Roast My Sauna Protocol

Training
1

Hey Y’all!

For the last 2 months I have started toying with sustainable and functional methods for me to try and slowly build up heat adaptations while also doing a trainer road plan. It has boiled down to this:

3 out of every 7 days I am doing 30 minutes in a 110F (43.3 C) collapsible steam sauna, with my core temp (measured orally every 5 minutes) elevating from about 98F up to 102F (36.6c-38.8c) over that 30 minute period, and my heart rate elevating from mid 40’s to mid 90’s. I just sit in the sauna and watch ‘ask a cycling coach’ videos so overall a relaxing experience. Afterward I am aggressive with rehydrating.

These sessions feel short, but definitely at the end start feeling borderline ‘too hot’. They are never so taxing I can’t do a hard ride the next day. I sweat a lot in them, and while I could go longer I worry my core temp will rise too much.

This method feels appropriate for a few reasons:

-It is very repeatable and easy for me to add in these sessions with my current work schedule (24 hr shifts as a firefighter)

-I don’t spend too long at too high of a temperature so while I feel fatigued afterward, its never so much that I cant ride hard the next day.

When I have experimented with longer but cooler session (100-105 for an hour) it seems to do about the same, and my HR and core temp still only rise to those same 102F and 90bpm.

When I have experimented with longer hotter sessions or stacking sessions with multiple activities (like a bike, run, climb, AND sauna day) it really wears me out for the next day, so its not very sustainable on ‘big’ days.

The TR episode with Dr. Chris Minson kind of guided me this direction, as he was saying heat training is something you should do year-round and sustainably, and so far this feels like a vey sustainable way to stress my body, but not over stress it.

My biggest concern would be that I’m not doing enough. I live in Bellingham, WA and it never really gets hot here and my performance has measurably suffered when going to hotter climates. I do plan to integrate some fan-less trainer rides instead of a sauna session to better practice getting hot while riding, but Im nervous to overdo it.

2026 has Unbound XL on the race docket for me, and integrating heat training is something I really want to do right.

I wanted to pitch this out to the TR community to see if this seems reasonable to you all or like a waste of time, and what you all have experimented with successfully for non-pro-home-heat training.

Attached is a screen shot of a normal few training weeks for me, with red dots signifying when I would sauna for 30 minutes post-ride or on rest days (the days after work I always sauna, and the red ‘work’ labelled days are 24 hr periods, so Im at work from 8a the labelled day until 8a the next day, and when I get home I’m usually sleep deprived and exhausted, thus easy rides and sauna days. Ignore the yellow labels, thats my wife’s schedule….and she thinks I’’m crazy for doing this).

Screenshot 2026-02-13 at 3.47.37 PM
Screenshot 2026-02-13 at 3.47.37 PM2476×1790 367 KB

Thanks!

-Parker

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2

I think the frequency seems good, I have noticed with 3x a week its a good heat loading and seems to help leading up to a trips to Caribbean, HI or FL etc. Maintenance for me seems to help at 1-2x a week. However I go with a more 'hard days hard’ situation, with the ultimate goal of heat stress that triggers high core temp for awhile, so a nice hot sauna at the gym for 20-30min, HR easily gets into the 120-140bpm by the end (resting 47, max 193). So by 15min i am dripping profusely, noticing shortness of breath, by 20-25’ feeling HR ‘issues’ lol and maybe even hints of what I call ‘butteryfly’s all over me’ feeling (like tingly but more fluttery…lol). Before it gets that bad I try to take short 1min recoveries out on pool deck walking, maybe rinse off with warm shower water, then get back in sauna. Idea of getting core at a very warm Temp, for as long as possible, those 1min breaks don’t drop core much at all, before back into the heat.
Timing of mine are pretty random and like you say it doesn’t seem to effect my other training much. I still hit my workouts (i have around 24hr between the evening sauna and next evening hard intervals). Figure my indoor treadmill or indoor trainer rides also supplement the heat training a little cuz no matter what, it gets very warm even on endurance rides (unlike outside).

So my only roast is it seems you are limiting the temperature & stress maybe a bit? IDK - but if you don’t feel a bit faded in the hour/hours after sauna… i’d be hard pressed to say it was a significant message signaler to the body. Ymca sauna is 165 on gauge that has been replaced somewhat recent. Plus was reviewing a airplane parts bonding ‘warming room’ at a production facility recently set to 175° (very monitored)… felt like the sauna, was expecting worse (cuz so close to boiling temperature!). So it seems to track YMCA sauna, so the idea of just 100-110° , not sure how steamy the steam is - compared to people spraying water on the rocks of sauna intermittently.
Maybe push the effort a bit more when it is further from a hard workout?

3

Doing those long sessions is useful for getting physiological adaptations beneficial for performance and longevity, but for heat adaptation you probably want to increase the frequency even if they’re shorter 10-15 min sessions on your other days.

4

Most of the research uses temps around 160-175 deg F, with health and performance benefits occurring in a sweet spot of 4x/week at around 20 min. I’m not sure if the temps you are doing are enough to stimulate the physiological changes associated with sauna training (increased blood volume, increased heat shock protein production, increased testosterone etc); it may, however, be fine for heat acclimation

5

Hey Austin,

My understanding is that the temperatures you are describing are for dry sauna. A wet sauna at 100% humidity and at 200 degrees F would only be 12 degrees short of boiling your body :sweat_smile:

Below are google AI’s findings when looking at published NIH papers on wet vs dry temps:

Key Considerations for Heat Training:

  • Wet Sauna (Steam Room) (100–120°F, 100% Humidity): More effective at raising internal body temperature quickly, which is critical for heat acclimation. It is often more comfortable for breathing, as the moisture helps open airways.

  • **Dry Sauna (160–200°F, 10-20% Humidity):**Provides a more intense, dry heat, ideal for cardiovascular conditioning and muscle recovery. It produces a higher volume of sweat to help with metabolic detoxification.

  • Physiological Impact: Studies show that while both are effective, wet saunas create a more intense “heat strain” on the body, which can be advantageous for rapid heat training adaptations.

Here is a link to the NIH study on wet vs dry and showcasing the temperature differences between the two:

6

Yes. The big studies come from Scandinavian countries; I’ve only seen dry sauna studies, none on steam rooms or infrared. There’s much more recent, comprehensive studies showing both health benefits (reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative conditions etc), as well as measuring biomarkers related to sport performance. American biologist named Rhonda Patrick who summarizes the studies pretty thoroughly. Definitely putting a dry sauna in my retirement house

7

At the end in this German podcast episode World tour pro Georg Steinhauser said (around 68 minutes in) he puts his trainer in the bathroom, uses the hot shower to get some humidity, puts on thick clothes and his protocol aims for 50min with body temperature 38.5°C.

8

Very common heat training protocol, not fun, not pleasant but effective.

9

Exactly what he said…not fun at all but he has sensed it to be effective.

10

Yep, my experience has be similar. I don’t know if they covered it but hydration is so important during/after. It’s super easy to come out dehydrated and not notice it, then you get a huge negative impact from the fatigue. Makes it much less worthwhile.

11

Exactly. He said he drinks 1.5 liters during and still is 1.5kg lighter than before the session.

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12

I don’t drop quite as much but during a 1hr heat session I tend to lose 2-2.5kg and take on 1.5kg. Then at least another 1-2kg in the hour or so after. It’s wild how much you can sweat in only an hour.

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