BLOG

In the professional fitness trainer world, one concept that has gained considerable traction in recent years is cross-training. This approach, which involves incorporating various forms of exercise and/or workout types into a single training regimen, offers numerous benefits that can enhance overall fitness, prevent injury, and keep workouts engaging. This article explores the importance of cross-training and how it can elevate your fitness journey. It’s important to note that the HOTWORX 3D Training Method incorporates cross-training as a vital component for maximizing infrared fitness results.

So, what is cross-training? Let’s dive into it for a better explanation…

Cross-training involves a combination of different workout modalities such as Pilates, cycling, and running, or types of exercise, such as cardiovascular workouts, strength training, stretch training, and sports-specific exercise. The goal is to improve overall performance by addressing all aspects of physical fitness: endurance, strength, flexibility, and balance. At HOTWORX, customers can cross-train until their heart's content with the option to use 12 distinctly different hot exercise workout types and a non-heated FX Zone providing unlimited combinations of functional training as well.

Benefits of Cross-Training include:

1. Improved Overall Fitness
One of the primary benefits of cross-training is that it targets different muscle groups and energy systems. For example, combining running with strength training and yoga can enhance cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, and flexibility, leading to a well-rounded fitness profile. Here is an explanation of the three energy systems from the the U.S. Army website:

“Three metabolic pathways generate the energy required to perform an exercise: the phosphagen pathway, the glycolytic pathway, and the oxidative pathway, together known as the energy systems. Although your body is always using all three simultaneously, depending on the intensity and duration of the exercise, your body will choose from which pathway it will use the largest percentage of its energy.” (1)

Cross-training can provide a balanced approach to the usage of all muscle groups and the three energy pathways.

2. Injury Prevention
Repetitive strain injuries are common in athletes and fitness enthusiasts who focus solely on one type of exercise. Cross-training reduces the risk of these injuries by distributing the physical stress across different muscle groups and joints. This balanced approach allows for adequate recovery and reduces the likelihood of overuse injuries. This muscle overuse is commonly known as overtraining.

3. Enhanced Motivation and Reduced Boredom
Monotony can be a significant barrier to maintaining a consistent fitness routine. Cross-training keeps workouts varied and exciting, making it easier to stay motivated. Whether it's hot cycling one day, lifting weights the next, or hot yoga after that, the diversity of activities can keep you engaged and committed to your fitness goals.

4. Plateau Busting
When you stick to a single type of exercise, your body can adapt, leading to performance plateaus. Cross-training challenges your body in new ways, stimulating continuous improvement and preventing plateaus. This approach ensures that you are constantly progressing and pushing your limits. HOTWORX uses multiple workout types, but keeps the workout types consistent in terms of posture flow to maximize performance measurability. Better measurability, for example, the ability to notice improved plank form and strength over a previous workout, motivates clients to keep going, thus improving their accountability to themselves!

5. Comprehensive Skill Development
Different workouts offer unique benefits. For instance, running and cycling improves cardiovascular health, strength training builds muscle and strength, and yoga enhances flexibility and mental clarity. Cross-training allows you to develop a comprehensive set of skills, making you a more versatile and capable athlete, as well as improving your overall quality of life.

How can I incorporate cross-training into my routine?

1. Assess Your Goals
Before you begin, assess your fitness goals. Are you looking to improve endurance, build muscle, increase flexibility, or enhance overall fitness? What is your sport, or activity? Understanding your objectives will help you choose the right mix of workout types. I’ll use myself as an example. I train to improve my performance as a snow skier and for mountain climbing. With that being my fitness goal, I choose weight training exercises that enhance overall strength with an emphasis on lower body in the HOTWORX FX Zone, then I have a consistent practice of HIIT with Hot Cycle, Hot Blast (total body trainer) and Hot Thunder (rowing) as well as hot isometric workouts such as yoga and Pilates for flexibility, balance and additional cardio.

2. Plan Your Schedule
Create a balanced workout schedule that includes various activities. For example, you might run on Mondays and Wednesdays, lift weights on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and practice yoga on Fridays. With traditional training you would have to include rest days to allow your body to recover. With infrared training you will actually experience recovery during your workouts allowing for training more often! Thus, your schedule might allow you to train with shorter infrared workouts five days per week.

3. Mix and Match
Experiment with different combinations of workouts to find what is best for you. Incorporate high-intensity interval training (HIIT), swimming, cycling, Pilates, or even team sports. The key is to keep your body engaged with multiple workout types.

4. Listen to Your Body
Pay attention to how your body responds to different workouts. Adjust your routine as needed to avoid overtraining and ensure balanced development. Cross-training will enhance your fitness to prevent burnout or injury.

Cross-training is a powerful strategy for achieving a well-rounded and sustainable fitness routine. By incorporating a variety of workouts, you can improve overall fitness, prevent injuries, stay motivated, break through plateaus, and develop a diverse movement for muscle strength and skill set. Whether you are a seasoned athlete or a fitness novice, cross-training can help you reach your goals and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. So, lace up those training shoes and hit the weights, grab your yoga mat, and hot HIIT your way into the exciting world of cross-training!

👊🔥

(1) https://www.army.mil/article/254967/understanding_the_three_energy_systems_used_during_exercise

Staying fit and healthy is a goal many of us strive for, but achieving it requires more than just hitting the gym, doing yoga, or going for a run. One crucial aspect often overlooked is monitoring your heart rate during workouts. This is especially important during infrared training. It is crucial to your fitness and your safety and you should never train without knowing your heart rate during the workout. Understanding your heart rate and its significance can elevate your fitness routine, making it more effective with lower risks. Here’s seven reasons why knowing your heart rate during workouts is so important.

1. Personalized Intensity Levels
Everyone's fitness level and goals are different. Knowing your heart rate allows you to tailor the intensity of your workouts to your specific needs. Whether you're aiming for fat loss, endurance, or muscle gain, monitoring your heart rate helps ensure you're working out at the right intensity. For instance, exercising at 50-70% of your maximum heart rate (MHR) is optimal for fat burning, while 70-85% of your MHR is better for cardiovascular fitness.

Know your maximum heart rate! Here is the simple formula: HRmax = 220 - Your Age. “Exceeding your maximum heart rate for long periods may pose several health risks, especially if you have an underlying cardiovascular condition.” (1)

2. Maximizing Workout Efficiency
Time is precious, and we all want to get the most out of our workouts when we go to the gym. Accordingly, the HOTWORX motto is MORE WORKOUT, LESS TIME! By tracking your heart rate, you can ensure you’re staying within your target heart rate zone, making your exercise sessions more efficient at the studio. This means achieving better results in less time, as you’re constantly working out at the optimal intensity for your goals. I am never without my Apple Watch during workouts, and am constantly looking at my heart rate to ensure that I’m safely under my HRmax. Knowing your heart rate is vital and everyone should use a tracker during their workouts.

3. Monitoring Progress
Tracking your heart rate over time gives you valuable data on your fitness progress. As your cardiovascular fitness improves, you'll notice that your resting heart rate decreases and your heart rate recovery after exercise speeds up. These are positive indicators of improved heart health and overall fitness.

4. Safety and Health
Exercising at too high an intensity can be dangerous, especially for individuals with underlying health conditions. You should get cleared for heart health by your doctor before embarking on any exercise routine. Knowing your heart rate can prevent you from overexerting yourself. This is particularly important for beginners or those returning to exercise after a long break. By staying within your target heart rate zone, you reduce the risk of injury and overtraining, making your workouts safer.

5. Motivation and Accountability
Seeing tangible data on your performance can be incredibly motivating. Heart rate monitors and fitness trackers provide real-time feedback, which can encourage you to push a little harder when needed or take it easy if you’re going too hard. This immediate feedback loop helps you stay accountable to your fitness goals and keeps you motivated to continue improving.

6. Understanding Your Body
Your heart rate is a direct indicator of how your body responds to physical stress. By paying attention to it, you become more in tune with your body’s signals. This awareness helps you recognize when you’re fatigued, stressed, or on the verge of burnout, allowing you to adjust your workouts and recovery times accordingly.

7. Tailoring Recovery
Recovery is a crucial part of any fitness regimen. Monitoring your heart rate can help determine the effectiveness of your recovery. Heart rate variability (HRV), the variation in time between heartbeats, is an excellent indicator of your recovery status. Higher HRV generally means better recovery, while lower HRV can indicate stress or fatigue. Adjusting your workouts based on HRV can lead to more effective recovery and better long-term performance.

How to Monitor Your Heart Rate
There are several ways to monitor your heart rate during workouts:

Wearable Devices: Fitness trackers and smartwatches are popular tools that provide real-time heart rate data. I have tried multiple brands. I will have to recommend the Apple Watch as the most reliable, most accurate, and most user friendly over the others.

Chest Straps: These devices are known for their accuracy and are often used by serious athletes.

Manual Monitoring: You can also check your pulse manually, although this method is less convenient and less accurate during workouts.

In conclusion, understanding and monitoring your heart rate during workouts is a game-changer for anyone serious about their fitness goals. It personalizes your exercise routine, maximizes efficiency, monitors progress, ensures safety, provides motivation, deepens your understanding of your body, and helps tailor your recovery. Embrace the power of heart rate monitoring and take your workouts to the next level.

Stay fit, stay healthy, and keep your heart in check!

👊🔥

(1) https://www.healthline.com/health/running-heart-rate#safety

If you’re a runner, then you pay close attention to your running shoes to ensure the best performance for your feet. If you’re a tennis player, you want the best racket to hit the ball. If you’re a golfer, you want the best clubs. Every athlete should always want the best gear to support the best outcome from the game, and these days, everyone wants their gear to be friendly to the environment. In today’s world it makes sense that fitness athletes and exercise enthusiasts seek out the best eco-friendly gear for high level experience and results! No matter what your game is, your gear matters. It’s personal to your performance.

If your fitness game is yoga, Pilates, or other forms of isometrics, then the quality of your mat and towel is of paramount importance. Your yoga mat and towel is an expression of preference, and you want the best that is available. As a yoga enthusiast myself, I can tell you that a great mat and towel makes all the difference and I can also tell you first hand that there is nothing worse than a crappy mat and towel during a workout.

Prior to the launch of HOTWORX, I would frequent a hot yoga studio in downtown New Orleans close to where I lived at that time and I would pay $5 to rent a mat and towel. The mat was not wide enough for comfort and the towel looked like something that came out of a Motel 6 somewhere. It was an awful experience. The towel didn’t even cover the little mat and it was very rough on the knees. At one point, during those times, I began to think about how the yoga experience could be better with the right mat and towel.

After the design was complete for the now patented HOTWORX sauna, I worked closely with our product and equipment team to design the perfect yoga mat and towel for hot exercise. Our goal was to provide customers with the ultimate floor exercise experience. I think we accomplished that goal. Once people get used to a good mat and towel they can never go back to a lesser quality option.

As we began to roll out the HOTWORX workout saunas, we had no idea how popular the newly designed mats and towels would be. We knew that they were super high quality and designed to increase performance, but we didn’t anticipate that so many customers would want to buy their own mat and towel instead of just rent them. We now ship out tens of thousands of our high quality mats and towels each month. We have always wanted to become the largest supplier of high quality yoga mats and towels in the USA and we’re getting there because HOTWORX customers love them for their workouts.

The towel is designed to fit perfectly over the size of the mat and the towel has silica gel micro grips underneath to ensure that there is no slippage during workouts. Of course, the towel is large enough to capture all of the sweat and is super absorbent with microfiber material. The mat provides the right amount of cushion with its honeycomb structure and the towel feels good to the knees while providing stability for any type of isometric posture.

The HOTWORX mats and towels are eco friendly. The mat is infused with all-natural hemp fibers that are ideal for comfort during rigorous workouts. The towel is made with food grade silica gel grips underneath and all of the microfiber materials allow for strong absorption, softness to the touch, good air permeability, wear resistance and easy cleaning. These towels last forever, wash after wash, they continue to perform! The towel also has passed the strict REACH European standards for human health and environmental safety.

According to Victoria Price, Dir. of Retail and Project Management, “Our HOTWORX yoga mats are crafted from a blend of all-natural jute and hemp fibers, ensuring that they can withstand the high temperatures of our saunas without heating or melting. Additionally, our mats are free from 16 types of phthalates, commonly known as plasticizers, ensuring safer, non-toxic use. They also meet the standards of California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Proposition 65), affirming their safety and quality.”

