Infrared fitness training is most effective when performed inside of a properly designed sauna. When the patented design for the HOTWORX workout sauna was created, the first consideration, and perhaps the most important, was how to lay out the dimensions that would yield the most effective infrared workout results that were possible. There were more questions that had to be answered, including: How close should the customer be to the infrared heaters and where should those heaters be placed? What type of workouts should be practiced in the sauna? How can we create the right motivational vibe? How many clients should be inside of this newly invented workout environment?
After a great deal of research, I determined that clients had to be positioned one to three feet from the heat source and that there should be carbon heaters on the top of the walls for wider heat dispersion to accommodate standing postures and the bottom of the wall floor heaters would have to be ceramic for more direct radiance of the IR energy and the heat for floor exercise.
Originally, the idea was to create a sauna for yoga and we certainly did that. Yoga is an isometric form of exercise, and isometrics are without a doubt the best form of exercise to perform inside of a sauna. Yoga is not the only way to do isometrics, though. There’s Pilates, barre, bands and countless other ways to choreograph an isometric workout suitable for an infrared sauna. HOTWORX offers nine distinctly different isometric workout types including most recently added to the lineup, HOT STRETCH. And then, there is HIIT training…
We discovered a way to deliver high intensity interval training inside of the sauna too. I remember when three of us at corporate performed the very first indoor cycle workout inside of a sauna. What a sweat session that was! Since then, we have added rowing and a total body trainer session to the hot HIIT lineup.
It’s no secret that a good instructor can make all of the difference in your workouts when it comes to queuing and the motivation. So, to bring the mental energy and proper form we determined that virtual instructor videos on a monitor would be best for a consistent delivery of those things.
Then there was the question about the size of the workout group. How many people should be in the sauna for a workout? What is best number for the proper infrared energy absorption by the clients, and what is the best group size for workout effectiveness? As a small group fitness trainer, I knew that the best number was three for instruction retention and for motivation. Turns out that three is the best for heater placement and client proximity to the IR source as well. So, three positions it would be and it has worked out very well indeed.
I invite you to try out an infrared sauna workout and see the difference compared to other traditional methods of training. With the right sauna design, I think you will agree that there is no workout in the industry that is more effective for delivering better results in less time!
MORE WORKOUT, LESS TIME!
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