ETC’s Recovery Facilities | ETC Gym Geelong
As well as premium training equipment, our Gym has a recovery room to help with post workout muscle recovery and detoxification. Our recovery facilities include an ice bath and infrared sauna to assist with your training and recovery.
Ice Bath – ETC’s Recovery Facilities
In sports therapy, an ice bath or sometimes a cold-water immersion or cold therapy is a training regimen usually following a period of intense exercise in which a substantial part of a human body is immersed in a bath of ice or ice-water for a limited duration.
After a workout, your body needs to ‘repair’ itself to prepare for the next training session. It does so with the help of blood vessels that bring oxygen to your muscle tissue while removing waste products of exercise, the most common being lactic acid. Too much lactic acid build-up can cause your muscles to function poorly and will often lead to fatigue. An ice bath will immediately reduce swelling while flushing lactic acid out of your body. When you sit in an ice bath or when you rub a cup of ice on the muscles you just trained the cold causes your blood vessels to tighten. This helps drain the lactic acid out of your tired muscles. When you get out of the bath, your muscle tissue warms back up, causing a return of oxygenated blood to help your muscles recover.
Benefits of using the Ice Bath
Aids muscle recovery post exercise
Restricts blood vessels which allows lactic acid to be flushed from the muscles at a faster rate therefore reducing the effect of delayed onset muscle soreness
Reduces inflammation and swelling
Reduces circulation and cools the body. Similar too using an ice pack on an isolated area of the body
Increases metabolism
Some research suggests that cooling the internal body temperature down and then allowing the body to reheat itself can speed up metabolism
Prevents injury
An ice bath causes blood vessels in the region to constrict which reduces swelling, and less swelling results in less pain
How long do I need to use the ice bath for?
This will vary depending on why you are using the ice bath in the first place. Generally, a recommendation is 3-5mins in the ice bath then the same amount of time on the outside repeated 2-3 times. It is not recommended to stay in the ice bath for longer than 10 minutes.
What do I wear?
Bathers, shorts or underwear are all accepted just remember people will be walking in and out while you are in the ice bath
What do I need to use the ice bath?
At least 1 towel to dry off when you exit the ice bath, to minimise flooding in the recovery room.
Infrared Sauna – ETC’s Recovery Facilities
An infrared sauna uses infrared heaters to emit infrared light experienced as radiant heat which is absorbed by the surface of the skin. Traditional saunas heat the body primary by conduction and convection from the heated air and by radiation of the heated surfaces in the sauna room.
Benefits of using the Infrared Sauna
Aids in Relaxation
Infrared sauna therapy promotes relaxation by assisting the body in balancing its level of cortisol, your body’s primary stress hormone. The heat generated by the sauna will also help to relax muscles and relieve tension throughout the body
Improved Circulation
As the heat from infrared saunas increases your core body temperature, your circulation will increase along with it. Consistent infrared sauna sessions stimulates blood flow, improves muscle recovery, and decreases soreness and inflammation after exercise.
Elimination of Toxins
Sweating is one of the body’s most natural ways of eliminating toxins. By far the most important health benefit of infrared saunas is its efficiency in removing toxins from the body. This is achieved by a process called ‘resonate absorption’ whereby the frequency of the infrared matches the frequency of the water in the cell, causing toxins to be released into the blood stream and excreted through sweat.
Burning Calories
The heat generated by an infrared sauna will cause your core temperature to increase, which can also lead to an increased heart rate — the same increase in heart rate that you experience when exercising. When your body has to work harder to lower your core temperature or keep up with an increased heart rate, your body will burn more calories, resulting in weight loss.
The weight loss does not occur because of the sweat loss, but because the body is working overtime during the session – in fact, as much as 600 calories may be burned in a 30 minute sitting. Your heart rate is increased during the session and your body is working quickly while eliminating the toxins from your skin.
Lower Blood Pressure
Infrared saunas induce a deep sweat to make the heart pump faster, which in turn increases blood flow, lowers blood pressure and helps circulation. Scientific evidence shows the infrared sauna benefits using an infrared sauna a couple times a week lowers blood pressure.
Reduced pain caused by Arthritis
A study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis showed a reduction in pain, stiffness and fatigue during infrared sauna therapy.
How long do I need to use the infrared sauce for?
If you’re new to infrared saunas, we recommend starting out with four-minute session at 60 degrees and slowly working your way up to 15 to 30 minute sessions.
What do I wear?
Bathers or shorts are accepted just remember people will be walking in and out.