For many bodybuilders and some athletes who need to meet their weight class requirements, the cutting phase of their training can be gruesome. The need to operate in daily life and continue to train on a calorie deficiency is tedious and often uncomfortable. While saunas can make this cutting phase easier, it is not for the reasons most people believe. Sure, a sauna just before weighing in or prior to stepping on to the stage to present can help to eliminate some extra water weight, but the real reason saunas help so much during a cutting phase is because they can burn a lot of calories and help push the individual into a deeper caloric deficit.
Ideally the calories used during a sauna could help to take the load off of eating restrictions and help make the cutting phase just a little more pleasant. In addition to helping individuals burn through calories for weight loss, saunas, particularly infrared saunas, can help with protein synthesis to help maintain muscle mass even if an individual is lifting a little less.
In short, a sauna may become your best friend during a cutting phase for two reasons. Sauna use can help you burn through more calories for weight loss, and secondly sauna use can help maintain muscle mass. There are a few precautions to consider when using a sauna during the cutting phase. Namely, hydration, it is imperative that hydration levels are maintained while sauna use is engaged. Allowing oneself to become overly dehydrated can actually cause the body to retain water, which works against many of the goals the individual engaged in cutting.
Sauna use can drastically improve the effects from the cutting phase of your training, but hydration levels must be maintained. It is a major misconception that saunas help as a weight loss strategy because of the water lost through sweat. It is true that the average person will lose about a pint of water per sauna session, but this is not where the weight is lost. So, if you plan to use a sauna during a cutting phase, please be sure to maintain appropriate levels of hydration at all times for safety’s sake, and to ensure that your body does not retain fluid.
Find out how to use a sauna as a companion during the cutting phase of your training for maximum benefit and learn the scientific data to support this methodology.
What is the Cutting Phase of Training?
The cutting phase of training comes after the bulking phase. If caloric intake increased significantly during the bulking phase, then the opposite occurs during the cutting phase. Cutting is primarily defined by calorie restriction to the point that the individual is operating at a caloric deficit during this phase. While training continues it may become difficult to continue to lift as heavy as one did during the bulking phase.
According to the publication Healthline in their article entitled ‘Bulking vs. Cutting: Pros, Cons, and Comparison’ (1) cutting is defined succinctly by its authors when they write this.
“A cut is a period of eating in a calorie deficit to lose body fat while maintaining as much muscle mass as possible.
While resistance training continues to play a role during a cutting phase, you may not be able to lift weights as intensely as during a bulk.
This is due to several factors, though the main one is that you have less energy available.
Bodybuilders and athletes often implement a cutting phase following a period of bulking, or leading up to a competition or the start of their competitive season.” (1)
An easy way to figure out what would put an individual into a calorie deficit is to find out how many calories the individual needs daily for maintenance. Everyone is different, and has unique energy needs, so what puts one person into a caloric deficit may not be the same as another. That being said, a general rule of thumb to follow is fairly simple, consume about 500 calories under what is needed to maintain body weight.
Interestingly, an infrared sauna session will burn, in general, 500 calories per hour. (2) Now, the key is that most people cannot safely stay inside a traditional sauna at a high heat for more than 20-30 minutes. If you are looking to burn calories and stay in a sauna for as close to an hour as possible then it may be best to choose an infrared sauna. Or take breaks from the traditional sauna in a cold plunge, and do two to three separate sessions, in a traditional sauna.
***To access the sauna calorie burning calculator please scroll down to citations at the bottom of this article and click on the link in the second source cited.
It may be possible to reduce some of the stress of minimizing calorie intake via food by burning more calories in a sauna, but this is just one way that saunas can help make cutting a little easier.
How Can Saunas Improve the Cutting Phase of Training?
- Burn More Calories For Weight Loss: Thermoregulation Energy Expenditure
- Muscle Maintenance: Protein Synthesis & Muscle Recovery
Cutting is very hard and challenging for most people, so any activity that can make this phase of training just a little bit easier is welcome. Saunas ask very little of their users, yet by just sitting in a relatively relaxing and comfortable environment it is possible to address the two primary goals of cutting: First, burn more calories everyday in a sauna, and second, maintain as much muscle mass as possible through protein synthesis during a sauna session.
Sauna bathing addresses the two primary needs of the athlete or body builder during the cutting phase of their training cycle. First, as mentioned earlier, saunas burn a lot of calories which will help individuals to lose weight without having to reduce food intake by as much as they normally would during a cutting phase. Of course, there will still need to be calorie restriction, but saunas can help to mitigate this somewhat.
Sauna use requires significant energy because of the act of thermoregulation. The reason why saunas are considered as an excellent weight loss technique is because the hormetic effect of the deliberate heat exposure enlists the thermoregulatory system. The cooling of the body costs a lot of energy, just like your AC unit in your home or office building. Humans need to stay as close to 98.6 degrees as possible at all times. During the sauna when internal temperature rises up to an artificial fever the thermoregulatory system is enlisted, and this action causes perspiration, but also a strong aerobic response. All of this, in short, calls upon energy to get the body’s temperature back to equilibrium.
If an athlete adds a cold plunge into the mix, and drops the body temperature, it requires significant energy, or calories to bring the core temperature back up. So if weight loss is the name of the game, be sure to combine your sauna use with cold therapy to burn the most amount of calories.
