Hyperthermic Conditioning: Next Best Thing?

Saturday April 19, 2014

Prehab:

10 Wall Squats
10 Inch Worms
10 Fire Hydrants

Warm up:

Junk Yard Dog x5

2 Rounds:
8 Good Mornings
7 BTN Push Press (snatch grip)
6 OHS
5 Snatch Balances
3 Position Snatch
 
Strength:

15 minutes to work up to a heavy 2 Rep Hang Snatch

 Notes: Hang is anywhere above the knee, and the athlete’s choice to go from high hang (Position 1) or just above the knee (Position 2).  Full squat for both reps. May sub with Power Snatch or Hang Clean (squat) if shoulder mobility is an issue.

Partner Conditioning:

Two athletes per team, one working while other rests, complete:

500m Row each 

Then 3x rounds each, alternating rounds:

15 Kettle Bell Swings (53/35/26)
15 Single Arm KB Thruster (53/35/26)

 Then 3x rounds each, alternating rounds:

12 Alternating Front Rack Lunges (125/95/65)
7 Shoulder to Overhead (125/95/65)

-20 min time cap-

 Notes: One partner is working while the other partner is resting.  Each partner will complete one round at a time and then switch. Single arm KB split up evenly between Right and Left arm but can be partitioned any way. Lunges alternate in place, stepping forward with front leg, back knee touches the ground, and athlete returns back to full extension at the top.  

Cool Down:

ME Hollow hold hanging from bar
ME Hollow Hold on rings
ME Plank on Floor
Cobra stretch x1′
Pigeon Stetch x1′
Couch Stretch x1′

I randomly came across the concept of hyperthermic conditioning while on a flight back to LA. I watched this video and began to dig deeper. The more I googled “hyperthermic conditioning”, the more interested I became. Essentially she speaks on the benefit of supplementing hot sauna use (excessive heat stress) to  improve your performance.

I want you to watch this video but to summarize; acclimating your body to heat stress by intermittent whole-body hyperthermia via sauna use (“hyperthermic conditioning”) has been shown to:

Enhance endurance by:

• Increasing nutrient delivery to muscles thereby reducing the depletion of glycogen stores.
• Reducing heart rate and reducing core temperature during workload.

Increase muscle hypertrophy by preventing protein degradation through the following three means:

1. Induction of heat shock proteins and a hormetic response (which has also been shown to increase longevity in lower organisms).
2. Cause a massive release of growth hormone.
3. Improving insulin sensitivity.

Hyperthermic conditioning also has robust positive effects on the brain:

• Increases the storage and release of norepinephrine, which improves attention and focus.
• Increases prolactin, which causes your brain to function faster by enhancing myelination and helps to repair damaged neurons.
• Increases BDNF, which causes the growth of new brain cells, improves the ability for you to retain new information, and ameliorates certain types of depression and anxiety.
• Causes a robust increase in dynorphin, which results in your body becoming more sensitive to the ensuing endorphins.

I have been supplementing Bikram Yoga to get the same effect. I am in the early process but I will give you updates as they come.