Table of Contents
Hello and welcome to Grapplers Graveyard! We are the number one source of all things related to grappling, health, and fitness on the internet. Are you tired of the extra weight that just does not seem to come off? Or maybe you are wanting to cut weight for an upcoming fight. Whatever the reason, there is a reason you should be using a sauna suit to enhance your health and wellness. In this article, we will discuss the top 5 benefits of wearing a sauna suit! Let’s dive in!
Benefits of a Sauna Suit
Like the sauna, a sauna suit has many advantages that can improve the quality of your well-being. Because not everyone has access to a sauna, many opt for wearing a sauna suit to get in on the fun. There are also those who find the suit a better option than saunas.
It is obvious that sauna suits allow you to train under extreme conditions to intensify the workout. They build up your ability to train in the heat and perform any sort of grueling tasks in the hot weather. But this is just one of their many benefits.
Using a sauna suit means that you get the following benefits as well:
Increase Short-Term Water Weight Loss
Saunas make you sweat and the same goes for sauna suits. A sauna suit traps the body’s heat which causes you to sweat more but your sweat won’t evaporate due to the insulation of the suit. Your surface temperature will decrease as you sweat more profusely due to the exercise.
Basically, sauna suits are manufactured as non-breathable articles of clothing, the opposite of what athletes tend to wear while competing. As a result, the skin won’t be in contact with the outside air so you can shed those extra ‘lbs’ when you need to.
Increase Cardiovascular Performance
Sauna suits also come with cardiovascular health benefits. While exercising under heat therapy, the heart rate increases and more blood is pumped to supply the working muscles with more nutrients and remove the buildup of lactic acid.
So, you’re pushed to the max and your performance is enhanced. Studies have also shown that exercising while undergoing heat therapy enhances your cardiorespiratory fitness as it is known for triggering maximal oxygen uptake and more of it is successfully processed and utilized by the body.
Increase Muscle Gains
This is an underrated one but it is one of the great benefits of sauna suits. Sauna suits result in enhanced muscular hypertrophy which is the phenomenon of muscle growth. When you exercise in a sauna suit, your body will release heat shock proteins.
These are produced by the cells to deal with the metabolic stress received from the extra high temperatures while weightlifting in the suit. They are great because they heal and grow muscles and also protect them from damage.
Detox and Heat
Detoxification is when the body gets rid of bio-accumulated toxins. While sauna suits don’t detox you themselves, you can also count on these suits to remove harmful toxins from your body by utilizing the excessive sweating. Getting rid of the toxins can improve your health and your well-being as the body functions better.
Calorie Burning
If losing your body fat percentage is the goal, then a sauna suit can be used to burn even more calories while working out. The extra heat built up when you’re working out while wearing the suit, can help burn hundreds of bonus calories.
Also, there are some experts who say that the improvements in your cardiorespiratory fitness come with an enhanced ability to burn even more calories. As mentioned above, these improvements also come as a result of wearing a sauna suit while exercising.
However, you should remember that too much heat stress caused when the body temperature increases, can lead to a loss of metabolism and you might start to gain weight.
People Who Use Sauna Suits
With all the aforementioned benefits, sauna suits sound like a great investment. So, who are the people that these suits are catering to then? Well, sauna suits are considered a must have for anyone that’s trying to lose some pounds and/or trying to build up their endurance.
The following are some great examples of those who regularly use these suits:
Fighters & Martial Artists
Weight cutting in MMA is one of the most controversial topics in sports. This is because of the dangerous nature of combat sports – a weight advantage can make quite a difference which can cause the lighter fighter to get seriously injured.
Not being able to make weight can lead to fighters either losing a percentage of their hard-earned purse or it can lead to the whole fight being scrapped. Title matches are also turned into non-title bouts in case of a serious weight difference.
As a result, it’s not uncommon to see fighters (especially weight bullies) going through extreme measures to lose those extra pounds. A bad weight cut can even ruin the performance of your favorite fighter, no matter how skilled they are.
So, fighters often wear sauna suits for that short-term water weight loss just to make weight before the fight and then begin the rehydration process afterwards. These suits are one of the more subtle ways to do it as there are several horrific methods of weight cutting utilized.
Strength Athletes Looking to Make Weight
Powerlifters are some of the strongest athletes on the planet. They constantly defy the force of gravity to lift heavy weights. These men and women have high caloric intakes and they consume insane amounts of food. Also, they’re not really known for doing cardio.
