Tom Walsh knows a thing or two about serious physical output. As the back-to-back Olympic bronze medalist in Shot put, Walsh’s training regime is nothing short of scary. Remaining at the elite level of any sport requires an intelligent and calculated recovery regime. As Walsh has moved through his illustrious career, he’s always looked for ways to enhance this crucial aspect of training. Recently, that’s culminated in the Olympic medallist adding a home sauna to his recovery repertoire. 

With a standard training day consisting of two grueling hours of full-body exercises in the gym, Walsh then heads to the field, where he completes another 90 minutes of throwing.

“Yeah, so I’m sore a lot of the time,” says Walsh.

When you’ve competed at the top-level of any sport for a prolonged period, finding new means of unlocking potential becomes critical, something Walsh’s coaches are well aware of. Recently, they discovered their athlete often performs better overall when he is in a warm climate, above 30°C. This finding led to Walsh putting his very own Alpine Infrared Sauna in his garage, constantly available to him. He’s found this to be a crucial piece of the puzzle. “I can definitely say that since getting my sauna, my muscle soreness after gym sessions and throw sessions, my range of motion, all those kinds of markers have improved quite a bit,” he says. 

While many athletes are drawn to traditional steam saunas for their intense heat, Walsh decided to opt for an Indoor Infrared Sauna. These saunas work by heating your body directly, rather than heating the space around you, like that of traditional saunas. This allows for users to stay in the sauna for longer and maximise their benefits due to the Infrared heaters facilitating a deep sweat, at a lower temperature. Walsh feels “the infrared heat actually soaks further into your skin, rather than just being on the surface level”. Walsh is referring to the safe wavelength of light that is emitted by Infrared Saunas, light that our body absorbs as heat, much like we experience from the sun. 

For Walsh, the benefits of having his own Sauna have extended to other facets of his everyday life, away from the grind of training and performing. Living the lifestyle of an elite athlete who is constantly traveling to events and competitions can take its toll on the less frequently considered aspects of everyday life. “My partner and I try to have saunas together when we can and that really helps our relationship – just having 20-25 minutes to ourselves to talk and also get away from technology,” says Walsh.

So, whether you’re after a quiet place to relax, or you’re looking to untap your hidden potential on the sports pitch, consider an Alpine Sauna. We have an extensive range of both indoor infrared saunas and outdoor traditional steam saunas, ready to meet your needs.