Another major goal, outside of weight loss for someone who is cutting, is the ability to actually maintain muscle. Sauna use can help maintain muscle mass in two primary ways: First, recovery is faster when circulation improves from sauna use, and second during an infrared sauna protein synthesis occurs to actually increase muscle volume.
Sauna use, as well as deliberate cold exposure causes the blood flow to move to the peripheral areas of the body including the muscles, and away from the internal organs. (3) Ultimately, for the body builder or athlete this means that muscles are better able to repair and recover from workouts. Muscle recovery is important during cutting, and sauna use is one way to improve muscle repair after lifting.
Additionally, exposure to infrared light as seen in a full spectrum infrared sauna, or during a session in front of a ‘red light therapy’ device, helps with protein synthesis. The phototherapy known as photobiomodulation causes protein biogenesis, which can actually increase muscle volume by up to 20% according to recent research. (4)
A study published by the National Institute of Health entitled ‘Effects of Light-Emitting Diode Therapy on Muscle Hypertrophy, Gene Expression, Performance, Damage, and Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness’ (4) followed two 19 year old genetically identical twin athletes in Brazil. One twin was exposed to actual near infrared light while the other was exposed to a simple red light after workouts. The results showed a clinically significant increase in muscle volume for the twin who was exposed to near infrared light (photobiomodulation), compared to his brother who was only exposed to non-penetrative light wavelengths.
The authors of the study found that the results of exposure to photobiomodulation affected muscles in these ways.
“Recently, photobiomodulation in the form of low-level laser therapy and light-emitting diode therapy (LEDT) has been applied over human skeletal muscles before or after bouts of exercises in order to (i) accelerate muscle recovery, (ii) protect against muscle damage induced by exercise, and (iii) improve performance, such as increasing muscle strength and fatigue resistance.” (4)
This study found that exposure to near infrared light after a workout increased muscle volume by 20% which is a 15% increase when compared to no exposure to near infrared light. Here is how the authors describe this outcome.
“There was an increase in the volume in thigh muscles measured by MRI when LEDT was combined with the training program (+20%, from 2937 to 3523 cm3), whereas placebo therapy gave a smaller increase in muscle volume (+5%, from 3152 to 3316 cm3).” (4)
According to the researchers, the conclusion of this study found that simply by adding exposure to near infrared light after a workout it was possible to not only maintain muscle mass, but actually increase volume.
“Light-emitting diode therapy can be useful to reduce muscle damage, pain, and atrophy, as well as to increase muscle mass, recovery, and athletic performance in rehabilitation programs and sports medicine.” (4)
What does all of this mean for someone who is trying to cut? It simply means that if you are able to sit in front of near infrared light for 20 minutes after a workout, it may be possible to increase muscle mass even if you are lifting less.
During a cutting phase of an athlete’s training it is likely that they can rely on the use of a sauna, particularly infrared saunas to help lose weight through caloric expenditure, and improve protein synthesis to maintain muscle volume even if they are lifting less.
How to Safely Incorporate Sauna Use Into the Cutting Phase of Your Training
If you dislike the cutting phase of training as much as most people, consider using a sauna to help make this section of time more bearable, but moreover, make this cutting phase the most successful one of your training career.
Recipe For Sauna Use For Weight Loss During the Cutting Phase of Training
In order to burn 500 calories during a sauna session you will need to sit inside the sauna for 1 hour. There are two ways to do this. First, you can use an infrared sauna which is easier to be inside of for such a long time period because the air is kept at a lower ambient temperature even if your core temperature is not. Or, conversely, if you use a traditional Finnish sauna then you could use it in intervals of 20 minutes and go in 3 separate times.
Additionally, if you add cold exposure you will burn more calories. So, for the purpose of weight loss to reach a calorie deficit, use the sauna for 1 hour, and make sure you end with a cold plunge so that you burn calories by bringing your body temperature back up to a healthy range.
Recipe For Sauna Use For Protein Synthesis and Muscle Volume Increase During the Cutting Phase of Training
For this you will need a full spectrum infrared sauna that includes near infrared light. If you have this available you can combine your sauna with your light therapy. If not, then you will need a light panel that includes near infrared light. After completing your workout as soon after as is possible sit in front of the near infrared lights for around 20 minutes. If you are combining your sauna use with this, then the extra time will not put you at a deficit.
The most challenging part of using a sauna for anyone is dehydration. So unless it is right before you weigh in for a competition or step up on the stage, please take your hydration seriously. You will also need to include magnesium supplementation, as well as low calorie electrolyte drinks.
Cutting for muscle development is not for everyone. Saunas.org recognizes that many people are using cutting as a strategy for their athletic performance and this article is simply designed to help this demographic along the way to make this stage easier. If you experience dizziness or light headedness during your cutting phase please consult with a medical practitioner. Be very careful during cutting phases, your health is more important than a trophy.
Sources Cited:
- Bulking vs. Cutting: Pros, Cons, and Comparison: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/bulking-vs-cutting#what-is-bulking
- Sauna Calories Burned Calculator: https://www.omnicalculator.com/sports/sauna-calories-burned
- Health effects of voluntary exposure to cold water – a continuing subject of debate: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9518606/
- Effects of Light-Emitting Diode Therapy on Muscle Hypertrophy, Gene Expression, Performance, Damage, and Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5026559/