For me, as an avid skier, the yoga mat and towel are just as important to my fitness as a good pair of boots and skis are to my performance on the slopes. If you are serious about your workout performance, give the HOTWORX mat and towel a try for your next yoga or other isometric session!

👊🔥

In the quest for better health and wellness, many have turned to saunas as a natural method of detoxification. Traditional saunas have long been celebrated for their benefits, but in recent years, infrared saunas have gained popularity for their unique ability to induce a deeper, more effective sweat. One of the most compelling arguments for infrared saunas is the claim that they help the body release more toxins compared to traditional saunas. But why is this the case? Let's explore the science behind why infrared sauna-induced sweating contains more toxins than sweating in a traditional sauna.

Understanding the Basics: Infrared vs. Traditional Saunas
Traditional saunas use a heat source, typically a stove, to warm the air around you. This, in turn, heats your body from the outside in. The temperature in a traditional sauna can reach anywhere from 150 to 195 degrees Fahrenheit (65 to 90 degrees Celsius). This high heat induces sweating and offers various health benefits, including improved circulation and relaxation.

Infrared saunas, on the other hand, use infrared light to penetrate the skin directly and heat the body from the inside out. The temperatures in an infrared sauna are typically lower, ranging from 120 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (49 to 60 degrees Celsius). Despite the lower temperature, the body can produce a more profound sweat in an infrared sauna. The lower heat makes it possible to exercise in the sauna too. The HOTWORX 3D Training Method combines isometrics and HIIT with heat and infrared energy inside of an infrared sauna offering 12 different workout types for customers to choose from or to combine for cross-training purposes. Exercise also promotes sweating, so the combination of working out in an infrared sauna environment packs a one two punch for sweating and for detox.

The Science of Sweating and Detoxification
Sweating is one of the body's natural mechanisms for detoxification. Through sweat, the body can eliminate various toxins, including heavy metals, chemicals, and other impurities. The depth and volume of sweat produced play a crucial role in how effectively these toxins are expelled. As reported on shape.com:

"One of the ways you can enhance your body’s detoxification processes is by flushing out the toxins,” says Dr. Casey Kelley, MD, founder and medical director of Case Integrative Health. “Using an infrared sauna is a form of this. Sweating is a great way to mobilize toxins in your body. Many toxins like arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury can all be excreted through sweat.”

Infrared Saunas and Deep Tissue Heating
The key difference lies in how infrared saunas heat the body. Infrared light penetrates the skin and heats the body on a deeper level than the ambient heat of traditional saunas. This deep tissue heating can reach about 1.5 inches (4 centimeters) into the skin. As a result, the sweat produced in an infrared sauna is not only from the surface but also from deeper layers of the skin.

This deep heating effect means that the sweat generated in an infrared sauna can contain more cellular-level toxins. Studies have shown that infrared sauna sessions can increase the excretion of heavy metals like mercury, lead, and cadmium, which are often stored in the deeper layers of the skin and adipose (fat) tissue.

Increased Circulation and Metabolic Rate
Infrared saunas also stimulate circulation and increase the metabolic rate. The infrared light causes blood vessels to dilate, promoting better blood flow. This enhanced circulation helps transport toxins from various tissues to the surface of the skin more efficiently. Additionally, the increased metabolic rate encourages the body to mobilize and eliminate stored toxins.

Enhanced Sweat Composition
Research suggests that the sweat produced in an infrared sauna contains a higher concentration of toxins compared to sweat from a traditional sauna. A study published in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health found that the sweat from heat had significantly higher levels of heavy metals and other environmental toxins. (1) This indicates that the deep, penetrating heat of infrared saunas is more effective in releasing these harmful substances from the body.

While both traditional and infrared saunas offer numerous health benefits, the unique properties of infrared saunas make them a superior choice for those seeking a more effective detoxification method. The ability of infrared light to penetrate deeper into the skin and heat the body from within results in a more profound, toxin-rich sweat. This, combined with increased circulation and metabolic activity, makes infrared saunas an excellent tool for enhancing the body's natural detoxification processes.

As always, it is important to consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new health regimen, including sauna use, to ensure it is safe and appropriate for your individual health needs. But for those looking to maximize their detox efforts, the deep sweat induced by infrared saunas might just be the key to unlocking better health and well-being.

👊🔥

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3312275/

Let’s face it. Not every day, week, or year for that matter, is going to go perfectly the way you want it to go. Your mood needs to be managed in times of winter. When the going gets tough, it’s time to get tough with managing stress! The best way to handle stress is to face it and tackle it head on.

One solid way to manage your stress is to sweat it out, literally! There is science to back that statement up. Infrared technology can help, and sweating from an infrared sauna workout can do wonders for your mood and your overall health. The cleansing action of sweating combined with the endorphin release and muscle relaxation from exercise can create a powerful synergy for stress relief and rejuvenation.

There is new evidence that sweating from sauna sessions can prevent mental illness. “In this new study, frequent sauna bathing was strongly associated with a reduced risk of psychotic disorders. These new findings add to emerging evidence that frequent sauna therapy could reduce the risk of several acute and chronic health conditions.” (1)

Sweating in an infrared sauna occurs as a result of the body's natural response to the heat generated by the sauna's infrared radiation. Unlike traditional saunas that heat the air around you, infrared saunas use infrared heaters to emit radiant heat that is absorbed directly by the body through the skin. This radiant heat penetrates deep, up to an inch and a half into the body, raising the core temperature and triggering a cascade of physiological responses, including sweating that can reduce your stress.

How does sweating occur in an infrared sauna? When you enter an infrared sauna, your skin absorbs the radiant heat emitted by the infrared heaters. This heat penetrates beneath the surface of the skin, warming the underlying tissues and raising your body temperature as stated above.

As your body temperature increases, your sweat glands are activated. Sweat glands are distributed throughout the body and are responsible for producing sweat, which is composed primarily of water and electrolytes such as sodium and chloride along with toxic waste.

The type of sweat produced in response to heat exposure in an infrared sauna is primarily eccrine sweat. Eccrine sweat glands are found all over the body and play a crucial role in thermoregulation, helping to cool the body down by evaporating sweat from the skin's surface. In an infrared sauna, eccrine sweat production increases to help dissipate the excess heat and maintain a stable body temperature.

What are the benefits of sweating beyond just cooling the body though?

As noted by Dr. Peter Mikhail, in addition to thermoregulation, sweating releases toxins, bacteria, and dirt that can cause acne to develop; prevents calcium and salt build up in the kidneys and urine as it helps to prevent kidney stones; flushes alcohol and cholesterol out of the body; and helps to fight off bacteria, fungus and viruses. (2)

Sweat serves as a vehicle for removing toxins and metabolic waste products from the body. As you sweat during an infrared sauna workout, toxins such as heavy metals, environmental pollutants, and metabolic byproducts are excreted through the pores of your skin. This process of detoxification is believed to support overall health and well-being by reducing the body's toxic burden. The mere knowledge that sweating helps to rid the body of toxic substances is a relief to the mind.

Sweating opens up the pores of the skin and helps remove dirt, oil, and other impurities that may be trapped beneath the surface. This cleansing action can promote clearer, healthier-looking skin and may help prevent acne breakouts and other skin conditions. Healthy skin provides a boost to confidence, thereby reducing more stress.

Overall, sweating in an infrared sauna is a natural and beneficial process that helps regulate body temperature, remove toxins, cleanse the skin, and promote overall health and well-being. By inducing sweating through radiant heat exposure, infrared saunas offer a convenient and effective way to support detoxification, muscle relaxation, and mental rejuvenation.

All of these infrared sweating benefits contribute to help relieve stress on the body. What about the mental stress relief benefits? How does that happen?

Stress reduction from an infrared sauna primarily occurs through the interplay of several physiological mechanisms triggered by the heat exposure. Here's a breakdown of how sweating in an infrared sauna can help reduce mental stress:

Endorphin Release: Sweating induced by the heat of an infrared sauna prompts the body to release endorphins. Endorphins are neurotransmitters known as the body's natural painkillers and mood elevators. They bind to opioid receptors in the brain, leading to feelings of relaxation and euphoria. This endorphin release can help alleviate stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression, promoting an overall sense of well-being and contentment during and after infrared workout sessions.

Improved Sleep Quality: Chronic stress can disrupt sleep patterns and contribute to insomnia or poor sleep quality. The relaxation and calming effects of infrared sauna sessions can help promote better sleep by reducing stress levels and promoting the release of neurotransmitters like serotonin and melatonin, which are involved in regulating sleep-wake cycles. By improving sleep quality, regular sauna use can help individuals feel more rested, rejuvenated, and better equipped to cope with stress during waking hours. Better sleep = better mental health and clarity.

Increased Oxygenation: Exercise increases blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain and body tissues. This enhanced oxygenation can improve cognitive function, mood, and energy levels while reducing feelings of fatigue and lethargy associated with stress. Infrared workouts at HOTWORX involve cardiovascular exercise such as cycling, rowing, and isometric exercise such as yoga and Pilates which can boost oxygenation even further, leading to a greater sense of mental clarity and vitality.

Important note: Always remember that it is important to hydrate during sauna use. I recommend an electrolyte and amino powder supplement in your water. HOTWORX offers a “During and After” sauna workout powder to supplement your water with what the body needs during an infrared workout sweating session. Sweating in an infrared sauna can lead to fluid loss and electrolyte depletion, particularly if you sweat heavily during a session. It's essential to replenish fluids, and electrolytes and to add aminos for recovery by drinking water infused with those nutrients before, during, and after sauna use to aid in muscle recovery and to prevent dehydration and maintain proper electrolyte balance.

Overall, infrared workouts offer a comprehensive approach to stress relief by combining the physical benefits of exercise with the therapeutic effects of infrared heat exposure. Sweating from infrared workouts provide a holistic solution for reducing stress, promoting muscle relaxation, and enhancing overall wellness.

👊🔥

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6422146/

(2) http://www.tampahyperhidrosiscenter.com/2019/02/19/the-benefits-of-sweat/

If you are a certified fitness instructor with a warrior mindset you should apply to compete, or if you know a talented fitness instructor, encourage them to compete in this year’s HOTWORX VI Competition. The company is looking for top notch fitness professionals who specialize in one or more of the following modalities: Yoga, Pilates, Barre, Bands, Ropes, Suspension Training, Indoor Cycling, Rowing, and Personal Training. Fitness Instructor professionals will not want to miss out on an opportunity to compete on this one of a  kind stage. Prize packages are worth 10k+ for each of the seven winners who make it to the top!

With that said, let’s take a look inside the World's Most Unique Fitness Competition and see how it works…

In the dynamic realm of fitness, for HOTWORX, innovation knows no bounds. From high-intensity interval training in a sauna to infrared yoga and Hot Stretch, the evolution of exercise constantly pushes boundaries at the company. And, in the era of virtual connectivity, a new frontier has emerged—one where the digital domain converges with physical fitness, giving rise to an unprecedented new fitness tournament spectacle: the HOTWORX Annual Virtual Instructor Competition.

Imagine a global stage where fitness enthusiasts and instructors from every corner of the world converge in a virtual space to begin the competition. It’s easy to see that this isn't your typical fitness competition. It's a thrilling showcase of communication skill, fitness form, endurance, strength, and passion that transcends geographical limitations.

Each year the first round begins with the top 40 out of a field of around 150 competitors who have submitted online bios, videos, and answers to questions about why they should be in the top 7 lineup of HOTWORX virtual instructors for the new season. The top 40 is then opened up to the virtual public for voting at $1 per vote with all of the money that is raised going to benefit the Sacred Mountain Retreat Center for wounded veterans, Gold Star families and first responders.

The competitors always represent a kaleidoscope of backgrounds, cultures, and fitness disciplines, bringing together a tapestry of isometric postures and HIIT movements from yoga, Pilates, Barre and stretching to cycling, rowing and sets of functional training exercise. From traditional to the cutting edge, every isometric and HIIT style finds its place on this platform.

