If you are looking for a way to boost your weight loss results while working out, you might want to consider a sauna vest.
A sauna vest increases your body temperature and the amount that you sweat. This can allow you to lose water weight quickly if you need to drop weight rapidly for a weigh-in or to temporarily boost your muscle definition. It can also boost your weight loss results in the long-term when used sensibly and safely.
But if the idea of working out wrapped up in aluminium foil doesn’t sound very comfortable, rest assured. Many companies are now designing vests that are surprisingly comfortable and effective.
As well as raising temperature and sweat levels during a workout, these vests tend to offer compression as well, providing spinal and muscle support, reducing muscle soreness,, and enhancing recovery.
So why not try a sauna vest today with our review of sauna vests as a weight loss tool and our list of the ten best sauna vests currently available on the market, five for men and five for women.
What is a Sauna Vest?
A sauna vest is basically a waterproof piece of clothing designed to retain your body heat and perspiration while you are working out. As a result of keeping this heat and sweat close to the skin, you maintain a higher overall body temperature while working out.
This increases the physiological strain of the workout, which means that you sweat more and burn more calories.
Benefits of a Sauna Vest?
Rapid Loss of Water Weight
The principal benefit of a sauna vest is that it can help you lose water weight from your body rapidly.
This is not beneficial for long-term weight loss, as you will quickly regain this water weight as you rehydrate after a workout.
However, quickly dropping this water weight can be very useful for competitive athletes that need to get their weight down for a weigh in, or need extra muscle definition for a short period of time.
For example, it is common for fighters to sweat out their water weight before weighing in to get the number of the scales down, but then hydrate, eat, and otherwise bulk up for the fight itself.
Bodybuilders will also shed their water weight before a competition to give their muscles extra definition.
Better Heat Tolerance
A sauna vest can also be useful if you are training to compete in hot temperatures. The sauna vest allows your body to adapt to working in hotter temperatures.
As you reach a higher temperature faster, your body’s plasma volume increases and you get a higher VO2 max, which is a measure of cardiovascular endurance.
Long-Term Weight Loss
Working out in a sauna suit can also boost weight loss in the long-term by increasing metabolism and the body’s ability to burn fat for energy.
This can sometimes be difficult to measure the effectiveness of a sauna vest for weight loss as people who work out in sauna vests will find that their weight fluctuates significantly as they gain and lose water weight.
However, one study that compared individual working out normally and in a sauna suit for a period of eight weeks. The regular workout group lost 0.9 percent of their body weight and 8.3 percent of their body fat at the end of the study. Those that worked out in the sauna suits lost 2.6 percent of their body weight and 13.8 percent of their body fat.
There is also evidence that working out in a sauna suit increases fat oxidation, which is the body’s ability to burn fat for fuel, which can also gain in fat loss in the long term.
Compression
Most sauna vests are also compression vests, which means that as well as offering the benefits of heat generation, it offers the benefits of compression.
Using compression clothing during a workout can provide support to the back and muscles, reducing the chances of injury and improving posture. It can also improve flexibility, which also reduces the chances of injury.
Compression can also reduce muscle soreness when working out for enhanced recovery.
Have you considered fat burners as another way to boost your weight loss results?
10 Best Sauna Sweat Vests
Men’s Sauna Sweat Vest Reviews
LaLaAreal Men Sweat Best
This is a simply designed neoprene vest that doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that you see with some models, but is high quality.
It is made from micro-piercing and SCR neoprene for the best body temperature results and sweat absorption.
Choose between a pullover or zip-up design, the vest also compresses for better performance and faster recovery after a workout.
Choose from nine sizes and black, grey, or blue.
- Men
- Neoprene
- Sleeveless
NINGMI Men Long Sleeve Sweat Sauna Shirt
This zip-up, long sleeve sauna shirt is made from 80 percent Neoprene and 20 percent Nylon for maximum effectiveness and comfort. It feels much more lightweight than some alternative sauna options.