This means that when they have to make weight for their competitions, they need to go all out. This is why they use sauna suits and other methods to lower their body weight just enough to be eligible for the competition.
Bodybuilders Looking to Cut
Bodybuilders have it even tougher as they need to lower their body fat percentage by insane amounts. While their bodies can be compared to the finest works of art on the planet, this isn’t the case when they’re off-season.
Off-season pictures of bodybuilding superstars such as Jay Cutler have gone viral when they are around 40-50 lbs overweight. Losing so much weight is not easy as they have to cut a lot in order to get lean. They also have to do this at least two months before competition.
As a result, sauna suits are one of their go-to methods to cut down to size. Working out while wearing these suits can lead to hundreds of extra calories being lost during (and even after) each workout. It also leads to muscle growth so that’s a bonus.
Individuals Looking to Lose Weight
From trying to look good (getting that summer body) to preventing health problems down the line, there are many reasons why people want to lose weight. However, the results might not be achieved as quickly as they hope and this is a major reason for demotivation.
Thankfully, sauna suits are considered to be cheat codes when it comes to burning calories. You enhance the effects of your exercise when you put them on which leads to extra calorie burns. If you’re short on time, then these suits will be a Godsend for you.
Fitness Enthusiasts
Whether you’re a fitness influencer or a fitness freak in general, sauna suits are great. This is especially true when you follow the ‘bulking and cutting’ philosophy. You bulk up during the winter as you eat everything in front of you to fuel your muscle growth.
Then, you cut the extra fat that you’ve gained so that you get the lean physique that you’ve been working hard for. Sauna suits will help you do the latter as they’re a tool for making your workouts more effective and hardcore.
3 Drawbacks and Risks of Wearing a Sauna Suit
Like everything else, sauna suits also have some disadvantages, which mainly stem from using them incorrectly. They are mostly related to the heat being trapped inside the suit and doing more harm than good. Try to skip the suit if you already have health problems.
When using the suit, make sure that you know the following:
Can Cause Severe Dehydration
While losing all that water weight sounds great, overdoing it can lead to dehydration – a potential drawback of the suit. This is why MMA organizations like the UFC don’t allow fighters to use IV therapy and those at ONE FC also need to undertake rehydration tests.
Furthermore, you also lose electrolytes along with water. These have a variety of important functions such as regulation of the fluid levels in the body, the acidity of the blood, and the control of all muscle contractions. Therefore you should always work out hydrated.
Overheating
Then there’s the overheating bit which means that you can also endure the symptoms of heat stroke. This is usually the case when you work out with the suit in a non-air-conditioned area. You need a flow of cool air to make contact with your skin to prevent this.
Once the body’s temperature rises to an extreme, you’ll get feverish and this can even cause seizures. Some of the body’s organs won’t be able to function anymore and they might even shut down. This is why it’s crucial to monitor yourself at all times, especially if you’re a beginner.
Restricted Movement while training
This can be said about any piece of clothing that you wear while working out, but it especially applies to sauna suits. This is because it cuffs you in several places which can lower your mobility a bit if you’re used to working out in less clothing.
This is why it is recommended that you pick the right size for yourself and pick from a reputable brand that makes comfier suits. Also, you shouldn’t tuck the upper body sauna suit into your pants as that can make things a lot more difficult.
FAQs
The following are some frequently asked questions in regards to sauna suits:
Does a sauna suit help burn fat?
Yes, if you use them right. Sauna suits are known to help reduce short-term body weight which is very beneficial for a massive group of people, i.e. athletes. However, the resultant heat therapy while you’re working out also benefits you as it burns extra calories along with the ones already being burnt from the exercise.
Do sauna suits actually work?
Yes, sauna suits do work and have many of the same benefits that saunas do. Research indicates that they help you lose extra weight (and body fat), enhance your cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory systems’ performances, and get rid of harmful toxins. Some researchers even say that they help you by enhancing muscle growth.
How often should you use a sauna suit?
Up to three workouts per week while wearing this restrictive heat loss attire can help the average joe shed some body fat.
How long can you wear a sauna suit?
You can use a sauna suit for as long as you wish – unless it starts causing hyperthermia. There are some factors that allow you to prolong usage such as your experience level, the material of the suit, the intensity of your exercises, and the environment.
Those just starting out are recommended to wear these suits for up to 10 minutes – 5 in some cases. Those with more experience can wear them for up to an hour.