Technology serves as the initial conduit for this gathering of fitness professionals. These athletes push their limits in hopes of making the finals and landing a spot on the Virtual Instructor team for the upcoming year. The finals held at the HOTWORX Franchise convention each year challenges competitors to perform the likes of 5 minute planks while answering interview questions on stage in front of hundreds in the audience. There is also a photo shoot round, and an intensive individual interview round facing tough questions from the judges along with other unique competitive rounds.

This competition isn't just about showcasing physical prowess; it's also about fostering community and connection in an increasingly virtual world. Ultimately, though, it is about finding the right instructors who can help customers obtain the highest level of fitness results in the shortest amount of time from a virtual screen!

As the contest moves from the online top 40 to the final rounds at the company convention with the top 15, behind the scenes a team of judges made up of fitness executives from the HOTWORX corporate office meticulously evaluates each performance. They consider not only technical proficiency but also communications under pressure and queuing delivery, along with energy level, and overall impact to the audience of franchisees and staff.

But perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this competition is its accessibility. Anyone who is a certified fitness instructor with an internet connection and a passion for coaching people into shape can participate, thus leveling the playing field and democratizing fitness competition in ways never done before.

“The HOTWORX VI Competition has an incredibly brilliant and unique approach to finding and recruiting talent each year. Hundreds of applicants are asked to showcase not only their unique teaching talent but also the qualities that would make them standout ambassadors for the brand. To be the best, it takes more than great instruction; you must also embody passion, expertise, social media marketability, and an outstanding ability to connect with the audience. HOTWORX’s innovative and interactive approach helps us find more than fitness pros, we find the ‘ultimate utility players’ of fitness!”
-Ashlee B, HOTWORX VI, Coach of the VI Team

Kasie Banks, Executive Marketing Director and Director of Workout Filming extends this invitation: ”For anyone interested in applying, I highly recommend that they take the time to watch Season 3 of the HOTWORX TV Show! Not only will it provide you with the best idea of what to expect for the Virtual Instructor Competition and a behind the scenes look at the workout video shoots, but you'll also hear directly from members of the Judges Panel on exactly what it is that we're looking for and what makes one competitor stand out from another."

So, if you are ready to rock the fitness world and want to test yourself in this competition, click here to view the tv show for the past few seasons and then apply to compete. There is only two weeks left to register. For all you fitness instructor warriors, it’s time to get moving!

Think you have what it takes? Make your move. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

👊🔥

I was thinking about franchising versus independent businesses this week and decided to write about it and look into the latest franchising success research. My franchising career began as a licensee of Gold’s Gym in 1990, where I eventually owned three locations as a multi-unit operator. Eventually, in that same decade, I would become a franchisor. I certainly came to understand the power of a brand back in the prime years of Gold’s Gym.

In the dynamic landscape of entrepreneurship, aspiring business owners often face that pivotal decision of whether to start an independent venture or opt for the tried-and-tested route of opening a franchise. Both avenues have their merits, but with this blog post, I’d like to delve into the realm of franchises to explore the distinct advantages they offer over independent businesses.

I have been a franchise CEO since 1996 when we launched our original brand, Planet Beach, in the spring of that year with one location. We grew the organization and learned many beneficial lessons in franchising along the way. It was through that experience that we paved the way to the launch of the HOTWORX franchise in 2017. Since the opening of that first ever 24 hour infrared fitness studio in Oxford, MS, we have grown the brand to over 630 locations with an eye toward crossing the 700 mark this year. There are numerous reasons as to why opening a proven franchise versus an independent business makes sense for your bottom line. Here are a few of them:

Established Brand Recognition: One of the most significant advantages of opening a franchise is leveraging the established brand recognition of the parent company. While independent businesses often struggle to build brand awareness from scratch, franchises enter the market with the backing of a well-known and trusted brand. This recognition can significantly reduce the time and resources required to attract customers, giving franchise owners a head start in the competitive business landscape.

Proven Business Model: Strong franchises come with a proven business model, and a “playbook” that has already been tested and refined by the franchisor. This eliminates much of the guesswork and uncertainty associated with starting a new business. Franchise owners receive comprehensive training and ongoing support from the franchisor, providing them with the tools and knowledge needed to run a successful operation. From marketing strategies to operational processes, franchisees benefit from the expertise of a company that has already navigated the challenges of entrepreneurship. The distinct advantage that comes from aligning with a seasoned franchisor is the systems that have been developed during the critical site selection and construction phase. HOTWORX created a comprehensive digital checklist to guide franchisees through each of the steps and details to get a franchise location through a successful opening.

Access to Resources and Support: Unlike independent business owners who must handle every aspect of their operation on their own, franchisees have access to a wealth of resources and support from the franchisor. This should include assistance with site selection, lease negotiations, and construction as stated above, but also ongoing marketing campaigns, and support collateral for employee training. By tapping into these resources, franchise owners can focus their time and energy on growing their business rather than getting bogged down by having to create operational processes.

Reduced Risk: Starting any business involves a certain level of risk, but franchises offer a degree of built-in security that independent businesses often lack. With a proven track record of success and ongoing support from the franchisor, franchisees are better positioned to navigate economic downturns and industry fluctuations. Additionally, the established brand recognition of a franchise can attract customers more reliably than an independent brand, reducing the risk of failure in the crucial early stages of business ownership.

Easier Financing: Securing financing can be a major hurdle for aspiring entrepreneurs, but franchises often have an advantage in this area. Banks and lending institutions are typically more willing to finance franchise ventures due to their lower failure rates and proven business models. HOTWORX maintains numerous relationships with various types of lenders from banks to leasing companies, and others.

Business Coaching: HOTWORX believes in the importance of assigning a designated business coach to each and every franchise location. Nothing is more important to the profitability of a franchise location than a reliable weekly business coaching process. The franchisor, in fact, should be viewed as the “coaching staff” for the franchisees who should be viewed as the “players”. The coaches train and motivate the players to execute the playbook at the highest possible level on the field of business operations.

What about the chances of success? What is the small business success rate as a whole including franchises and independents? As reported by the SBA, from 1994-2018, an average of 67.6% of new employer establishments survived at least two years. During the same period, the five-year survival rate was 48.8%, the ten-year survival rate was 33.6%, and the fifteen-year survival rate was 25.7%.

How have franchise brands who are well matched to the right franchisees fared in the marketplace?

FranNet, a franchise consultant network, tracked 1,500 individuals it had helped get into franchised businesses between 2006 and 2010. The network’s internal research concluded that 91.2 percent of the businesses were still open after two years, and 85 percent were operating after five years. The CEO of FranNet, Jania Bailey, notes that those stats don't extend to franchising in general. She points to the fact that the high success rate to the FranNet system is due to the matching of people to the right franchise brand for them. She also highlights this by saying "the time period we studied had the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression.” She further states that the success rate of FranNet “speaks volumes about our ability to match a person and their skill set to the right franchise concept.” Without a doubt, it is super important that individuals align themselves with the right franchise concept to match their preferences and capabilities. (1) I would add that people really need to love the brand that they choose to franchise with!

I have observed over the years that organic growth versus advertising driven growth in franchising is a huge indicator of future success. The vast majority of HOTWORX franchisees were either referred into the system by a friend who is a member of a studio or by an existing franchisee, or they simply became obsessed with the infrared workouts themselves and then decided to pursue the opportunity to become a franchisee. There is no question that a passion for the business is a must for long term franchise ownership success! According to Nancy Price, HOTWORX Senior VP of Franchise Recruitment, "When you're growing a brand organically, you know you have something special!"

Customer Base: One of the challenges independent business owners face is building a loyal customer base from the ground up. Franchisees, however, benefit from a built-in customer base that is already familiar with the brand and its offerings. Whether it's a popular fast-food chain or a well-known fitness franchise like HOTWORX, customers often seek out familiar brands they know and trust. This can give franchise owners a competitive edge in attracting and retaining customers, particularly in saturated markets where brand loyalty plays a significant role in consumer behavior.

HOTWORX has the advantage of an extremely differentiated franchise concept within the fitness industry. This uniqueness has served the franchise well from a branding standpoint. In my best selling book, HOT EXERCISE, with the sub-title HOTWORX and the Bold New Infrared Fitness Frontier, there is a wealth of information to explain the innovative market positioning of the franchise. I invite you to grab a copy on Amazon or at your local HOTWORX studio.

What about the rate of success? I am happy to report that the HOTWORX success rate is solid compared to other franchises, and much greater than that of the small business averages stated above. The brand has only had one closure out of over 630 locations at the date of this article, and this closure was due to a landlord issue that involved flooding in the space. A large part of why this is so low is the commitment of the company to the profitability of the franchisees. I always speak to our company about the importance of an absolute focus on profitability through customer experience bliss. Profits through fitness results and customer service is the key!

In conclusion, while both independent businesses and franchises offer opportunities for entrepreneurship, the advantages of opening a franchise are clear. From established brand recognition to proven business models and access to resources, franchising provides aspiring entrepreneurs with a pathway to success that is both efficient and lower risk. Whether you're a seasoned business owner or a first-time entrepreneur, exploring the world of franchises could be a ticket to achieving your entrepreneurial dreams.

👊🔥

(1) https://frannet.com/resources/buying-a-franchise/franchise-success-rate-what-you-need-to-know-in-2023/

In today's fast-paced world, where stress and toxins bombard us from all angles, finding effective and holistic ways to rejuvenate our bodies is more crucial than ever. One such method gaining traction in fitness and wellness circles is infrared therapy. Unlike conventional treatments that merely scratch the surface, infrared therapy penetrates deep into our cellular level, offering a plethora of benefits for our overall health and well-being. HOTWORX takes cellular health up another notch by combining the wellness benefits of infrared with the positive mitochondrial effects of exercise.

Let’s take a look at the power of infrared rays. Infrared therapy harnesses the invisible spectrum of light, known as infrared rays, to stimulate healing and the loosening of muscle tissue within the body. These light wave rays are divided into three wavelength categories: near, mid, and far infrared. Each type penetrates the body at different depths, with far infrared having the deepest penetration capabilities. Due to the importance of light wave penetration, HOTWORX utilizes heater technology that emits 95% far infrared and 5% mid.

Cellular Rejuvenation: The Core Benefit
At the heart of infrared therapy lies its ability to promote cellular rejuvenation. When our cells are exposed to infrared rays, they absorb this energy, kickstarting a cascade of biological processes. One key mechanism is the enhancement of mitochondrial function. Mitochondria, often referred to as the powerhouse of the cell, produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the molecule responsible for cellular energy. By optimizing mitochondrial function, infrared therapy boosts cellular metabolism, leading to increased energy levels and improved overall cellular health.

Let’s take a closer look at the science…

Infrared exposure stimulates the mitochondria through a process called photobiomodulation (PBM), also known as low-level light therapy or phototherapy. This phenomenon involves the absorption of specific wavelengths of light, including infrared, by chromophores within the mitochondria.

Absorption of Photons:
When cells are exposed to infrared light, photons are absorbed by chromophores within the mitochondria. Chromophores are light-sensitive molecules that can absorb specific wavelengths of light.

Activation of Cytochrome C Oxidase:
One of the key chromophores within the mitochondria is cytochrome c oxidase (CCO), a crucial enzyme involved in the electron transport chain, which is responsible for ATP production. When CCO absorbs photons from infrared light, it becomes activated, leading to an increase in cellular energy production.

Enhanced ATP Production:
Activation of CCO by infrared light stimulates the electron transport chain, resulting in increased ATP synthesis. ATP is the primary energy currency of cells and is essential for various cellular processes, including metabolism, cellular repair, and signaling.

Upregulation of Cellular Metabolism:
The increased production of ATP through photobiomodulation leads to upregulation of cellular metabolism. This means that cells have more energy available to perform their functions efficiently, including repair and regeneration processes.

Reduction of Oxidative Stress:
Infrared therapy has been shown to reduce oxidative stress within cells. By enhancing mitochondrial function and increasing ATP production, cells become more efficient at neutralizing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and repairing oxidative damage.

Overall, infrared exposure stimulates mitochondria by activating key enzymes involved in ATP production, leading to increased cellular energy levels, enhanced metabolism, and improved cellular function. This process not only boosts overall cellular health but also contributes to the therapeutic effects of infrared therapy, including pain relief, tissue repair, and anti-inflammatory responses.

