Love it or hate it, heated workouts are a huge part of the fitness industry today. Before heated classes were trending, the hot room was typically only seen in the yoga studio to warm up the muscles and improve circulation for greater flexibility and mental focus during the practice of yoga. But the popularity of heated yoga classes brought heat into other modalities. Hot sculpt- a variation of mat pilates- became very popular in recent years, and studios have been built entirely around this newer format. Most recently, we have seen heat added to more traditional strength style workouts, which brings excitement to some but raises eyebrows for others.
Yoga at Hot Box Yoga in Ambler, Pa
The heated strength workout has sparked a debate in the industry and the professionals are divided. Does the heat help build muscle? Or does the heat actually hurt progress? Is the heat just a trend, or are there real benefits to a hot room when you lift weights?
Yoga Sculpt at CorePowerYoga in Ardmore, Pa
A quick google search reveals more risks associated with exercising in the heat, but there are some benefits which include increased blood flow and improved circulation; sweating more efficiently; warmer muscles which leads to more flexibility and a greater range of motion; cardiovascular efficiency; and a slightly higher calorie burn because your body is burning more energy to cool the body down. A few of the risks include dehydration, fatigue, cardiovascular strain, illness and skin issues. ChatGPT said “excessive heat can make it harder to maintain strength, endurance and workout intensity”. That’s why your usual weights feel heavier in the heat.
Hot Signature at DCW Studio in Ocean City, NJ
I love a hot, steamy room as much as the next girl (or brave guy). There’s something about the heat that gets me fired up — literally and figuratively. I find it energizing, inspiring and strangely motivating. Maybe I’m a little masochistic, but I seem to measure how much fun I’m having by the temperature of the room. The hotter, the better. I welcome a good, drenching sweat.
But my trainer recently asked me a question, and I haven’t thought about heated classes the same since: Would the workout still be challenging if I took it out of the heat? Like would those eight pound weights in a room temperature studio still challenge me? And when put like that, I started to question everything. Am I wasting my time when I workout in the heat? Is there a purpose to the heat, especially when it comes to building muscles? And since I’m no fitness professional, I decided to consult the pros. Lucky for me, I just so happen to know a few of them.
Mat Sculpt at Invert Your World in Flourtown, Pa
When it comes to hot workouts, the professionals have mixed reviews. I totally get why this is a such a hot topic. (Sorry I couldn’t help myself!)
Jenny Abraham has built a heated empire in the Philadelphia area and down the shore. She owns two infrared heated studios in Bucks County (Studio Lit, Heat Fitness Club) and two at the Jersey Shore (Heat Wave Studio in Cape May and North Wildwood). Jenny has been teaching hot strength classes at all of her businesses for years and has watched her clients make consistent progress. Jenny says that her clients tend to “go harder in the heat because we’re dialed in almost to a meditative degree.” She says her clients “feel loose, focused and motivated right from the start.” She recognizes that her methods might not be for everyone but she has seen her clients get super strong from only doing her heated workouts. “Getting stronger, challenging our cardio, and that feeling from the heat therapy together makes for an incredible workout high.”
Hot Mat Pilates x Sculpt at Heat Wave Studio in Cape May, NJ
Danielle Brody opened a heated studio (Health House) in Richboro this year after teaching in the heat for years. At her studio, she works to regulate the temperature and humidity to help members focus on controlled movement and muscular effort while limiting fatigue from the heat. She believes strongly in her methods and has watched her members (and herself) thrive in the heat and achieve real results.
Signature Strength and Health House in Richboro, Pa
Killian Daley is an advocate for strength training and owns a popular gym in Bryn Mawr (X Training) where progressive overload is the focus of group fitness and personal training. She is of the opinion that strength training in a heated room is not optimal for building strength. “Heat makes you weaker in the session and reduces the progressive overload that drives those adaptations needed to build muscle and lose fat.” She believes that “your effort will dramatically decrease in a hot room.” Killian explains “when your heart rate rises because the body is busy cooling itself, you fatigue faster, your force and power output drop, and you simply can’t lift as heavy or complete as many quality reps as you would in a regulated temperature room.”
Hot Body Sculpt at LVX Studio in Ardmore, Pa
Killian says research consistently shows that heat stress reduces strength and power so you end up training with lighter loads or cutting sessions short. And “overtime, that means less gains, and bone loading.” She says people often get confused by using how much they sweat to determine whether they had an effective workout. She believes that sweat does not equal quality lifts. She also notes that heat can be even more harmful for women because heat puts them at higher risk for hormonal stress and imbalance caused by elevating cortisol levels.
Jeff Wild, who owns Mvmnt Center, a Pilates and strength training studio with two locations in Philadelphia, recognizes three major issues with heated workouts: dehydration, access and joint issues. On the topic of dehydration Jeff says “Our population is largely dehydrated - so adding a heated workout for a more taxing modality like strength increases the risk of muscle strain and increased dehydration. If you then factor in the amount of people using a pre-workout and/or a creatine supplement before the class - then you have magnified the dehydration issue.” When it comes to access, Jeff recognizes that the heat automatically rules out several groups of people — pregnant individuals, those undergoing IVF, people with hypermobility, POTS, and menopausal women. Jeff sees the most concerning problem with heated workouts as creating an increased risk for injury. He explains: “The heat makes our muscles and joints more pliable and alleviates pain triggers that warn you that your body is pushing too far. People already have a hard time training in the proper ranges of motion. Add heat to a large format class and a coach who is managing 15+ people and the opportunity for injury increases significantly.”
Signature at The Formula X by Meredith in NYC
From my own reporting about fitness over the past six years, I know how popular heated workouts have become. I’ve concluded that there is definitely a place for heat in your wellness routine. Where exactly will depend on your goals. If your primary goal is to build muscle then lifting in the heat doesn’t serve any real purpose, and you’re better off being in a comfortable temperature when you lift. If you’re looking for certain cardiovascular, mobility and recovery benefits, the heat is definitely your friend. So for me, separating those goals and the temperatures that I work towards them in, has proven to be most successful.