Saunas-
Wrestling legend Dan Gable credit much of his success to the sauna. Learn more about the science that supports it…..
The following written content by Jake Panasevich, E-RYT, Contributor
DAN GABLE IS PROBABLY one of the most successful wrestlers that’s ever lived. He won the wrestling world championships in 1971 and an Olympic gold in 1972 at the games in Munich, Germany. Gable was perfect in his campaign to Olympic gold, by not only winning, but also completely dismantling his opponents without surrendering a single point. For the non-wrestlers, this would be like winning the Super Bowl and not allowing a team to score a single point along the way. Or winning the World Series and throwing back-to-back no hitters.
As a coach at the University of Iowa, Gable led his wrestlers – the Iowa Hawkeyes – to 15 National Collegiate Athletic Association Wrestling Team titles and 25 consecutive Big Ten Championships. He coached 152 All-Americans, 45 National Champions, 106 Big Ten Champions and 12 Olympians, including eight medalists.
The 72-year-old wrestling legend now lives north of Iowa City, Iowa. Here, he shares his secret to working through adversity and finding success both on and off the mat. It’s a tool anyone can use: the sauna.
Gable’s Early Introduction to the Sauna
Gable first tried a steam room when he was five years old at a local YMCA with his father. Then in high school, he learned a sauna routine from a college wrestler, which led his parents to install one for him in their basement. By college, Gable was using the sauna every day, and he has ever since. As a young athlete, it helped him relax, control his weight and recover from workouts.
“It should really be a part of our (U.S. wrestlers) training from the beginning,” Gable says. “We’re at a disadvantage with everybody else in the world because they really use it a lot and they know what it’s for.”
The profound effects of sauna therapy are founded in science, according to Dr. James DiNicolantonio, a cardiovascular research scientist and doctor of pharmacy at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Missouri. His book, “The Immunity Fix,” has an entire chapter dedicated to the sauna. Its benefits, he claims, range from athletic performance, weight loss, boosting the immune system and anti-aging qualities to cognitive benefits and mental health. Read more from US News & World Report.