Maybe it’s time to add infrared to your fitness program. The HOTWORX 3D Training Method combines the use of heat and infrared energy with exercise to give clients MORE WORKOUT in LESS TIME.

👊🔥

In recent years, yoga has transcended its ancient roots to become a global phenomenon, celebrated for its holistic approach to physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. While traditional yoga studios offer a serene environment conducive to practice, a new trend is emerging – one that harnesses the power of infrared technology to deepen the yoga experience. Thanks to the workout advancements of the HOTWORX franchise, infrared yoga, an innovative fusion of ancient wisdom and modern science, is gaining traction among health enthusiasts worldwide. Let's delve into the advantages of this cutting-edge practice and why it's becoming increasingly popular.

What is Infrared Yoga?

Before we jump straight into its benefits, let's understand what sets infrared yoga apart. Unlike traditional yoga studios, which rely on conventional heating systems, infrared yoga utilizes infrared heaters to create a gentle, radiant heat. These heaters emit infrared rays, which are invisible to the naked eye but are absorbed by the body, providing a deep, penetrating warmth that facilitates muscle flexibility and workout recovery. An infrared sauna is the best environment for infrared yoga because of the proximity of the heaters to the client. For best results and for deepest infrared energy penetration into the body, a client should be within 1-3 feet from the infrared source.

Advantages of Infrared Yoga:

1. Deep Tissue Penetration:
One of the primary advantages of infrared yoga performed in a sauna is its ability to penetrate infrared energy deep into the body, reaching muscles, joints, and tissues more effectively than traditional heating systems. This deep heat helps to increase blood flow, promoting circulation and delivering oxygen and nutrients to areas that need it most. As a result, practitioners experience greater flexibility, reduced muscle tension, and improved range of motion.

2. Detoxification:
Infrared heat is known to induce profuse sweating, which serves as a natural mechanism for detoxification. Unlike traditional saunas, which rely on high temperatures to induce sweating, infrared yoga gently raises the body's core temperature, allowing customers to sweat more comfortably and efficiently. This process helps eliminate toxins from the body, cleanse the skin, and promote overall health and well-being.

3. Enhanced Flexibility and Performance:
The combination of heat, infrared energy and yoga postures in an infrared sauna can significantly enhance flexibility and performance. As the body warms up, muscles become more pliable, making it easier to move deeper into poses and stretch further. This increased flexibility not only improves posture and alignment but also reduces the risk of injury, allowing studio members to explore more advanced isometrics with confidence. HOTWORX calls this blend of heat, infrared energy and exercise 3D Training.

4. Stress Relief and Active Relaxation:
Yoga performed in an infrared sauna offers a sanctuary for active relaxation and stress relief. The gentle warmth of the infrared heaters soothes the nervous system, promoting a sense of calm and tranquility. As customers move through the HOTWORX athletic style yoga practice, they can release tension stored in the body, calm the nerves, and build strength and flexibility while fostering the mind/body connection. This combination of yoga, infrared energy and heat creates a deeply therapeutic experience that strengthens and rejuvenates the body, mind, and spirit.

5. Immune Boost:
Regular practice of infrared yoga in a sauna can strengthen the immune system and promote overall health. The increase in circulation stimulates the production of white blood cells, which play a crucial role in fighting off infections and illness. Additionally, the detoxification process helps rid the body of pathogens and harmful substances, leaving studio members feeling revitalized and energized.

Infrared yoga represents a harmonious union of ancient exercise tradition and modern innovation, offering a myriad of benefits for strengthening the body and the mind. From improved muscle tone, flexibility and performance to stress relief and immune support, the advantages of this transformative practice are undeniable. Whether you're a seasoned yogi or new to the practice, consider exploring the transformative power of infrared yoga and experience the profound benefits for yourself.

👊🔥

It’s Good Friday today as I am writing this blog article. That being the case, I thought I would write about my own workout routine and what my typical Friday workout looks like. This morning, like most of my mornings on a Friday, it was leg day. For the entire week leading up to “leg day”, my fitness routine looks like this during a week. I will weight train every body part once per week, chest Monday, back Tuesday, shoulders Wednesday, arms Thursday, and then it’s a wrap for the week with lower body on Friday.  I will follow the body part functional weight training in the FX Zone with a morning hot HIIT workout in the HOTWORX infrared sauna for cardio and infrared therapy. Additionally, I will add a hot isometric workout two to three times per week at lunch or in the evening, and it could be any one of the 9 different ISO workouts available at HOTWORX. Most weeks I’m sure to get at least one HOT STRETCH in to maintain and to improve flexibility!

I am a bit partial to Friday “Leg Day” because of my mountain climbing excursions. Obviously, hiking a serious mountain requires leg strength and cardio conditioning. This morning was an excellent dose of strength training for legs and hot cardio training on a cycle in the infrared sauna. It’s a great way to finish the fitness week.

I know there are a million different ways to train for fitness, and I am a big advocate for cross-training. I love HOTWORX because it has everything that anyone needs for general fitness, and for activity specific training, like that of hiking and snow skiing, my two favorites. HOTWORX “works” for fitness beginners, enthusiasts, runners, motocross racers, soccer players, pro baseball players, pro football players, and athletes of almost any other sport that you can think of! In fact, there are professional athletes from the WWE, NBA, NFL, WNBA, National Women’s Soccer teams and other pro sports who are franchise owners and/or members of HOTWORX and who love the infrared training options. They use the studio to maximize lower body and cardio conditioning in similar ways like I do on Fridays. Note also that the HOTWORX workouts are created by athletes for general fitness.

This morning my routine consisted of squats for warm-up sets and then it moved right into kettle bell squats on the flat side up of a BOSU ball for added balance training. From that exercise I then went to multiple bench steps, alternating elbow to knee. From there I jumped into calf training with dumbbells including sets with straight toe, toes pointed in, then toes pointed out. After that, it was time for lower body cardio with HOT STRETCH.

Try devoting a day during your fitness week to legs. I like Friday because it’s a good way to end the workout week with a solid session for the wheels of the body.

👊🔥

In the pursuit of radiant, healthy skin, we often explore various skincare routines, products, and treatments. However, amidst the sea of options, one natural phenomenon stands out for its potential benefits – infrared workout sweating. While sweating might not sound glamorous, its effects on the skin, particularly when coupled with working out in the infrared spectrum, can be remarkably beneficial. We can delve into this fascinating aspect of skincare and discover how it can now contribute to a healthier complexion.

Let’s gain an understanding of infrared sweating first. Sweating is the body's natural mechanism to regulate temperature and to detoxify itself. When we engage in physical activity or expose ourselves to heat, especially infrared heat, our sweat glands activate, releasing moisture onto the skin's surface. Infrared sweating takes this process a step further by utilizing energy from infrared light to induce sweating. Unlike traditional saunas, which rely on steam or dry heat, infrared saunas radiate light that penetrates the skin, generating heat from within.

Infrared induced sweating delivers good results for your skin. One of the primary benefits of infrared sweating is its ability to deeply cleanse pores. As the body heats up, sweat carries impurities, dirt, and excess oils to the skin's surface, where they can be wiped away with a towel. This process helps to unclog pores, preventing breakouts and promoting a clearer glowing complexion.

Infrared sweating also promotes improved circulation. Infrared heat causes vasodilation, which widens blood vessels and enhances circulation. As a result, oxygen and nutrient-rich blood flow more freely to the skin, nourishing its cells and supporting overall skin health. Improved circulation also aids in the removal of toxins, reducing inflammation and promoting a natural skin glow.

How does the process of infrared sweating effect collagen production? Collagen is a crucial protein that provides structure and elasticity to the skin. As we age, collagen production naturally declines, leading to wrinkles and sagging skin. However, studies suggest that exposure to infrared light can stimulate collagen synthesis, helping to maintain skin firmness and reduce the signs of aging.

Stress is a common culprit behind many skin issues, including acne, eczema, and premature aging. Infrared sauna workouts offer an environment where individuals can stretch the muscles with greater flexibility to provide relief from stress. The infrared exposure promotes the release of endorphins, our body's natural feel-good chemicals, which can further help to alleviate stress and promote a sense of well-being. Reduced stress levels can translate to healthier, happier skin.

How can I incorporate infrared sweating into my skincare routine? Adding infrared sweating to your skincare regimen is simple. HOTWORX, the 24 hour infrared fitness studio, offers 12 different 30 and 15 minute workout sessions including the latest 30 minute workout innovation, HOT STRETCH. Be sure to keep a rally towel by your side during infrared workouts to wipe away the toxins in your sweat and follow up the session with a solid moisturization product. Keep an eye out for a new infrared moisturizer under development now to be be offered soon at HOTWORX studios. And, make sure that you stay fully hydrated during your sauna workouts!

To sum it up, infrared sweating offers a holistic approach to skincare, harnessing the power of natural heat and light energy to promote healthier, more radiant skin. From deep cleansing and improved circulation to collagen stimulation and stress reduction, the benefits are plentiful. By incorporating regular infrared sauna training sessions into your skincare routine, you can support your skin's natural vitality and achieve a complexion that glows from within. So, why not embrace the warmth and glow of infrared sweating during your workouts for a skincare boost like no other?

👊🔥

As a result of exposure to the environment, pollutants bombard our bodies every day. We breathe in toxic substances, we eat them, they invade our skin as we touch them, and we even wear them. These environmental toxins and toxicants pose a serious health risk if left unaddressed as they build up in our fat cells. Some of these ecological pollutants include lead, methane, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, heavy metals, and sulfur dioxides. All of that, yet we continue to do very little to clean up the environment, and most of us have zero strategy to clean the toxic buildup inside of our very own bodies. Case in point, as I write this blog post, the active electric vehicle population in the world represents only an estimated 2-3% of those that are on the road and the rest of the 97% are still polluting the atmosphere on the daily basis. We can’t just wait around for the world population to change its behavior when it comes to our health, we have to do something now to protect ourselves! We all need a detox strategy.

We can sweat it out, work it out and diet out the toxic sludge from our bodies!

One sure fire way to rid our fat cells of toxic substances is through sweat. This is done most efficiently when exercise is combined with infrared energy and heat. Infrared induced sweat has 7x more toxic substances than that of traditional saunas. Proper diet is another means by which toxins are released from the fat cells. “During weight loss, fat breaks down and toxins are discharged into the bloodstream.” (1)

I found this in the newsletter, Science Daily: “Research by Skidmore College exercise scientist Paul Arciero has found that a balanced, protein-pacing, low-calorie diet that includes intermittent fasting not only achieves long-term weight loss, but also helps release toxins in the form of PCBs from the body fat stores, in addition to enhancing heart health and reducing oxidative stress.”

Let’s take a look at where the toxins are stored in your body. Environmental pollutants and other toxins land in fatty tissue. As the blog title indicates, toxic substances love fat cells.

Governments around the globe recognize the buildup of toxic waste in the environment as a worldwide problem for human health. This is why 90 countries signed on to a United Nations treaty in 2001 that is known as the Stockholm Convention. The intention of this convention was to ultimately eliminate the production of POP’s (persistent organic pollutants). A list of the “dirty dozen” chemicals was established to bring to light the toxic effects of POP’s. (2) POP’s are organic lipophilic, or lipid (fat) loving compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation, and continue to exist in the environment.

From the environment, different pollutants influence our health in so many ways. As much as the pollutants affect our skin, they also affect the other internal organs of our body. These environmental pollutants and other toxic chemicals are harmful to the human body. Some of these ecological pollutants are chlorofluorocarbons, lead, methane, carbon monoxide, heavy metals, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxides. The effect of these chemicals on stored fatty tissues (adipose tissues) can result in serious diseases such as obesity. Other hazardous health effects of toxicant sequestration in adipose tissue include: various forms of cancer, digestive issues, fatigue and insomnia, anxiety and depression, skin problems, muscle and joint pain, blood sugar imbalances, bad breath and body odor, fluid retention, brain fog, chronic headaches, menstrual issues, and a host of other problems.

It’s time for a personal detox strategy!

The combination of proper exercise and sweating induced from heat and infrared energy absorption, like that of the HOTWORX 3D training method, can deliver as a way to enhance the body’s daily fight to rid itself of toxic substances.

We should all begin a sustained practice of detox for better health and longevity.

