Effects of Post-Exercise Heat Exposure on Acute Recovery and Training-Induced Performance Adaptations: A Systematic Review.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review of randomized and crossover trials
PubMed 41032138 · doi:10.1186/s40798-025-00910-0
What was done
A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines searched PubMed, SPOLIT, Medline, and SPORTDiscus through June 2025 for randomized or crossover trials in healthy adults. The review evaluated whole-body post-exercise heat exposure (≥ 36 °C, such as sauna or hot water immersion to at least the sternum) compared to passive or placebo recovery on maximal physical performance outcomes. Risk of bias was evaluated using the Cochrane RoB 2 tool.
What was found
Fourteen studies comprising 194 total participants met inclusion criteria (9 acute studies, 5 chronic training studies). For acute recovery, findings were mixed: 4 studies showed beneficial effects, 4 showed no effect, and 1 showed adverse effects. For chronic adaptations, repeated post-exercise heat exposure suggested potential improvements in running performance in hot environments, but showed no effect on cycling performance or VO2max. High heterogeneity precluded a quantitative meta-analysis.
Why it matters
Post-exercise heat exposure is widely used for recovery and conditioning, but this synthesis indicates current evidence is insufficient to confirm whether it reliably aids recovery or enhances training adaptations in healthy adults.
Limits
The total sample across 14 studies was small (194 participants), and overall study quality was rated low to moderate. Substantial heterogeneity in heating protocols, exercise modalities, recovery intervals, and outcome metrics prevented meta-analysis, precluding definitive conclusions.
Cited by
- contradicts Post-exercise sauna use can improve VO2 max.