The shirt is also designed to compress, which boosts back support and can also aid in recovery after a workout.
Available in six sizes and either black and grey or black and yellow colour combinations.
- Men
- Neoprene
- Long sleeve
Bingrong Men’s Sauna Suit Neoprene Waist Trimmer
If you are looking for a sauna vest that provides the fastest waist-trimming results, then try this tank top with an adjustable weight trainer.
It combines a classic neoprene sauna vest with a high compression waist training belt, with Velcro adjustment, that you can adjust as you wish. This is ideal for anyone who needs back support, for example for heavy lifting.
Available in black in six sizes, and the shirt zips up at the front for easy use.
- Men
- Neoprene
- Vest and best
NUNGMI Sweat Vest for Men
This is another top-quality neoprene vest from this reliable sauna suit brand. It is a pull over vest with no zipper, which means nothing to irritate the skin during an intense workout.
As well as providing superheating, the vest also compresses for stomach sculping, spine protection, and faster recovery.
Choose between two colours and five sizes.
- Men
- Neoprene
- Sleeveless
LAZAWG Men Sauna Vest
This neoprene pullover vest is designed both to intensify body heat while working out, and compress around the torso or better posture and muscle control.
The vest is available in five sizes in black, with yellow design details. Choose between a standard vest, or a slim cut vest that gives you more space around the shoulders.
- Men
- Neoprene
- Sleeveless
Women’s Sauna Vest Reviews
SptShapr Women Sauna Sweat Vest
This stylish black vest is made from polyester rather than neoprene, which is ideal for anyone with a neoprene allergy. The fabric is ultra-thin, so it doesn’t feel bulky when working out.
The vest is still effective at both increasing your body temperature, and also compresses around the stomach, but is low cut enough not to be uncomfortable around the bust.
Available in three sizes, choose between a pullover or zip-up vest depending on what you are most comfortable with.
- Women
- Polyester
- Sleeveless
SEXYWG Women Hot Long Sleeve Sauna Suit
This comfortable, long sleeve, zip-up top layers elastic, neoprene, and polyester for the most comfortable and effective fit.
The sauna effect is concentrated around the stomach area for targeted results, with breathable mesh at the sides for a more comfortable fit.
Available in five sizes and stylish black with yellow and grey details.
- Women
- Neoprene
- Long sleeve
Ashmita Women Sauna Sweat Vest
This stylish tank top slips over the head, but is lined with a polymer heat-trapping fabric designed to seal in the body’s heat to intensify your workout.
Available in three sizes and black only, it is designed to be used for workouts and as shapewear during the day for a long-term metabolism boost.
It has a compressing effect around the spin as well which can improve posture for better back health.
- Women
- Neoprene
- Sleeveless
Bingrong Sweat Top Workout Sauna Suit
This is a long-sleeved shirt for women made from Neoprene. It is designed to cover the arms and torso, but sits below the bust for a more comfortable workout.
The tight-fitting shirt also provides lumbar back support that helps ensure the best posture while working out. It also compresses around the stomach, which is excellent for waist training and postpartum workouts.
The long sleeves may also help trim the arms and reduce dreaded “bingo wings”.
The shirt is available in six sizes from small to 3XL, designed in flattering black and secured with a quality zipper down the front.
- Women
- Neoprene
- Long sleeved
Yokald Women Sauna Vest
This black, zip-up, sleeveless top is designed specifically to intensify your results when working out.
Made from 70 percent Neoprene, 15 percent Polyester, and 15 percent Nylon for maximum comfort, it also zips up under the bust in order not to uncomfortably compress the chest area. The compressing effect around the waist also improves the posture for better back health while working out.
It is available in six sizes, and choose between traditional black and sky blue.
- Women
- Neoprene
- Sleeveless
Sauna Vest Buying Guide: What to Look For?
The main things to consider when choosing a sauna vest, aside from price, as the material, the safety, and the fit.