👊🔥

(1) https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/

(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6101675/

There are some gross misconceptions out there about the benefits of sweat, and they are held by so-called fitness experts. This select fitness crowd just will not allow themselves to believe that sweating is good for you in more ways than as a body cooling mechanism. What a shame!

Here is the truth about sweating.

In addition to acting as the body’s natural cooling method, sweating promotes the detox of heavy metals from the body, the elimination of toxic chemicals, bacterial cleansing, and better skin.

According to Dr. Rhonda Patrick, as quoted from X (formerly Twitter), “Sauna may help excrete heavy metals. Lead is excreted 14x more in sweat, and cadmium is excreted 11x more in sweat than urine.” (1)

It is well documented that sweating helps to eliminate BPA (bisphenol A) from the body. BPA is a chemical used in the manufacture of plastics. The body comes in contact with this chemical on a daily basis when plastic bottles are handled and when other forms of plastic are touched or held. BPA has negative health effects on the brain and has a possible link to high blood pressure. A 2011 study shows that sweat is an effective means of removing BPA from the body. In the Journal of Environmental and Public Health, a report of the study states that  “Induced sweating appears to be a potential method for elimination of BPA.” (2)

Sweating can also help to eliminate PCB’s. These are man-made organic chemicals toxic to the human body and known to cause numerous adverse health effects.

A 2015 review in the journal Glycobiology suggests that sweat glycoproteins bind to bacteria, helping with removal from the body. In this article it is suggested that more research needs to be conducted as to the adhesion of bacteria in sweat and how it might impact skin infections. (3)

Take note of the following excerpt from a 2020 article in the Galen Medical Journal:

Numerous studies have shown that proper sweating, in addition to preventing some diseases, can reduce their symptoms and improves patients’ quality of life as well. Several studies demonstrated clinical effects of induced sweating methods such as thermotherapy, waon therapy and sauna in common diseases such as cardiovascular, respiratory, and joint diseases, and chronic pain, as well as in prevention and risk reduction of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Waon therapy is a form of thermal treatment in a dry sauna, which the entire body is warmed. (4)

Sweating is good for the skin. Sweating adds hydration to the skin, acts as a natural exfoliant and provides anti-aging effects. Sweat induced from exercise can improve skin health by changing mitochondrial DNA. “Sweating produces a naturally antimicrobial peptide called dermcidin, which helps to destroy harmful bacteria on the skin, minimizing the risk for infection, acne breakouts, and flare-ups in chronic skin conditions.” (5)

Exercise practiced inside of an infrared sauna can produce a sweat very rapidly. Studies have shown that sweat induced from an infrared sauna contains 7x more toxic waste than that of a traditional convection heat sauna. Perhaps now is the time to experience the power of sweating it out with an infrared sauna hot exercise session.

👊🔥

(1) https://twitter.com/foundmyfitness/status/1606043037422866432?lang=en

(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3255175/

(3) https://academic.oup.com/glycob/article/26/3/218/2355446

(4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8343902/

(5) https://www.usdermatologypartners.com/blog/is-sweating-good-for-your-skin/

Infrared fitness training is most effective when performed inside of a properly designed sauna. When the patented design for the HOTWORX workout sauna was created, the first consideration, and perhaps the most important, was how to lay out the dimensions that would yield the most effective infrared workout results that were possible. There were more questions that had to be answered, including: How close should the customer be to the infrared heaters and where should those heaters be placed? What type of workouts should be practiced in the sauna? How can we create the right motivational vibe? How many clients should be inside of this newly invented workout environment?

After a great deal of research, I determined that clients had to be positioned one to three feet from the heat source and that there should be carbon heaters on the top of the walls for wider heat dispersion to accommodate standing postures and the bottom of the wall floor heaters would have to be ceramic for more direct radiance of the IR energy and the heat for floor exercise.

Originally, the idea was to create a sauna for yoga and we certainly did that. Yoga is an isometric form of exercise, and isometrics are without a doubt the best form of exercise to perform inside of a sauna. Yoga is not the only way to do isometrics, though. There’s Pilates, barre, bands and countless other ways to choreograph an isometric workout suitable for an infrared sauna. HOTWORX offers nine distinctly different isometric workout types including most recently added to the lineup, HOT STRETCH. And then, there is HIIT training…

We discovered a way to deliver high intensity interval training inside of the sauna too. I remember when three of us at corporate performed the very first indoor cycle workout inside of a sauna. What a sweat session that was! Since then, we have added rowing and a total body trainer session to the hot HIIT lineup.

It’s no secret that a good instructor can make all of the difference in your workouts when it comes to queuing and the motivation. So, to bring the mental energy and proper form we determined that virtual instructor videos on a monitor would be best for a consistent delivery of those things.

Then there was the question about the size of the workout group. How many people should be in the sauna for a workout? What is best number for the proper infrared energy absorption by the clients, and what is the best group size for workout effectiveness? As a small group fitness trainer, I knew that the best number was three for instruction retention and for motivation. Turns out that three is the best for heater placement and client proximity to the IR source as well. So, three positions it would be and it has worked out very well indeed.

I invite you to try out an infrared sauna workout and see the difference compared to other traditional methods of training. With the right sauna design, I think you will agree that there is no workout in the industry that is more effective for delivering better results in less time!

MORE WORKOUT, LESS TIME!

👊🔥

During times of economic stress such as that of a recession, individuals will cut back on items that are discretionary but not the things that are necessary for preservation of health. It stands to reason, though, that health club goers will look for added value in a gym membership during tough times.

Throughout the recession induced by the pandemic, HOTWORX has proven to be a durable business that has continued to deliver profits on an increasing scale for its franchisees in spite of the tough times. One of the reasons for this is the brand continues to deliver on its MORE WORKOUT, LESS TIME motto. Saving people time, and delivering more for them will never go out of style.

As a boutique fitness center, HOTWORX has a very reasonable monthly fee, which is about half that of the competition, yet it delivers an incredible variety of workout types,12 in all, 24 hours a day to its clients with the added benefit of an infrared environment from patented workout sauna technology. One investment banker friend told me a couple of years ago, “Steve, the reason why people love HOTWORX is because it checks off all of the boxes for the customers’ needs.”

Not all of the health club brands fared as well, but the industry itself remains solid. I am grateful every day, as a workout person, to make a living in an industry I love, but also to know that our product is changing lives for the better in terms of the health and confidence of our customers! People still want to look good and feel good in tough times, and a gym that can deliver the most value in that respect will win, especially during a recession.

According to Custom Market Insights (CMI), the Global Health and Fitness Club Market size was estimated at USD 78.0 Billion in 2021 and reached an estimated USD 83.24 billion in 2022 with expectations to hit around USD 125.23 Billion by 2030, poised to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5% from 2022 to 2030. (1) That speaks volumes as to the future of fitness as an industry. Demand continues to rise as more and more people discover the benefits of working out.

HOTWORX, the first 24 hour infrared fitness studio franchise, is a resilient brand in a solid industry!

👊🔥

(1) https://www.custommarketinsights.com/report/health-and-fitness-club-market/

Have you ever stopped to think about fitness and the term “working out” itself? There is a reason why working out and workout starts with “work.” Fitness requires work. There is no getting around that fact. If you want to be fit, then you have to put in the work. It begins with a mindset change from one of disdain for the work to one of anticipation and readiness for the work along with a focus on the results of the work. I had a football trainer who used to tell me all the time, “get your mind right,” and it stuck. One phrase can change everything.

That said, there are tools out there that can enhance the effects of the work that you put into your fitness program. HOTWORX is one such tool. The brand motto is MORE WORKOUT, LESS TIME, and it is a tool to help you achieve your fitness goals faster and with more health benefits, but the work still has to be done.

As a fitness trainer, I see a concerning trend out there. Everyone knows that taking pills and getting shots for weight loss is all the rage right now. Millions of people are getting weight loss results with these drugs that were designed for treatment of diabetes. These drugs help people avoid the “work” of weight loss in the short term, but it is unclear what will be the long term effects. For weight loss, these drugs trick your digestive system and your brain into thinking you are full. Ozempic is approved by the FDA for adults with type 2 diabetes, not for general public use and weight loss. Again, it remains to be seen what the long term side effects of its use by the masses will be. Early reports are concerning, though. Please proceed with caution and keep up your workouts if you opt in on this.

The most common side effects of Ozempic, according to the drug's own website, are nausea, stomach pain, constipation, diarrhea and vomiting. The thought of continuous nausea and abdominal pain is an unpleasant one for sure. 

Here’s one additional note: “The stomach and brain are so connected that intestinal issues can lead to stress, anxiety and depression — it's what's known as the "gut-brain connection." (1)

The more serious side effects are thyroid tumors, pancreatitis, vision issues, hypoglycemia, gallbladder problems, cancer and kidney failure. Some people have experienced severe gastro-intestinal related problems which includes cases of paralysis of the stomach known as gastroparesis, which is the basis of a recent lawsuit that claims that the makers of Ozempic failed to warn consumers.

Even if someone decides to use the drugs for weight loss, they will need to continue the work of workouts or they will end up a smaller version of the same unfit body composition that they were before the use of the drug. Basically, they will be a weaker and more slim version of the same untoned body. The goal along with weight loss should always be to increase lean muscle tissue and build strength to achieve more body tone.

The research journal Obesity recently published a research paper entitled Physical Activity in the New Era of Antiobesity Medications. Here is a relevant quote from that paper:

Physical activity may attenuate the loss of lean mass that is observed with AOM treatments and may enhance the quality and function of muscle. Physical activity is a key behavior for holistic health within this era of contemporary AOMs [antiobesity medications] that warrants appropriate attention within the clinical care of patients. (2)

Simply put, it is not healthy to take weight loss drugs without the practice of some form of fitness routine. If you are considering the use of AOMs, please remember that a workout routine must be a part of your holistic health program.

The work of working out cannot be avoided if fitness is the goal!

👊🔥

(1) https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ozempic-side-effects-weight-loss-drugs-wegovy-mounjaro-doctors-warn/

(2) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/oby.23930

This past week on Thursday the HOTWORX franchise crossed another expansion milestone. The 600th location opened for business. That makes 600 openings in the 6th year of business since the first location opened in 2017 in Oxford, MS. I traded text messages with Anthony Sciscento, the Executive Coach assigned to that location in North Carolina and he had this story to tell:

After forging through a tough construction process and every developmental hurdle in the book, Brandy and Brian Nix opened their studio this week with 329 active members! Their location is in the hub of the greater Wilmington, NC market….adding to the incredible success this area continues to produce!

As [two] of the original members of the first studio in Wilmington, NC at the Gordon Rd. location, they were inspired to grow their passion for the brand by investing in their own location!

It took Brandy about 6 months to even get Brian to try HOTWORX his first time, and now 3 years later, they’re opening one! Brian’s experience in startup med tech had him intrigued in the brand being startup and the clinical applications of the infrared therapy aspect of the business.

Brandy and Brian have 3 kids, Holden 18, Haley 16, and Banks 13 with an almost 8 year old Great Dane who weighs about 175lbs!

Big congrats go out to Brandy and Brian and their whole family for being the 600th HOTWORX location in Leland, NC!

It takes a lot of hard work and determination to get a small business off the ground and open, and for them to do it, along with signing over 300 new members before the opening, speaks volumes as to the great business coaching from Anthony, and to Brandy and Brian for their sheer tenacity in business as franchise owners. I am certain that they will continue to crush their goals in business while they help new members crush their fitness goals.

The HOTWORX franchise has a very keen sense of purpose to help franchisees be profitable and continue to grow profits each year through the utter fitness bliss of the customer base. There is no other way! If the brand can continue to deliver MORE WORKOUT, LESS TIME to the membership base, then profits will take care of itself…
👊🔥

‍

Season three of the HOTWORX Virtual Instructor Competition TV Show has just been released, and there is no other fitness competition like this one. How would you like to hold a plank for 5 minutes on stage in front of hundreds of people while answering interview questions into the microphone? That’s just one of the many different and challenging parts of the competition.

