Every time I see this debate — pre-workout or post-workout sauna — I want to step back and ask what we're actually optimizing for. Because the answer to that question changes everything. And this article gets it mostly right, but I think there's a more useful frame.
The core claim here is sound: sauna timing isn't arbitrary. Pre-workout heat triggers the dynorphin-endorphin cascade, accelerating mental readiness and mobility. Post-workout heat accelerates recovery, boosts erythropoietin, and — this is the headline stat — improves time to exhaustion by 32 percent over time. Both are real effects. Both are well-documented. The question is which adaptation you're chasing on a given day.
The dynorphin mechanism is one of my favorites. It's counterintuitive — the sauna makes you temporarily uncomfortable, your body over-corrects by flooding you with endorphins, and you emerge more focused than you'd get from a slow 20-minute warm-up. Rhonda Patrick has discussed this extensively, and it aligns with what we see in the broader heat exposure literature: short-term dysphoria producing long-term resilience. The dose creates the adaptation.
The post-workout EPO finding deserves more attention than it gets. Erythropoietin is the same hormone that cyclists were famously caught using as a blood-doping agent. Your body produces it naturally in response to heat stress — stimulating red blood cell production, improving oxygen delivery, building aerobic capacity over weeks and months. You're not getting that from a pre-workout session. That's a structural, long-term adaptation that only accumulates if you're consistent post-exercise.
The article leans toward post-workout as the default recommendation, and I think that's right for most people. But the infrared versus dry sauna distinction matters more than it's given credit for here. Infrared at lower temperatures doesn't trigger the same dynorphin response — the heat penetrates differently, the neurochemical cascade is blunted. If you're using a pre-workout session specifically for mental priming, you want dry heat. Using infrared before training will loosen muscles but won't move your mood the same way.
Here's how I'd frame it: use pre-workout sauna when your obstacle is psychological — when you're flat, distracted, struggling to transition into training mode. Use post-workout sauna when your obstacle is physiological — when you're chasing recovery, endurance adaptations, or long-term performance gains. The 32 percent improvement in time to exhaustion didn't come from one session. It came from consistent post-workout exposure over weeks.
EPO production through heat exposure is a natural parallel to altitude training — and most people never connect these. Athletes travel to high-altitude camps specifically to stimulate red blood cell production. Your body upregulates EPO in low-oxygen environments the same way it does under heat stress. Regular post-workout sauna use is, in a meaningful biological sense, a partial simulation of altitude adaptation. You're building a more oxygen-efficient cardiovascular system without leaving sea level. That's not a small thing.