Strength Made SimpleEfficacy of Sauna Use in Athletic Populations and What are the Major Benefits?

Introduction

• Background – Anecdotal Evidence

• Physiological Responses

• Research – Limitations?

• Personal Experience!

• Pros & Cons

• Protocols

Background

• Sauna Use Dates Back 100 Years BC

• Most Notably Used in Scandinavia – Finland

• Anecdotal Benefits are Believed to be:

- Burns calories

- Increases blood circulation

- Leads to a deep and comfortable sleep

- Helps in muscle relaxation

- Discharges harmful toxins

- Cleans the sweat pores

- Decreases stress

Physiological Responses

• There is Some Evidence That Saunas Maybe of Benefit to Athletes, by 3 Main Mechanisms

• Improving Endurance• Improving Hypertrophy and/or Body Comp• Recovery Regenesis

Physiological Responses

Improving Endurance• Most Relevant Research

• Increased Plasma Volume• Increased Red Blood Cell Count• Increased Blood Flow to Heart & Skeletal Muscle• Improved Thermoregulatory Control• Higher Sweat Rate• Reduced Perception of Fatigue

Research

• 6 Well Trained Runners, performed 30min Sauna after training sessions (6-7/wk) for 3 weeks – Reduced 5km time by 1.9% (Scoon et al. 2007) – Likened to effects of EPO!

• 41 Chronic Heart failure patients, performed 15min Sauna 5/wk for 3 weeks – Significant improvement in time to exhaustion and VO2max (Ohori et al. 2011)

• Increased frequency of sauna bathing is associated with a reduced risk Cardiac mortality (Laukannen et al. 2015)

Physiological Responses

Hypertrophy/Body-CompositionSauna use is THOUGHT to increase muscle hypertrophy by increasing net protein synthesis through three important mechanisms:

• Induction of Heat Shock Proteins• Increase of Growth Hormone• Improved Insulin Sensitivity

Mechanisms that Protein Synthesis & Protein Degradation

Research

• 30min Intermittent Heat Treatment resulted in 30% more muscle regrowth than control after immobilisation in RATS! (Selsby et al. 2007)

• 2x 20min Saunas (80°C) seperated by 30min cooling doubled growth hormone levels over baseline (Kukkonen-Harjula et al. 1989)

• 2x 15min Saunas (100°C) seperated by 30min cooling resulted in 5 fold increase in growth hormone (Kukkonen-Harjula et al. 1989)

• 2x 60min sauna sessions a day at 80°C (176°F) dry heat (extreme) for 7 days was shown to increase growth hormone by 16-fold on the third day (Leppaluoto et al. 1986)

• 30min Sauna 3x/wk for 12wks resulted in a 31% decrease in insulin levels and a significant reduction in blood glucose levels, suggesting re-sensitization to insulin in MICE (Kokura et al. 2007)

Physiological Responses

Recovery/Regenisis• Release of Heat Shock Proteins Effects on Net Protein

Synthesis have a Profound Effect on Detrained Muscle in Animal Studies

• Heat stress has been shown to increase the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) (Goekint et al. 2011)

These Reasons Make a Valid Argument for Sauna Use with Injured Athletes?

Research - Limitations

• Mostly Small Sample Size

• Few Athletic Populations

• Many Animal Studies

• May Effect Certain Hormone Concentrations etc. But Doesn’t Give Exact Outcome

Do Repeat Sauna Exposures Result in Improved Strength & Hypertrophy in Athletes, Compared to

Control Group?

Personal Experiences

• Progressed from 15min-30min Exposure 3x/Wk

• Became Mentally Challenging During Last 5mins!

• Pins & Needles Towards the End!

• Adapted Quickly

• Found it Easier Post Exercise

• Had to Ensure Hydration Before/During/After

• Noticed No Negative Effects on Training/Energy Levels

Pros & Cons

Pros Cons

Cheap & Easy to Implement Risk of Dehydration

Strong Evidence Base (Endurance) Duration of Exposure

Generally Players Enjoy! Adherence to Protocols? Mentally Tough!!

Can be Used to HRV More Research into Hypertrophy etc.

Can be Individualised May Decrease Sperm Count! (Periodise?)

Ideal for Rehab/Limited Training Important to Remember it is an Extra Stress

Protocols

Ensure Proper Hydration at All Times!!

• 20-30mins Intermittent – Adapted to Individual Tolerance• 10-15mins Post Workout (Rehab Swim)• Minimal Training – Progress to 2x Exposures with 30min

Cooling Between• Klokov – 7-10mins Post Training Followed by Cold

Shower/Plunge

• 2-3x/wk Begin @ 10mins, +5min/wk• Need to Periodise?

Questions???

Interview With Dr Rhonda Cohen:

http://fourhourworkweek.com/2014/04/10/saunas-hyperthermic-conditioning-2

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References:

• Goekint, M., Roelands, B., Heyman, E., Njemini, R. & Meeusen, R. (2011) Influence of citalopram and environmental temperature on exercise-induced changes in BDNF. Neuroscience letters 494, 150-154.

• Kokura, S. et al. 2007 Whole body hyperthermia improves obesity-induced insulin resistance in diabetic mice. International journal of hyperthermia : the official journal of European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology, North American Hyperthermia Group 23, 259-265

• Kukkonen-Harjula, K. et al. (1989). Haemodynamic and hormonal responses to heat exposure in a Finnish sauna bath. European journal of applied physiology and occupational physiology 58, 543-550

• Laukkanen T, Khan H, Zaccardi F, Laukkanen JA. Association Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality Events. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(4):542-548.

• Leppaluoto, J. et al. (1986) Endocrine effects of repeated sauna bathing. Acta physiologica Scandinavica 128, 467-470.

• Ohori T., Nozawa T., Ihori H., Shida T., Sobajima M., Matsuki A., Yasumura S., Inoue H. Effect of repeated sauna treatment on exercise tolerance and endothelial function in patients with chronic heart failure 2012. American Journal of Cardiology,  109  (1) , pp. 100-104.

• Scoon GS, Hopkins WG, Mayhew S, Cotter JD. Effects of post-exercise sauna bathing on the endurance performance of competitive male runners. J Sci Med Sport 2007. 10 (4)

• Selsby, J. T. et al. (2007). Intermittent hyperthermia enhances skeletal muscle regrowth and attenuates oxidative damage following reloading. J Appl Physiol (1985) 102, 1702-1707

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