Taking a look back, the original idea for this one of a kind fitness competition came about as a result of the need to find new fitness talent for the filming of workout videos for the HOTWORX 24 Hour Infrared Fitness Studio Franchise. The thought was then developed into a strategy to launch an online search for applicants who were certified in the different workout modalities that were necessary for filming. The company sought qualified fitness professionals to deliver the numerous different workout types, from yoga and Pilates to barre, cycle and more. The innovative infrared workouts were created and the routines were then choreographed by the company for filming.

It was to be an annual competition that would culminate in the top 15 finalists who would be flown to the company franchise convention for a three day competition from which the top candidates would be selected and who would participate in a fall and spring week of filming for the upcoming fitness year. The idea turned strategy was then executed into reality.

The first competition was held at the HOTWORX franchise convention in Lake Tahoe in the summer of 2018, and it was a resounding success.

We are now launching into the 7th year of the competition and the fourth year of filming the competition show. It was 2021 when the company decided to film the competition as a made for tv reality show of the various segments of the contest for release on the company website, YouTube and television. Last year, in season two, the show was released on local network tv stations. Season three can be watched now on the company website at https://www.hotworx.net/virtualinstructorcompetition, YouTube and on various local stations across the country this February, March and April in these markets: Atlanta; Austin; Birmingham (Anniston and Tuscaloosa); Charlotte; Cleveland-Akron (Canton); Columbus, OH; Dallas-Fort Worth; Denver; Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson; Houston; Kansas City; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Memphis, TN; Mobile-Pensacola (Fort Walton Beach); Nashville; New Orleans; New York; Philadelphia; Phoenix (Prescott); Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto; San Antonio; San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose; Seattle-Tacoma; Tampa-St. Petersburg (Sarasota); Washington, DC (Hagerstown); West Palm Beach-Fort Pierce.

If you want a peek into the way the HOTWORX workouts are produced and where “earning the burn” originates, then you won’t want to miss season 3!

👊🔥

I am a hardcore snow skier. I have a passion for it, and a passion for the mountains. I love the clean air, the positive vibe, and the crazy good workout that skiing provides. My favorite place to ski by far is Aspen, CO. There is only one thing wrong with Aspen though. It does not have a HOTWORX…YET! We might be able to do something about that soon 😊. But, in the meantime, while I’m there, I have to get my workouts in the traditional way at a traditional gym. All I can say to that is boooring. I’m sorry but it’s just so old school 😒.

I joined this new little gym in Aspen for a month. The equipment is nice but only a new version of the same old thing you see at most health clubs. There is nothing there to accelerate my mood or to give me that MORE WORKOUT, LESS TIME that I am so used to at HOTWORX. HOTWORX is like a love lost if you don’t have it…it’s awful when it’s gone.

But, I am so excited to be flying from Aspen to Tulsa, OK this weekend for a book signing event that is part of the grand opening anniversary celebration at the HOTWORX at Tulsa (Jenks) owned by Ashlee B and her family! Thank goodness, tomorrow I will get to do infrared workouts with members of that location. It’s almost ridiculous how addictive HOTWORX is, and it’s not just the awesome workouts, it’s the vibe of the concept, and the motivating environment that it creates. I miss my HOTWORX :(

The old saying that, “you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone” is spot on when it relates to HOTWORX. And that is why HOTWORX should be conveniently located for everyone in the country. We are working on that, and without a doubt, Aspen is on the list of coming soon, along with many other towns and neighborhoods across the USA!

Everyone should have the opportunity to experience the detox, the mental clarity, the anabolic effect, the balance improvement, the cardio gains, the accelerated fat oxidation, the metabolism boost, and the skin glow that comes with infrared training at HOTWORX.

A member recently commented on one of my Instagram posts @HOTWORXceo that she loves the colors and how uplifting the environment is. So, it’s the sheer bliss of the infrared therapy + the vibe of the workouts that I miss. I want it everywhere I go!

Fast forward…

It’s now Saturday and I’m flying back to Aspen, but today was incredible to hang out with members of the HOTWORX in Tulsa. Ashlee, her husband, mom, dad and entire family and studio team poured out an amazing display of hospitality and energy for the event. I was fortunate to get a solid HOT CYCLE and a HOT THUNDER workout with team members and customers, and Ashlee did THUNDER with us providing that extra oomph of motivation. It was wonderful. Fist pumps go out to everyone there today in Tulsa earning the burn together.

It was only for one day, but it was great to be back at HOTWORX. 👊🔥

Based on the feedback from HOTWORX customers, hot infrared stretching as a workout is a hit. We released the new workout on December 27 just after Christmas and the feedback is now in. Our extraordinary virtual instructor, franchisee and VI Coach, Ashlee B, who led the new HOT STRETCH workout, sent me some customer feedback from her instagram for review. I have included a few of those comments below:

As you can see, customers love HOT STRETCH and they want more availability in the schedule as well as foam rolling at the end. Additionally they want a little more for upper body and we will make that happen. Our production team will address these items with the spring filming and release. We are constantly revising and upgrading all of our workouts and we will do the same for HOT STRETCH.

In my view, the key to the success was to imagine stretching as a new workout genre, not just an adjunct to a workout. Our long term members may remember the brief introduction of HOT FLEX a few years ago which was met with ho hum reviews. The reason it did not make the cut was because we made it only 15 minutes and thought it would be an adjunct session to all of the other isometric offerings. We canceled HOT FLEX but it was a good lesson learned which led us to create stretching as a full 30 minute workout instead.

I had a strong gut feeling that HOT STRETCH would be a hit. I am so happy to see that it is meeting the needs of our customer base, and selfishly, I am happy to see it out for use in my own fitness routine. I LOVE HOT STRETCH TOO!!!

One of the many strengths of the HOTWORX brand is the multiple workout type session offering in the daily 24/7 schedule. The 24 hour workout lineup is second to none in fitness for variety and capacity. For a boutique fitness business, the workout capacity is incredibly robust with approximately 1700 individual workout sessions available for customers on a daily basis. There are no fees for showing up late and there is always a workout available. We do schedule the more popular workout types with additional availability and now it may be necessary to increase the availability of HOT STRETCH!

You gotta give HOT STRETCH a try soon! Here’s to a very “flexible” fitness workout launch into 2024.

👊🔥

HOTWORX was inspired and then willed into existence out of the practice of hot yoga. The franchise developed as a way to go beyond just hot yoga with the use of infrared and multiple workout types, but it did indeed spring out from the practice of hot yoga and carried with it some of the proven yoga philosophies and practices that date back to ancient times.

As a fitness professional, my first yoga experience was in Miami where I found a small Bikram hot yoga studio on the second floor of a very dated little building in South Beach. That small studio is where I was first introduced to a workout that was based on a consistent flow of isometric postures and prana. It was a step outside of my weight training and treadmill comfort zone. From that point, my fitness career would never be the same. The best lessons in life come from the steps that are taken away from the comfort zone!

As time passed, and as I gained more experience with hot yoga, I began to develop a deeper understanding of the connection of the mind to the body and of the importance of energy flow, or prana.

Prana is a Sanskrit word in Hindu and in yogic philosophy used to describe all of the energy in the universe from inanimate objects to the organic matter of all living beings. For living beings, the path to fitness goes through the flow of energy. During all workouts, a focus on the connection of the mind to the body and the flow of energy should always be a priority. Fitness studio members should strive to gain more knowledge of prana as a way to increase their energy levels.

In Hinduism, prana, and breath are understood as forces that give life. “Although prana is related to the breath, it is not the breath. Prana is an energy that pulses through the body along a network of subtle body channels. Similar to the central nervous system, the channels of the subtle body, or nadis, connect form and mind and act as a conduit for energy, prana.” (1)

Prana is universal energy that flows in and around the human body. Prana can be viewed as the currency of life!

I’ve learned through experience that the best way to foster greater levels of energy flow is through consistent isometric hold postures. Workout flow consistency is the key. If you are constantly trying to hack your way through strange and different exercise moves, then the focus goes more to balance and form instead of breathing and flow of energy. With consistent flow of postures, balance and form skills can improve significantly making it easier to ensure proper breathing and mind/body connection. And that is yet another important reason to practice a consistent flow of postures.

The bottom line is this. If you want more energy, do a yoga based workout with a consistent flow of exercise postures so there can be sufficient focus on mind/body and breath.

👊🔥

(1) https://insighttimer.com/blog/what-is-prana/

We all know that stretching is good for us. But, who said that stretching was only for warming up and cooling down? It certainly is, but it can also be a workout in and of itself. If you have some working out experience, then imagine for a moment a 30 minute workout made up of entirely stretching postures. And then imagine placing that workout into an infrared sauna with 125 degrees of heat. HOTWORX has already developed and released that new stretching “workout” you have just envisioned. This new workout is called HOT STRETCH.

Stretching elevates mood.

HOT STRETCH provides customers with incredible benefits from a stretching routine that has been reimagined. I can tell you from experience that you feel unbelievably good after HOT STRETCH. I would go as far to say that I feel better after HOT STRETCH than any other workout I have ever done. Clearly you will feel completely relaxed and more flexible, but why do you feel so good emotionally after Hot Stretch? The post workout flexibility is absolutely second to none, but what’s even more notable is the extraordinary release of endorphins and the psychological reset the workout provides. Of course, it is well documented that stretching is one of the best ways to relieve stress.

Stretching reduces the potential for injury.

Stretching is a very natural movement. Involuntary “automatic” stretching by humans and animals is called pandiculation. We have all seen the family pet stretch out into a downward dog posture as a natural response to relieve tension and to relax the mood. And, we have all reached our arms up almost involuntarily to stretch the body while confined to an airplane seat, for example. We all have the need and the urge to stretch. Did you know that more flexibility means less injury? Without stretching muscles shorten and become tight and more susceptible to injuries. You can keep muscles long, lean and flexible through stretching. Numerous studies have concluded that stretching reduces injuries through increased flexibility. One such study notes that, “stretching programmes can significantly influence the viscosity of the tendon and make it significantly more compliant.” (1) Simply put, stretching protects the body.‍

Stretching improves circulation.

Stretching increases blood flow without any wear and tear on the body. With a consistent weekly commitment to stretching, gains in the form of improved endothelial function (an important metabolizing and an endocrine organ as well as well as a player in the control of blood flow), relief from arterial blood vessel stiffness, and reduced blood pressure. “Collectively, the evidence provided in this review suggests that stretching acutely or long term may serve as a novel and alternative low intensity therapeutic intervention capable of improving several parameters of vascular function.” (2)

Stretching burns the calories.

HOT STRETCH gives the calorie burn too. You will burn as many calories in HOT STRETCH as you do with the same amount of time in Hot Yoga. One might think that less energy is required for stretching, but if done properly, stretching requires work in the same way that any other workout does.

As stated above, stretching has always been considered primarily a warming up part, or a cooling down part of a workout. It needed to be refined into a full “stretching” workout as a stand alone session. Enter a new fitness workout category, HOT STRETCH, the groundbreaking, must do, only one of its kind. Do your body a favor and give it a try!!!

So, to sum it up, HOT STRETCH delivers the best of cardio, strength, and flexibility wrapped up into one hot new workout! Book it now through the HOTWORX Burn Off App!

👊🔥

(1) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15233597/

(2) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28780647/

The months of hardcore training to prepare for this climb has reminded me of one fact…life is about the journey man! And, goals are destinations throughout the roadmapping of life.

Sometimes the path throws a curve ball at you that wasn’t expected, as was the case this year on Pico De Orizaba. The climbing team was thrown a curve in the form of altitude sickness. I knew from the first three steps I took on the climb that I was in trouble. Little did I know, the entire team was about to experience the same fate on Orizaba.

As I locked into the line on the way up I began to experience extreme headache, nausea and loss of balance. After about 400 feet up in the freezing temperature, snow and 40% incline it started to become clear to me that I was too sick to continue and it was not safe. I thought about my kids in that moment and the risk began to outweigh the satisfaction of the summit. It’s a hard thing for an athlete to accept, but it’s the right decision in that situation. It sucks not to summit, but the real goal of raising the money for Sacred Mountain Retreat Center and the wounded veterans and first responders will be met, so that is what matters the most.

As it currently stands, our sponsors have contributed $20,000. Many thanks go out to Daniel & Henry, Faux Pas Prints, Business Finance Depot, and Diet Trax for their generous contributions, as well as each of the personal donations through the gofundme that is still ongoing. Thus far, $26,874 has been raised before the corporate match. Please consider donating before the year end to this worthy cause enabling us to go beyond our goal of $55,473 to benefit Sacred Mountain. Click here to make a contribution.

