Jørgen travels the world to compete in triathlons, and has several medals to his name. Now he is embarking on a 10-week infrared health journey, with two goals: better recovery and reduced stress on hectic days.
He will be testing the IR Sauna Blanket Breeze, which he will take with him on his travels. His first stop will be a high-altitude training camp over Easter, which he is looking forward to. In addition, he will be testing the IR SaunaPod Maxi, which will be more stationary at home in Oslo, where he is also studying for a bachelor's degree in sports and management at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences.
– I'm most curious about what infrared sauna can contribute to the recovery aspect, but also if it can calm stress on hectic days.
WEEK 0 - Concerned with taking care of the body.
Jørgen trains between two to five hours a day; a total of 20-30 hours a week. He tries his best to combine training with his studies.
– Sometimes I feel like I prioritize training a bit more intensely, but I manage both. I'm concerned with taking care of my body to maintain continuity in my training over longer periods, and I believe IR sauna can help me with that.
Jørgen has been involved in elite sports and triathlon since he was 16 years old. He won his first international competition in Switzerland as early as 13. Before that, he did well in swimming. Triathlon is an endurance sport consisting of swimming, cycling, and running, always in that order, but the distances for each discipline vary.
– Recovery is very important in triathlon because the training load is heavy with swimming, cycling, and running. Balancing the three is very difficult and requires, among other things, good recovery routines to withstand and absorb the training. I believe IR sauna can be a tool for my recovery, he says.
A good experience
There are several forms of recovery.
– Passive recovery, such as rest and sleep, is often highlighted, but active rest is also a good form of recovery, like going for a walk to improve blood flow. What I choose depends entirely on the situation. If it's been a terribly long day, maybe it's not best to go for a walk, but rather stay inside and recharge.
With infrared sauna and the sauna blanket, Jørgen gets new options where he can recharge without strain, while also increasing blood circulation.
– I generally love saunas, and I think I'll find IR sauna quite enjoyable. I have expectations of first having a good experience during the testing, getting familiar with the product, and simply enjoying it. Then, eventually, I'll start taking notes and logging the progress during the testing. I'm looking forward to getting started.
WEEK 3 - Jørgen tested the IR sauna for a week, before taking his infrared sauna blanket to a high-altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada.
– I notice that my body is less stressed than before. The sauna blanket is easy to take on trips, heats up quickly, and has a good effect.
During the first week, Jørgen used the infrared sauna four times. He started with 20 minutes and increased to about 35 minutes at maximum temperature.
– The first few times it quickly got very hot and I didn't feel completely relaxed. After two sauna sessions, it felt much easier and I relaxed well even though the heat was just as high, he says, adding that it also felt better afterwards.
– I didn't notice any difference in sleep or stress in general, but the last two sessions of the first week with the IR sauna felt very relaxing.
Good experiences, easy to use
In week two, Jørgen went to a high-altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada at 2300m, where he stayed for two weeks. It was easy to bring the sauna blanket, which he packed with his bike.
– I've used the sauna blanket three times a week for anything from 20 to 40 minutes per session, after training or at the end of the day. I drink plenty of water and keep the blanket at approximately 70 degrees.
Both the IR sauna and the sauna blanket have been good experiences. Jørgen finds the sauna blanket particularly easy to use.
– I usually use it after training, especially after cycling when I can get a bit cold. From the moment I turn it on, it takes five minutes until it's ready for use. It's surprising how quickly it heats up. I lie down with music, and something to eat and drink for recovery.
Less stress than previous high-altitude stays
Jørgen says he didn't notice any big changes in the first week with the IR sauna, but in Sierra Nevada, he has noticed that his body is less stressed than during previous stays.
– The altitude stresses the body, and you notice that, among other things, with more sweating. I've felt less stressed this past week, and training has gone according to plan. I've done a lot right, like sleep and nutrition, but the blanket has felt comfortable.
For the next three weeks, the plan is to alternate between the sauna blanket and the sitting sauna, and to do four sessions a week.
– I am very positively surprised by the sauna blanket. It is easy to take with you, it heats up quickly and has a good effect.
WEEK 6 – I feel that the sauna has particularly helped with soreness in my legs after running sessions.
It helps me recover faster for the next interval session, says Jørgen, who feels the sauna has had a better effect in the last three weeks of his health journey compared to the first three.
– I've become more and more a fan of the sauna blanket, and it's been used the most in recent weeks.
