Hot Tubs- A Secret Training Weapon

I've always viewed hot tubs as a great great way to relax and recover. When I started my career in the health and fitness industry in the late 80s, I'd end my swims in the hot tub to warm up and recover. It wasn't until a year ago that I decided to get one for home to enhance recovery and improve sleep.

The new type of hot tubs which are called plug and play are fantastic. All you have to do is fill them up and plug them in and they are self-contained, and provide all the features of much more expensive versions.

Once it arrived, i just filled it up and plugged it in. I use it every evening for 10 to 15 minutes as part of my wind-down /sleeper routine. This has worked tremendously, but along the way, I have found some  added benefits which have made this even more valuable to my training and recovery.

My daily hot tub sessions have allowed me to get more benefits out of my time spent in the warm water. These include:

Breath Work- With nowhere to go for 10 to 15 minutes, I work on slow relaxed breathing to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. This is a nice relaxing way to end the day.

Stretching- while in the hot tub, I can do a variety of stretches and work on flexibility.

Trigger Point Work- After completing my breathing exercises I can often use my thumb and work on the calfs  or any other areas in my lower leg that seems to be tight.

Meditation- Although I really haven't delved into this as of yet I feel like the hot tub with the sound of the bubbles e is a perfect place to work on meditating.

Hot water immersion is a proven method to heat acclimate. Living in the warm humid weather of Florida, the ability to heat acclimate not only makes life more comfortable but allows me to train and compete at a safer level. Two to three times per week after key run workouts when my core temperature is above  102F, I will immediately jump into the hot tub with a temperature of 105F for 10 to 15 minutes. Unlike my evening routines, this is not so comfortable. I have found after a couple weeks, my heat tolerance in training is enhanced.

I now view my hot tub as an essential part of my training. I hate missing a session due to thunderstorms, as it has become an integral part of my training, recovery,
and sleep routines.