Even though we did not make the summit, we came back in one piece and with another valuable lesson in life and a story to tell. The lesson we learned, as I reflect back, was this. You should always make sure that you are 100% prepared for anything that can stand in your way making decisions based on all available, current, relevant and accurate data. Don’t miss anything that should be obvious, such as the up to the moment calculation of altitude, acclimatization and fluctuations of oxygen pressure in the atmosphere. We incorrectly assumed that since the climb was shorter than previous ones we have done less acclimatization would be necessary. As you go up oxygen pressure decreases, and it can decrease at a faster rate than might be expected. The lower the oxygen pressure, the harder it is for your body to function. “Oxygenation of tissues is one of the essential processes in the human body. Without proper oxygenation of tissues, metabolic processes cannot function efficiently, and cellular functions falter.” (1)

The bottom line is this. In life, planning is everything!

Dwight D. Eisenhower said it best…“Plans are nothing; planning is everything." 

That said, you should always be planning until you know that you have the right plan with no stone unturned, and then you have to take the action. A great plan that is never deployed is nothing more than a pipe dream! There is nothing gained and there is no lesson to be learned without the actual venture being made.

We did deploy the climb and we learned the hard way that our plan was flawed. The importance of proper planning in business, and in life cannot be understated!

The Orizaba saga makes me think of a quote from the lyrics of a country music song. “Failure isn’t failure if a lesson from it’s learned” That of course is the wisdom from Garth Brooks, in his song “How You Ever Gonna Know”.

Out of the failure to summit, though, an idea came to me the next night at the hotel in Mexico City. As I tossed and turned in a cold sweat coming down from the altitude sickness, while I pondered a path forward, it became clear to me that we can do even more for our veterans, and deliver better fitness results for our customers simultaneously as we raise funds each year for Sacred Mountain. We can go way beyond what we have accomplished with the Hiking for Heroes initiative. Moving forward we should look for a way to involve the entire franchise, not just one team climbing. Our convention theme for 2024 will be “TEAMWORK”. Next year’s fundraiser needs to be a team effort with all stakeholders of the brand participating including customers, franchisees, studio staff, corporate staff and vendors alike to support the heroes who have sacrificed so much.

Next year we will devote the month of December to a new fundraising program that we will call Workouts for Heroes. While the details will need to be ironed out with careful planning, conceptually it will look something like this. In an effort to encourage our customers to power through the holiday season each year and keep them from losing any fitness gains as the new year approaches, they can join the company in an all out effort through Workouts for Heroes. With their own calories burned at the studio, they can help their home HOTWORX location burn off as many collective calories as possible while raising money to benefit our veterans in need. We will create a formula based on the combination of studio calories burned and dollars raised by each HOTWORX location and we will rank all locations based on their Workouts for Heroes results. Ultimately we will determine the studio with the MOST FITNESS and the BIGGEST HEART each holiday season!

Adversity is merely opportunity. Think it through!

As we move into a new year, never forget this. There is always a silver lining even up in the darkest of clouds 👊🔥

Here’s to 2024. Happy New Year everybody!!!

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493219/

Don’t let the holidays set your fitness into a state of regression this year. Get out in front of the massive calorie intake and counter it with massive calorie burn this year. The most efficient way to do this is with infrared cardio training. The absorption of infrared energy during a workout accelerates fat oxidation, stimulates the cell mitochondria and increases circulation.

The acceleration of fat oxidation occurs when the body requires more oxygen for exercise. It is in that cardio workout, oxygen reliant state where more fat is oxidized (broken down) in the body to produce energy. In this process the components of the fat molecules are metabolized and ultimately eliminated through various physiological pathways including breathing, sweating and excretion, all of which can be accelerated and made more efficient through the use of infrared cardio fitness training.

Proper breathing is crucial during cardio, and, did you know that more than 80% of fat burning occurs through the lungs. That’s right, according to new research findings (1) breathing is the main pathway for fat to leave your body!

Infrared speeds up your metabolism too. When the radiant vibrations of far infrared light (FIR) hit the energy producing mitochondria in the cells of your body the production of ATP is enhanced (2), and thereby the process of metabolism is sped up.

When infrared penetrates the skin, nitric oxide is released causing vasodilation for a relaxing of the blood vessels to allow more blood flow. More blood flow increases the detoxification process allowing more toxic waste to exit the body. This improved circulation cleansing effect helps to make all of the bodily functions more efficient.

To sum it up, infrared cardio training always delivers more workout in less time which is especially important during the holidays. You can power through the holidays if you jump right back into, or if it’s new to you, jump in for the first time to a program that includes infrared cardio. There’s no reason to wait until January, do it the day after Christmas!

As an important side note, I want to remind everyone that HOTWORX is releasing a new workout on December 27th called HOT STRETCH. You will experience an incredible flexibility “workout” with this new session, but it will also provide you with ample cardio conditioning. Stretching has now been reimagined by HOTWORX!, and, I can tell you that the after workout high you feel from HOT STRETCH is extraordinary, one of a kind. The cardio work is on point too with this new workout type and you will burn as many calories in HOT STRETCH as you do in Hot Yoga!

So, why not get ahead of your fitness resolution this year and start right after Christmas?! Don’t wait for January 2nd. Fifteen minutes a day of HOT infrared HIIT training is all that it takes to power through the pre-January binge to keep you ahead of the holidays this year.

👊🔥

(1) https://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g7257

(2) https://jneuroinflammation.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12974-022-02521-y

This will be the third year for the HOTWORX climbing team to scale a mountain and raise money to benefit the Sacred Mountain Retreat Center for wounded veterans, Gold Star families and first responders. This year the goal is to raise $3.00 per foot of elevation (to donate click here). With an elevation of just over 18,400 feet, the goal is to raise $55,473. The photo above is one view of the mountain that we will scale.

The team has elected to climb the tallest volcano in North America this time. The name of this giant hill is Pico De Orizaba, and it is the tallest mountain in Mexico as well. It will take the team two full days to make this technical climb with ropes, crampons and full mountain climbing gear.

To scale a mountain like this it requires a tremendous level of cardio conditioning. To prepare, the team members have been hitting it hard at HOTWORX. Without a doubt this will be another test of the 3D Training Method as an athletic preparatory regime.

The team members include myself, my training partner Jeremy Harwell, former marine John Carlton, former army sergeant Victoria Price, and pro women’s baseball player Amanda Gianelloni. Each team member is also a member of the HOTWORX organization with myself as CEO, Jeremy as the original GM of the first location in Oxford and current franchise performance coach, John as a franchisee of two locations, Victoria as Director of Retail and Project Management, and Amanda as the Marketing Director of Franchise Performance.

Each athlete prepped for the climb with some version of 3D Training that involved extensive Hot HIIT with oxygen restriction masks and various usage of hot isometrics as well as functional training in the FX Zone at HOTWORX.

As for myself and my training partner Jeremy, we always train 5 days per week at 7:30 in the morning. We begin with weights and/or resistance training in the FX Zone followed by Hot Cycle, and sometimes Hot Blast or Hot Thunder. In the evenings two or three times per week I will also do Hot Yoga, Hot Pilates, or Hot Warrior, and recently have been experimenting with the incredible new Hot Stretch workout that is about to roll out to all of the studios on this December 27th. Jeremy gains additional cardio conditioning from an evening basketball league where he participates as a player. All 5 of us feel conditioned and ready for the climb!

They say that the view of the Gulf of Mexico is spectacular from the peak of Orizaba. The summit leg of our climb will begin at midnight on the 28th of December. This summit push will be technical in full gear with ropes and crampons.

Climbing any mountain is a magical experience. When in route to the top of some great world mountain, there is an awe and a gratitude for nature that can’t be felt any other way. In the words of the Australian mountaineer and writer Greg Child:

“Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb.”

Getting to the top is the driving force for the ascent, but the training prep and the climb itself is what matters the most. The journey is more important than the destination…and so goes life!

At the top there is 5 minutes of bliss and then the descent, but the struggle of the climb is where you find your grit and discover the determination that exist somewhere within your being.

A big shout out to this year’s sponsors including HOTWORX, Daniel & Henry, Business Finance Depot, Faux Pas Prints, and Diet Trax.

If you wish to support the cause for wounded veterans 🇺🇸please visit our gofundme at:

https://gofund.me/bdb30c08

A couple of years ago a good friend, who happens to be a banker from New York, said to me, “Steve, the thing that people like about HOTWORX is the fact that it checks off all of the boxes.” I had never really thought about it that way until he said it. When we began to design the concept of the HOTWORX franchise, we did set out to provide convenience in every possible way for our customers including the physical facility of the locations, the layout, the workouts offered and the technology used to drive them.

The first thing considered was what would constitute the appropriate location development strategy of where franchise studios would be built to service members in a “convenient” manner. The boutique layout and the reasonable membership pricing made opportunity for HOTWORX to be located in small town America as well as big city America. Today there are locations in remote towns like Seminole, TX with a population just over 7k and there are also locations open in New York City. Seems like daily we get request for locations to open in places that I have never heard of because people want the convenience of a HOTWORX in their neighborhood.

No doubt about it, the HOTWORX franchise is a neighborhood business! Every viable neighborhood deserves to have the HOTWORX 3D Training Method made available 24/7 for customers because that is what they demand! They want proximity convenience.

In business development terms this is known as opening the white space. White space is the total available, viable markets that can be developed by any given brick and mortar business. Different brands have different white space opportunity, and HOTWORX has more white space opportunity than most brands.

When markets in the white space are fully developed for a brand then it has the lifting of all boats effect. Take for example Starbucks which has over 16,000 U.S. locations, or Subway with more than 20,000 U.S. locations and for a fitness example, one big box chain Planet Fitness has over 2,000 U.S. health clubs. For those companies the branding works to raise awareness in the minds of all existing and potential customers. This increased power of convenience adds to the popularity of the brand, and to the success of the franchise locations.

Beyond the location convenience there is operational convenience. With the HOTWORX method of serving up world class virtual workouts through booking with the Burn Off App, customers are provided with the convenience of knowing that no matter if they are scheduling a workout in a small town or a big city, they will get the same level of workout professionalism delivered to them virtually on the screen, on time, and on method point every time.

Along with the location and operational convenience, there is the convenience of 12 different infrared workout types and two functional workouts to choose from. The convenience of access to over 1700 individual workout sessions for each 24 hour day driven by technology is boutique fitness best in class for capacity and variety. There is no waiting for a workout at HOTWORX, and no fee if a customer shows up late. Most big box health clubs can’t match that!

Discover the power of fitness convenience!

👊🔥

Three years ago on December 7 my book, HOT EXERCISE, was officially published and released on Amazon and to all HOTWORX franchise locations. Since that time it has been made available in paperback, hardcover, Kindle version ebook and in audible version. It has remained on the Amazon Best Seller list almost from the beginning and reached #9 for the business franchise category in November, and #7 this past April. HOT EXERCISE has reached the top 10 numerous times over the past three years.

I wrote the book for two reasons. First, for HOTWORX customers and potential customers to gain a full understanding of the advantages of infrared as a tool to accelerate health and fitness results. Second, for HOTWORX franchisees and potential franchisees to do the same. When the two year book project was finally completed, the end product did accomplish those two objectives, but it went beyond those two things to become the first book as a text to bring together all of the infrared therapy research for the general public as a reference. In the book there are over 70 research references to support the findings and the positions that are written.

As the book sub-title states, infrared fitness is indeed a bold new fitness frontier. As a result of this fitness revolution, hundreds of thousands of people are making impressive fitness gains that would not have been possible before this technology. Every year I read hundreds of HOTWORX reviews online from customers who rave about the fast results that they are obtaining with the use of infrared added to their workouts. I have also met hundreds of HOTWORX customers at book signing events across the country who have shared with me some amazing fitness success stories of how the HOTWORX 3D Training program with the combination of heat, infrared energy and exercise has transformed their lives.

One further testament to the success of infrared training at HOTWORX has been the fact that approximately 80% of the franchise owners are people who started out as HOTWORX customers.