Jørgen takes a sauna three to five times a week, for 20-25 minutes at a time. Preferably after training or in the evening, but not too close to bedtime.
– My legs often feel lighter after the sauna blanket session, and during it, I try to relax as much as possible. Sometimes I even fall asleep.
Effective muscle recovery
He feels the sauna has had a better effect in the last three weeks than in the first three, now that he has used it more regularly.
– The warmth also felt better, so I relaxed more. A tip is to make it comfortable with a pillow, towel, and enough to drink, so you can stay in longer.
From starting his health journey thinking the sauna would mainly help reduce stress to gain more energy, which he experienced in the first three weeks, it has surprised him how effective the sauna is for muscle recovery. For Jørgen, it is now important to figure out when and how to use the sauna to improve recovery.
– Lately, the sauna blanket has often been used when the muscles have been subjected to a lot of strain to shorten recovery time.
Good blood flow and circulation
Optimal recovery for Jørgen involves enough sleep, hydration, nutrition, movement, and blood flow. Jørgen states that his heart rate increases when he's in the sauna.
– My resting heart rate increases by about 40 beats when I use the sauna. That's about the same pulse as active walking. I believe it's perfect for recovery, that the pulse isn't too high, but that it's high enough to give good blood flow and circulation, especially in my legs.
The season has just barely started, and it hasn't quite begun as he had hoped.
– I often struggle with pollen allergies early in the summer, but I hope things will soon loosen up in the competition arena as well because my form is very good, says Jørgen.
WEEK 10 – After 10 weeks on an infrared health journey, the sauna blanket has become a tool for Jørgen for faster recovery of tired legs.
He uses the sitting sauna to de-stress and to warm up his body after cold training sessions in bad weather.
He can tick off both goals he set before starting, which were to find out if IR SaunaPod Maxi and/or IR Sauna Blanket Breeze could help him with faster recovery and de-stressing on hectic days.
Recovery and lighter legs in the sauna blanket
In triathlon, the training load is particularly heavy on the legs. Already during his high-altitude training camp at the start of his health journey, he was positively surprised by how well the sauna blanket helps with recovery.
– When I was in Sierra Nevada, it was super great to have the sauna blanket with me. I got to test it out properly there, where the altitude itself often leads to heavy legs.
He feels that his legs become lighter after he has been in the sauna blanket.
– Blood circulation increases, I can lie straight out with my legs elevated, as opposed to when I'm sitting. Then my legs aren't as relaxed. I feel that the blanket recuperates the muscles better.
Initially, he thought the sauna blanket wouldn't get that hot, that it was mostly comfortable, but now it's the sauna blanket he actively uses as a recovery tool.
The sitting sauna is set up in the living room.
– The sitting sauna is relatively easy to fold up, but I feel it's easier to get into it when it's ready, he smiles.
It's especially good to use after a wet and cold bike ride, to warm up the body and get the blood circulation going.
Blood circulates without stressing the body
Jørgen's heart rate rises by 40-50 beats above his usual resting heart rate when he uses the sauna blanket and/or the sitting sauna.
– For me, this is beneficial because I have such a high training load on other training days. It's a good type of pulse that makes the blood circulate in the body, but it doesn't stress the body beyond that.
He constantly gets questions on Instagram about whether it really gets hot inside the sauna.
– Then I send back a picture where I am drenched. Yes, it gets hot, he laughs, and tells about when he tried the sauna blanket for the first time and felt it starting to drip from his toes.
– When I was done and the sweat was pouring, I just thought, "oh shit!"
Infrared sauna and acclimatization to warmer races
Participating in an infrared health journey has been very good. Now that he has found that the saunas work, the next project is to make a plan leading up to the first competition in warmer climates.
– I want to try to figure out how much I can use the sitting sauna in terms of heat and acclimatize myself to warmer races, without it affecting training too much and at the same time getting something out of it. Maybe I should push the limits of how long I can be in the sauna per day.
Today, Jørgen uses the infrared sauna/sauna blanket three to four times a week, for anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes. He believes it could be beneficial to sit in the sauna even more, perhaps up to an hour every day to get used to the heat. The first test to see if the sitting sauna, IR SaunaPod Maxi, can be used for this, will be in Morocco at the end of June.
– I'm excited about that, he concludes.
Text: Trine Dahlman
Read an update on Jørgen's health journey ONE YEAR LATER!
