Sauna Suits, Garbage Bags, etc

I prefer to stay hydrated

You are correct, it just makes you sweat more water out. You might want to find a new trainer.

This is a weight cutting strategy not a weight loss strategy. There is something to be said for "staying warm" while you workout, but that goes to comfort and performance, not calories burned or 'metabolism'.

I think wearing a trash bag while exercising is a waste.

Seriously, it probably is just water weight you would lose with this approach and you are impeding the evaporation of sweat, which is the body's way of cooling itself during exertion -- a process vital to your well-being.

stefanie18810 wrote: »

My trainer (former boxer) swears by wearing a garbage bag during workouts. He says it increases your core temp, and helps increase metabolism, etc, etc. I am super skeptical about it, because I think it is just water weight that you'll put back on, but I have seen a number of people say that they've noticed a reduction in inches when wearing one consistently. So...I bought a pair of sauna suit type pants. My problem areas are definitely lower stomach, butt and thighs and these are high waisted and very fitted, so I'll give it a shot. I'm 5'3, 140 and have 15lbs to lose.

Just curious though...anyone else try something similar? Likes, dislikes?

Time to find a new trainer.....he probably took too many blows to the head.

That's the kind of tactic that wrestlers and boxers do prior to a weigh in. You lose (temporarily) water weight because you become dehydrated. Sweating more does noting to increase your metabolism, in reality the only way to increase you metabolism is to gain lean muscle mass as it's more metabolically active than fat and even then the changes are far from staggering.

There is another reason why people wear these suits, you train like you fight. If you are use to preforming in conditions that test your body, when the conditions come around you are more ready for the "shock". Not to say you are going to stave off a heat injury one second longer, but you will learn to push yourself past what you would have thought possible.

Prime example, wearing NBC suits in the Army. They weight to darn much, reduce your mobility and you have no real way of cooling off. Couple that with a protective mask which limits breathing, evaporation from the head ceases and makes taking in water a chore. Wear them over in Kuwait at 110 in the shade and you would think you would not last 10 minutes. You would be right. Carry on with training and a month later we could survive for hours in them. Not saying in was pleasant. It was terrible, but you could function.

You plan on getting into the ring? If so, being able to deliver punishment to your opponent and keep your endurance up while taking blows... all the while sweat is pouring out of you and keeping your breathing in check. Again, you train like you fight.

Another way to look at it, you sweat in peace time to keep from bleeding during war time. The War & Peace, that is up to you.

I used to wrestle and I wore a trash bag while jogging, etc before matches to make weight...I was just dehydrating myself to make weight...I personally see little point if you don't have to make weight for something.

Step 1. Don't.
Step 2. Find a new trainer

cwolfman13 wrote: »

I used to wrestle and I wore a trash bag while jogging, etc before matches to make weight...I was just dehydrating myself to make weight...I personally see little point if you don't have to make weight for something.

We must have had the same coach ;-) Back in the day our HS wresting coach made us do that to cut weight for tournaments. BRUTAL!! It worked for the scales but always felt drained and even worse with the carb load pre match.