Material
Sauna vests can be made from a variety of different materials, but common options include PVC, Nylon, and Neoprene, with the last being the most popular of all. It is generally considered the most durable and the most flexible.
However, bear in mind that it is not uncommon for some people to have an allergic reaction to neoprene.
Safety
While a sauna vest is designed to help you retain body heat and moisture, it also needs to allow you to cool down at an appropriate rate when you enter the recovery zone. For this, ventilation options and knit patterns are the main things to consider.
Fit
It is important to choose a sauna vest that is the right size. If it is too tight, it can affect your circulation, which you don’t need when you are already dealing with the intensity of working out in the sauna suit.
The way that vest sticks to you, if it is not properly fitted, can also become very uncomfortable very quickly.
There is then also a question of whether you want sleeves or something sleeveless. The former will in theory be more effective, but the latter significantly more comfortable and offer more mobility.
Women need to choose between vests that cover the chest area or stop just underneath the chest area. The intense compression of some sauna suits can be very uncomfortable over the bust.
Sauna Vest Risk and Safety
While sauna vests can increase the intensity of a workout, they are not recommended to use when doing a high-intensity workout.
Safety guidelines suggest only using a sauna vest during moderate exercise for a maximum of 45 minutes, and that they should never be used in an environment that is already heated (so no, you shouldn’t use a vest to intensify your hot yoga workout).
The risks of using a sauna vest improperly can’t be overstated. The deaths of three collegiate wrestlers in 1997 while attempting rapid weight loss has been linked with sauna suits, accompanied with extreme dieting. Using the sauna suit and failing to hydrate resulted in hypothermia, which their bodies were unable to combat.
But using a sauna vest sensibly can see a significant boost in results.
FAQs
Is it good to work out in a sauna suit?
Yes, it is a good idea to work out in a sauna suit to intensify and improve the results of a moderate workout. The suit increases the heat that your body produces, which can boost your metabolism and also boost your body’s ability to burn fat for energy.
You will probably notice that you drop a lot of weight directly after working out in a sauna suit. This is due to the loss of water weight due to heavy sweating. However, this is only temporary, and you should regain this weight quickly when you rehydrate. But the vest can also improve your results more slowly in the long run.
How long should you wear a sauna vest?
It is generally considered safe to wear a sauna suit for up to 45 minutes while completing moderate exercise.
However, you should build up to 45 minutes, starting with 5 or 10 minutes and increasing your time in the suit in increments.
Sauna suits are not recommended for use during high intensity workouts.
Does a sauna vest help you lose weight?
Yes, a sauna vest can help you lose weight, but not necessarily in the way expected.
Sauna suits are often used by athletes, such as boxers, that need to get their weight down to weigh in before a fight. They will use the suit to lose their water weight before weigh-in, but then rehydrate for the fight itself.
Water weight lost is not sustainable weight loss and will be regained when the individual rehydrates.
However, working out in a sauna vest can also help boost your metabolism and boost your body’s ability to burn fat for energy. This will also give you a weight loss boost, but over a longer period of time.
The Verdict
If you are looking for a way to boost the weight loss results of your workouts at the gym, you might want to consider working out in a sauna vest.
These vests increase your body heat, which increases the intensity of your workout. The result is that you get a nice boost to your metabolism, and that your body is also better able to burn fat for energy. In the long term, this will help you lose weight faster
You will also notice that your weight drops significantly immediately after a workout in a sauna vest, but this is just water weight due to the amount of sweat produced by your body. This weight should return quickly once you rehydrate.
While this kind of temporary weight loss can be useful for some specific sports, it should be considered a temporary side effect when it comes to long-term weight loss.
References
- Should I work out in a Sauna Suit? – Healthline
- ACE-Sponsored Research: The Health-related Benefits of Exercise Training with a Sauna Suit – Ace Fitness
- Wearing a Sauna Suit while Exercising – CoreTraningTips
Last update on 2024-04-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
