People often take drastic measures and do crazy things to speed up their weight loss journey. But you can’t just dismiss all these ideas as crazy without looking for some scientific proof.
When I first saw people at the gym wearing a sauna suit, I was skeptical, especially since fat oxidation is quite a complex metabolic process.
To find out if there really is an impact on improved fat loss and reduced body weight, our team did some research and testing with a neoprene sauna suit.
Here’s what we found.
Quick Summary
- Sauna suits can significantly add strain to the body during exercise and cause your core body temperature to rise.
- Wearing a sauna suit will make you drastically lose water weight, but when it comes to burning more fat, scientific results are mixed.
- Reducing your body fat percentage will take more than just sweating during your workouts, but there are still benefits.
Is A Sauna Suit Good For Weight Loss?
Yes, a sauna suit is good for weight loss, but it’s important to understand that most of it will be from losing water weight.
Essentially, the main thing that happens when you wear sauna suits is that you sweat a lot more which helps with weight loss.
The problem is that it’s just temporary weight loss, as you will have to make up for that water loss. As you drink more after training, your body will go back to the previous weight.
But there is some positive news about sauna suits.
One study shows sauna suits can impact your VO2 Max (the amount of oxygen you can utilize), and that can have significant benefits for cardiovascular health [1].
And a person's aerobic fitness level will help them to exercise more and at a higher intensity. And that’s what can help to accelerate weight loss.
Just make sure that you understand that the suit itself won’t help you with burning fat more effectively, but it will help with burning calories.
“The greatest improvement was seen in VO2max—a measurement of the maximum volume of oxygen that can be used during exercise, which is an important indicator of a person’s aerobic fitness level. Sauna-suit-wearing exercisers averaged 11.7% increase in VO2max from their baseline levels.”
- Lauren Cahn, Writer for rd.com
How Does A Sauna Suit Impact Your Body?
A sauna suit impacts your body by making it more difficult for sweat to cool you down. Normally, sweat will help to cool down your body temperature. But when sauna suits are worn underneath normal clothes, they will stop that cooling effect.
You end up sweating more, and your temperature stays elevated.
If this sounds uncomfortable, that’s because it is. But there are some benefits that you get from this.
One interesting study looked at the impact of wearing a sauna suit on cardiorespiratory fitness [2].
The study also showed that markers of cardiovascular disease significantly improved in the test group.
It seems like the increased body heat causes a lot more strain on the body to perform at optimum levels. And while it won’t instantly burn fat and help you lose weight, the improved heart health will improve your fitness levels and allow you to train a bit harder.
And that will slowly add up to a more fat loss.
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How Often Should You Wear One?
I would recommend that you wear a sauna suit two to three times a week during workouts. There are no exact guidelines or scientific research to identify the optimum number of times.
But having worked with clients who regularly wear sauna suits, they seem to get optimum health benefits by limiting it each week.
There’s also no evidence that increasing the number of times or the length of time will bring about more significant health improvements.
If you’re just starting with a sauna suit, then try it for just 20 minutes once a week to get used to it first.
FAQs
Do You Burn More Calories When Wearing A Sauna Suit?
Yes, you burn calories more effectively when wearing a sauna suit. But it’s important to note that this doesn’t automatically mean that it helps with fat reduction for weight loss. A lot of the lost weight is in the form of water.
Are Sauna Suits Safe?
Yes, sauna suits are generally safe. However, if you have underlying health conditions and are trying to lose weight to deal with those issues, then talk to your doctor first. Also, try to start with wearing one of these for 20 minutes at a time to get used to the effect.
Find Out How Sauna Suits Work For You
If you’re on a weight loss journey, then taking advantage of sauna suits could help with your cardiovascular health.
But I wouldn’t advise using them for permanent weight loss.
The impact isn’t great enough to help you lose weight, so you may use it for other health benefits.
To help you burn off fat more effectively, try taking some of the following fat burners.
These directly target your body’s fat metabolism, and over the weeks and months ahead, they can make a significant impact on your fat loss.
References:
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323523158_The_Performance_Benefits_of_Training_with_a_Sauna_Suit_A_Randomized_Controlled_Trial
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299486872_Effects_of_Exercise_Training_with_a_Sauna_Suit_on_Cardiovascular_Health_a_Proof-of-Concept_Study
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