can help those who deal with bloating or need to get rid of excess water weight quickly. Working out in a sauna, you tend to sweat out excess amounts of your weight weight quickly. While you typically replace this loss once you rehydrate, it does help on those days you’re feeling a little extra bloating. Overall, infrared sauna workouts aren’t a long-term weight loss tool, but the increased calorie burning that leads to body fat and water weight loss can be a bonus to the many other benefits of this workout craze.

man with sweat on his face
Nathan Dumlao/Unsplash / Unsplash

Dextofication

While you won’t lose your desired weight overnight with an infrared sauna workout, more benefits set the foundation for a healthy and happy body. One of the ways it does this is through the process of detoxification. Since sweating can help release some of the toxins in your body, infrared sauna workouts can give you the extra push you need to release toxins keeping you down. Since infrared saunas use light to heat your body’s core temperatures, you can expel more toxins from deeper inside your body instead of just heating the air. With an infrared sauna, you can penetrate up to three inches inside your body via sweat to help get rid of toxins and heavy metals inside. 

man sweating in gym
Annushka Ahuja/Pexels / Pexels

Increases workout intensity

While those used to intense workouts may not find much difference, infrared sauna workouts can provide an easy way to increase workout intensity for those beginning their fitness journey or have other limitations. Compared to a moderate workout, training in an inferred sauna can be perfect for those who can’t enjoy HIIT or other intense workout exercises in their daily workouts. Instead, exposing yourself to higher temperatures can help increase your heart rate to the point where you’ll find yourself experiencing a higher intensity with the same exercises you’re used to. 

Since infrared workouts feel more intense than they might be, they can also help you feel better about your workouts and give you a better mood afterward. It’s known that exercising helps release endorphins that can improve your mood; giving yourself the extra push of higher core temperatures can contribute to this and give you a better post-workout feel. 

man stretching muscles
Cottonbro Studio/Pexels / Pexels

Muscle recovery

One of the cons of intense workouts is the post-workout recovery that comes along with it. If you aren’t used to higher intensity, your muscles can feel sore and tired the next day. Not only does this make you feel fatigued, but it can deter your motivation to work again. One of the benefits of infrared sauna workouts is the rapid muscle recovery that comes with it. 

By reducing the stress on nerve endings, you can lessen the soreness in your muscles, which can get you back into your daily routine quicker. Without the typical soreness of working out, you can continue your fitness journey without a hitch. This reduced inflammation can also contribute to a better mood since you won’t deal with that post-workout pain. 

man wearing heart rate monitor
Luismi Sanchez/Unsplash / Unsplash

Increases circulation and heart rate

One of the most known benefits of training in an infrared sauna is improved circulation and heart rate. We know that an increased heart rate helps with burning calories and shedding water weight, improving your circulation can be a subtle yet crucial benefit of this exercise. 

It’s known that warm body tissues can help improve blood flow throughout your body and muscle cells. When your blood cells dilate, this helps the blood flow through your entire body and gives you an extra push and refresh. With this improved blood circulation, your muscles will receive more oxygen and nutrients to help them sustain you throughout your exercises. It’s not unlikely to find you’re able to push yourself harder throughout your infrared sauna workout than you would outside of it. 

While improved blood circulation, increased heart rate, quick muscle recovery, and higher workout intensity are valuable benefits, it’s vital to keep hydrated throughout your infrared sauna workout. As imagined, infrared saunas can make you sweat plenty throughout your workout, meaning you’ll need to rehydrate to replace those valuable nutrients and keep your body balanced. 

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Leslie Leon
Leslie is a Los Angeles-based writer and content creator. She is always researching and finding the latest fashion trends…
6 essential exercises that will help you get better at pull ups
Level-up your pull-up game with these 6 essential exercises
Man doing pull-ups on silver bar in gym shirtless wearing gloves

Pull-ups are a supreme exercise for bulking up and strengthening your upper body. You use your pulling muscles to pull your entire body weight up until your chin is just above the bar. A pull-up is more difficult and advanced than other exercises like chin-ups. We’ve found the six best exercises to help you get better at pull-ups so you can obtain the most benefit from this advanced movement.
What are the benefits of pull-ups?

The pull-up showcases your strength as you haul yourself up to the bar; it also specifically targets your pulling muscles, such as your trapezius and biceps. Pull-ups are an upper body strength training exercise that depends on the shoulder, back, arm, and grip strength, as well as a stable core. 

Read more
5 delicious carnivore diet snacks you can take on-the-go
Beef jerky.

The carnivore diet comes in many forms, ranging from strictly red meat and water to more flexible forms that allow for snacks. As a diet that allows only for the consumption of animal products, sticking to the carnivore diet while traveling can be slightly tricky. Yet, with some preparation and research, it's more than possible. You may just find that locating carnivore diet snacks is easier than you'd think. Check out a few of the best snacks worth adding to your carnivore diet food list and perfect for on-the-go.
Can you have snacks on a carnivore diet?
Similar to the ketogenic diet, several levels of the carnivore diet vary in restrictiveness. Those on a strict carnivore diet may only consume one or two meals per day with no snacking in between. Typically, those on a more restrictive form of a carnivore diet stick only with consuming ruminant meat and avoid eggs, dairy products, or other animal-based products or snacks. On the other hand, a more relaxed carnivore diet allows for carnivore diet snacks, making it easier to stick with for a longer period.
5 best carnivore diet snacks

Are you heading into a convenience store or looking for a carnivore-friendly snack at the airport? These best carnivore diet snacks are easy to find anywhere and perfect for sticking to your diet plan.
Beef jerky
Beef jerky is perhaps one of the most obvious go-to snack options on a carnivore diet, as it's simply meat that has been dried and preserved. You can also find beef sticks, turkey sticks, and other kinds of meat snacks pretty easily at convenience or grocery stores. Beef jerky makes for a great carnivore snack provides a solid amount of healthy protein to keep your hunger satiated and is extremely low in carbs.

Read more
5 incredible resistance band exercises for stronger glutes
Learn how to grow your glutes
Man Doing Bridge Exercise with Resistance Band

Incorporating glute band exercises into your workout routine could be a game changer for enhancing glute strength and definition. The glutes are made of three muscles: the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and gluteus maximus. Resistance bands offer multiple exercises to provide constant tension to each muscle for growth.

There are different types of resistance bands based on strength levels and functional design. Ranging from booty bands, which are short and wrapped around the thighs, to longer multi-purpose bands, these tools can fit into different positions. 

Read more