steam room before or after?

[MDAM21]

i have heard it is beneficial to hit the steam room before you work out becuase it gets the muscles loose and warms you up. but i haven't been able to find any cons, or pros for that matter, of going in the steam room after. you guys got any knowledge on this?

[Taleigh21]

I dont think I would go before, get all sweaty and hot, the go workout? I just do like 12 min of cardio to warm up the muscles.

[Stonecold54]

Originally posted by MDAM21
i have heard it is beneficial to hit the steam room before you work out becuase it gets the muscles loose and warms you up. but i haven't been able to find any cons, or pros for that matter, of going in the steam room after. you guys got any knowledge on this?

I don't think it matters one way or another. Best way to find out is to do it both ways and see how you feel after each experiment.

[ZHowitzer!]

hmmm...I am going to try and make this short.


Heating the body from external to core is NOT the way to properly "warm" your muscles and joints.

You want to do a 7-10 min moderate intensity TOTAL body warmup. (run/walk/eliptical/whatever). Not only does it raise your core temp, burn 1 or maybe2 cals, and help your body get into the actual state to do some work, it also helps to lube your joints and can give you something to think about (right foot, left foot, right foot...etc) that will help you clear your mind for the task at hand.

why do race cars take warm up laps instead of sit under heat lamps...wait...why is driving in a circle a sport?


anyway...sweat from environmental heat is a bit different from biothermal energy. I do advocate external heat applied to a tweaked/sore muscle or injured ligament prior to the warmup...but applied specificly using a hydroculator pad or warm water.

on a side note...at an Upper End health club (not a gym by any stretch) that i worked at they had an entire team of tri-bathaletes. these old ass men would fearlessly compete by first getting in the steam, then the whirl pool and finally to the shower as they completed the daily tri-bathalon!!!! then would promptly smoke their 3 inch thick cigars and go have sex with someone other than their wife.

[Shibby]

Originally posted by ZHowitzer!
on a side note...at an Upper End health club (not a gym by any stretch) that i worked at they had an entire team of tri-bathaletes. these old ass men would fearlessly compete by first getting in the steam, then the whirl pool and finally to the shower as they completed the daily tri-bathalon!!!! then would promptly smoke their 3 inch thick cigars and go have sex with someone other than their wife.

lol, I have heard of it as The Executive Workout.

I havn't really read up on it in a long time, but I remeber knowing something about the steam room dehydrating you differently than exercise and can increase the chance of injury. Don't know how true it is, but may be something to look into.

[MDAM21]

oh. ok. well i dont use it anyways, but now i defenitly wont.

[Severedties]

If only you knew what goes on in the steam room at most gyms. You wouldn't even consider going in one.

[Wolfhound]

I stopped using the steamroom after I kept breaking out with acne from all the bacteria