Why do athletes use banya?

Question

Accepted Answer

For recovery between hard sessions, for sleep, and for a nervous system that will not come down on its own. With one caveat about timing that most places will not mention. Fighters, watermen and lifters are among the most consistent banya people anywhere, and not for the atmosphere. Heat brings blood to tissue that has been worked, the cold cuts the sensation of soreness sharply, and most people sleep unusually deeply the night after. Across a hard training block that combination is worth a great deal. The caveat is about timing. If your goal is muscle size, do not go into cold water straight after lifting. Controlled work has found that cold water immersion immediately after resistance training reduces the anabolic signalling and the muscle fibre growth the training was meant to produce. Strength gains held up in that work; size did not. Endurance training does not appear to be affected the same way. In practice this is a scheduling question, not a reason to stay away. A banya on a rest day, or several hours after training, or after conditioning rather than after heavy lifting. Tell the master what you trained and when — it changes how the session is run.