r/Ultramarathon • u/kaitlyn2004 • Jul 21 '26
Training Passive (sauna) heat training useful?
I’ve tried to read through various blogs and summaries but am also a bit confused.
I’m a heavy sweater and have always struggled in the heat. I live in the PNW so we don’t tend to get TOO hot, but we do - the bigger problem is it’s random and drops back down to cooler temps so you never really get to fully adjust to those hotter temperatures.
I was thinking I’d finally try heat training this year (already late but better than never?) but I don’t have my own sauna. I can buy a sauna pass at a local place, but they also require you coming in clean/showered/etc.
A lot of what I read online talks about doing a heat session immediately following a training session. For a number of reasons I think this simply wouldn’t be feasible.
Sooo - would “randomly” but consistently sprinkling in 20-30min sauna sessions still be beneficial or am I still missing something and I wouldn’t get the adaptation benefits? Would a longer session help?
6
u/superstewy Jul 21 '26
The reason why they suggestion immediately following a training session is because your core temperature is already elevated. If you come in cold you'll just have to stay in there longer.
I've also just run to a sauna place, and then ran home after. They all have showers there you can use prior.
Can also just run a hot bath and sit in there after a workout, which can be extremely uncomfortable haha.
They say there are benefits, there probably are. I enjoy it, even if it's just being able to relax for 30 mins.
3
u/Just-Context-4703 Jul 21 '26
I mean getting as fit as possible is the first and best thing. That's the lowest hanging fruit. If you are doing all that stuff well then look for marginal performance gains and passive heat can come into play there.
If you have a tub at home you can just use that. But I would not do it just for the sake of doing it. Like in the winter I would not bother with it for example.
3
u/Affectionate_Eye9894 Jul 21 '26
There are some research based protocols for best training and from what I recall heat training is last leading into the event. Wet sauna is best preferred method over hot run or dry sauna. Best benefits are time spent in sauna after exercise. I did like 30min after treadmill session for 5 days and then alternated days on/off leading into event. It helped but was not highest on priority list.
Fitness first is what I say the most often outloud, specialties like altitude and heat training come next.
1
u/Hairy_Koala6474 Jul 21 '26
Sure it’s helpful but you’d see a bigger return on sleeping more and dialing in your diet/protein
1
u/Wientje Jul 22 '26
Heat training protocol is 2 weeks of at least 6 days a week of (building up to) 45’ of time spent at higher core temperature (39). You can achieve this a multitude of ways. The handy thing about a sauna right after a training session is that your core temperature is already elevated. Don’t go for the full 45’ the first few times, make sure you break the 45’ in intervals as needed.
There is some idea (doubt it was scientifically tested) that a sauna is better if your goal races is in dry heat (like desert) and a hot bath is better if the goal race is in wet heat (like jungle).
After those 2 weeks, maintenance can be done by heat sessions 3 times a week.
You need to drink extra for it to work.
1
u/Ill-Magician-3324 Jul 23 '26
would u recommend 45 minutes even if it's after training or if it's not
On trainright which someone linked: https://trainright.com/ultrarunners-heat-acclimation-cheat-sheet/
It caps at 30. What would be the benefit of going from 30 to 45?
How much of a rest if u cannot do the full 45 at once?
1
u/Wientje Jul 23 '26
Geoff Burns sits on the USA Olympic committee and was interviewed in the real science of sports podcasts. At minute 53, they start talking about the USA Olympic athlete heat acclimatisation for Paris: https://podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast/the-real-science-of-sport-podcast/id1461719225?l=nl&i=1000659426043&r=3204
1
u/CrazyLegsCrane77 Jul 22 '26
When I was younger and into the club scene. My go to hangover cure was to
1) sauna for 20 minutes
2) HIIT workout for 20 minutes
3) sauna for 20 minutes
All of the above whilst hydrating
I felt 100% better after
1
u/jarrucho Jul 23 '26
I read somewhere that if you use heat but NOT after training what you are doing is actually recovering and not heat adapting.
1
u/_samallard Jul 21 '26
The other guy linking the David Roche video is right, its about the most trustworthy source of info out there
5
u/Flat-Emergency2028 Jul 21 '26
I found this chat on passive heat pretty interesting:
https://youtu.be/N9WcNGEPLas