This excerpt from the book really sums it up:

The HOTWORX® Infrared Training System, known as 3D Training, is the result of time quality evolution, too. It is the perfect fitness method for the modern world, and it addresses those four things [the desire to: look better, move better, feel better, and live longer] that people demand from their fitness programs. As you will see when you read through the rest of this book, it makes a lot of sense to combine heat and infrared energy with exercise to achieve the most efficient workout possible.

Welcome to the bold new infrared fitness frontier!

To get a copy of HOT EXERCISE, click here.   👊🔥

Here we are again. Another year, and it’s the week after Thanksgiving…the annual battle of the bulge begins. The turkey and dressing, sweet potato casseroles, the pecan pies and cakes, eggnog and champagne, all parked around your mid-section. Looking forward all the way to January there is nothing but Christmas parties, holiday dinners and excessive amounts of calories and fats being consumed by everyone. Hang on. Don’t panic. You can still partake, but you don’t have to let it slow your fitness down this holiday season.

You can continue to enjoy the festivities and reasonable amounts of calories, but, this year you can torch the excess calories and fat while you party responsibly. All you have to do is commit to a fast, effective infrared workout at least three times per week throughout the holidays. It’s a small sacrifice that pays a big dividend! In fact, you may only require a 15 minute HIIT session three days per week to win against the battle of the fat and calorie bulge this holiday season.

Infrared training burns more calories and more fat in way less time. You can burn twice the amount of calories in the same amount of time compared to a traditional gym or fitness studio environment. Infrared absorbs into your skin while you train and it goes to work at the cellular level to accelerate calorie burn and fat oxidization. You begin to feel the absorption immediately upon entry into the IR sauna and it works fast as you accelerate the sweating process during the workout.

One 30 minute isometric session in a HOTWORX infrared workout sauna can burn 300-500 calories and another equal amount during the one hour post workout after-burn. That’s 600 to 1000 calories torched from a 30 minute workout! The 15 minute infrared HIIT workout can burn 200-300 workout calories and at least another 300 after-burn calories for a 500-600 calorie scorcher.

Don’t surrender in your battle with the bulge this holiday season. Torch out the calories, sweat out the toxins.

You can get it done fast and effectively with infrared training. HOTWORX invented the 24 hour infrared fitness studio to provide this type of workout convenience and to deliver MORE WORKOUT, in LESS TIME to discerning customers all across the USA and now internationally.

Find an infrared workout sauna and torch away the excesses of this holiday season.

👊🔥

A high powered tool can improve the quality of any task. But, the tool can’t do it all. People have to make the tool work for them.

In fitness, people need to understand that there is no way to get around the fact that the work has to be done to achieve a level of fitness that they want. Tools can help. There are weights, bands, treadmills, sleds, kettlebells, and the list of tools goes on and on. Now there are even infrared workout saunas thanks to HOTWORX.

Let’s face it, though, you get out of life what you put into it, and this is especially true with fitness devices. If you want to get in shape you have to do the work! A good fitness tool enables the work to be performed more effectively. The more you work with the tool, the more you get out of it.

Tools can make the process more efficient, and there are tools that can actually speed up the results people want. One of those tools is the HOTWORX infrared workout sauna. As I flash back to the design process that we went through to create what would eventually become the patented HOTWORX sauna, I remember that we had to ensure that clients would be positioned properly in the workout space to readily absorb infrared energy and not just to experience the heat. This required a user proximity of 2-3 feet from the heaters. A sauna was the only logical way to do that. It certainly could not be done by positioning infrared heaters on a wall in a yoga studio.

The HOTWORX sauna design was perfect for three people using it at once to experience the maximum effect of infrared energy as well as the heat. After we looked at what we had designed, it was clear that we had just invented a new environment for training. Thus the 3D Training Method with the combination of heat, infrared energy and exercise was born. The world’s most favorable workout environment was created through the use of a new tool, the HOTWORX infrared workout sauna.

So, let’s back up. What is a tool anyway? A tool, according to vocabulary.com is “…an instrument that you use to help you accomplish some task.” (1) Nowadays, an infrared sauna is the best tool in the box to accomplish a great workout. 

The HOTWORX infrared sauna is an incredible fitness device, perhaps the best available on the market to deliver fast and effective results. However, to reap the most from a tool of any type, the proper force has to be applied from those who are using the tool. A hammer can’t walk over to a nail and strike it. Someone has to actually pick up the hammer and focus to hit the nail.

You still have to do the work!

When the right mindset, form, and then force, is applied to the right workout inside of an infrared sauna, incredible fitness results can be realized. An infrared workout sauna is the right tool to create the perfect workout environment. Maybe it’s time for you to find your perfect workout tool.

👊🔥

(1) https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/tool

There’s no doubt that people need proper nutrition, and with the busy lifestyles that most of us have, eating balanced meals complete with all of the required nutritional components can be challenging. Not everyone consumes a well-balanced diet that provides all the essential vitamins and minerals in the recommended amounts.

Those who practice a regular workout routine also need to pay close attention to their diet and nutritional needs. For individuals with busy lifestyles or dietary restrictions, it can be difficult to obtain all the necessary nutrients from food alone. Supplements can offer a convenient way to ensure you get a broad spectrum of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients without having to meticulously plan every meal. The vast array of supplements on the market can be daunting making the decision of what to select a difficult one for sure. Supplements need to be simplified…

Enter POWER GUMMIES.

HOTWORX, the 24 Hour infrared fitness studio franchise recently announced, and now has released to the shelves of all of its locations, a new line of gummy based supplements designed to aid members in pursuit of better nutrition.

POWER GUMMIES are convenient. They come in a pouch with three separate supplements: a multi-vitamin, a detox gummy and a gummy for stronger hair, skin and nails. Inside of the convenient main pouch are three smaller pouches each with a 30 day supply of gummies that are recommended to be taken with the first daily meal.

I don’t know about you guys, but I hate swallowing supplements that look like horse pills. I much prefer a sugar free gummy that has a good taste. That’s POWER GUMMIES! They have a great taste and are easily absorbed into your system as opposed to pills.

As a business, it is obvious that gummies are gaining in popularity over pills. Check out these stats.

The global gummy market size reached US$ 21.4 billion in 2022. Revenue generated by gummies sales is likely to be US$ 24.3 billion in 2023. In the forecast period between 2023 and 2033, sales are poised to soar by 11.8% CAGR. Demand is anticipated to transcend to US$ 74.4 billion by 2033 end. (1)

Gummies have the advantage. They are more palatable than traditional pills, as they come in various flavors and have a chewy, flavorful texture. This makes them much more appealing. For people who struggle with swallowing pills, gummies provide a more enjoyable and accessible option. Gummies can be consumed without the need for a drink too, which can be convenient for people on the go. And, many individuals find that gummy vitamins are gentler on the stomach compared to traditional pills.

Do yourself a flavor, LOL. Leave the pills behind and make the switch to gummies!

👊🔥

(1) https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gummy-market-hit-us-74-103000308.html

According to one recently published study on nature.com, researchers demonstrated that improvements in insulin sensitivity was 2X greater for those who exercise while involved in a weight loss program. The most common abnormality present in those with obesity is poor metabolism of insulin resistant glucose. The results of the study further validates that “regular exercise during a diet-induced weight loss program has profound additional metabolic benefits in people with obesity and prediabetes.” (1)

As a fitness trainer, it’s motivating to see studies that add to the mounting body of evidence proving how important exercise is to human health. The truth is, weight loss without exercise is just not enough. Weight loss by itself will not get you fit. For those who are taking weight loss drugs now, which are all the rage, they should remember that it is still extremely important to eat balanced meals that are high in nutritional quality, and DO THE EXERCISE! If the workouts don’t happen, individuals will merely become a thinner version of what they were before. They wind up with the same unfit body composition, and less strength.

Yes, you read that last sentence right. Weight loss, if done without exercise, can make you weaker. If you want to take your personal and professional performance to a higher level, then consider this. You’re not going to find your inner warrior if you are on a program that makes you lose strength! The thought of losing strength alone should be enough of a motivational trigger to get you to the gym! I would be remiss as a trainer if I didn’t tell clients the truth about fitness. Thus, the topic of this blog post might sting a little, but it should resonate with everyone.

When it comes to something as important as your health, don’t leave the cup half full. If you have a weight loss goal, then make sure your journey to that goal has an emphasis on fitness. The weight loss journey is empty without fitness, and there can be no fitness without exercise.

A “no exercise” lifestyle is a big NO NO. Your body was made to move. The benefits of fitness is a long list. It’s time to train folks!

👊🔥

(1) https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-023-00829-4.epdf?sharing_token=nnte5RsqV19v8wB8aIgOb9RgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0MI1hUVt80WlBMQabeZQ6OjUKLFFIkEhGNoBq0xJPzb3AE4vTOxKjTuUs2bBOIbS4WnBBqZGfLemaw5emhLRiaR7EjK-emnYD6zm73Ic_uSkSHGQLG6QBxCJt6LUkriYLQsvT2KX3w0k3DyJpTulS3zHQ6D-eG7XFl19rNcmArlxv6kt-iRUKe536w4rEEcYTo%3D&tracking_referrer=www.washingtonpost.com

Sometimes people get so caught up in the hype of a product that they forget the real purpose of its existence. Joining a gym is about one thing first and foremost! That one thing is best represented by this next question that you should ask yourself:

How fast and how efficient will I get the results for my mind and body that I am looking for if I join this place?

Everything else is just fluff, or “lagniappe” (pronounced lan-yap down here in New Orleans) which means a little something extra…, but it’s not the main thing. The main reason to join a gym will always be the “results” that can be obtained. In my constant research of customer opinions for HOTWORX the number one reason customers join and remain with the brand continues to be, and will always be, because they LOVE the workouts. It’s the workouts that deliver the results!

This Friday we wrapped up another great filming week with our Virtual Instructor team. It might have been our best filming yet! There are several huge “result” yielding advantages of a virtual format. Since our virtual workouts are filmed and then edited to perfection by the HOTWORX production team, the studio members know that they will receive high energy, and well choreographed workout routines. In addition, technology serves up the videos to the monitors inside of the saunas to the exact session schedule. There is no possibility of an instructor showing up unprepared, or in a low state of energy. The studio management doesn’t have to worry about an instructor showing up late, or not at all. The schedule happens literally like clockwork 24/7 - 365 a year.

The reliability of the virtual instruction approach is a feature that customers can count on and one that adds to the effectiveness of the workouts. Again, the goal is to get customers to the results they want as fast and as efficiently as possible.

HOTWORX is a franchise built for results. The number one goal is to get massive fitness results for all of our customers, and to coach franchise owners to increasing profitability results through, and because of the “fitness bliss” of the customer base. As long as our customers continue to feel that they are getting more than they bargained for with the dues that they pay to the studio, then we know that the results for the customer and profits for the business owner will be happening. This is a win-win relationship based on value between the entrepreneur and the customer.

The first HOTWORX location opened on February 13, 2017 in Oxford, Mississippi. Since the very beginning the brand has been, and remains, laser focused on fast and efficient results for a fair price.

MORE WORKOUT, LESS TIME!

It’s all about the fitness results!!

👊🔥

Far infrared (FIR) radiation, sometimes referred to as thermal radiation, has the ability to penetrate the skin and underlying tissues up to 1.5 inches from the surface of the skin. When FIR radiation penetrates human cells, it generates heat, but it also changes the molecular vibrations. In other words, the waves of FIR cause new vibrations at the cellular level. These new “vibes” are beneficial to your health. Here’s a deeper dive into what happens when FIR radiation penetrates human cells to create heat and modify molecular vibration:

Heat Generation: Far infrared radiation is associated with the generation of heat within the body. This heat can penetrate tissues, leading to an increase in tissue temperature. It’s important to remember that infrared saunas heat the body from within as opposed to traditional saunas that heat the air to warm the body from the outside requiring very high temperatures reaching the 200ºF mark. The lower temperatures required in an infrared sauna provides for a better overall sauna experience and is much better for the skin. The increase in body temperature can have several effects, including:

Molecular Vibrations: FIR radiation interacts with water molecules and other molecules in cells, causing changes in molecular vibrations. Water, in particular, exhibits strong absorption and re-emission of FIR radiation, which can lead to energy transfer and changes in molecular motion. This vibrational phenomenon is thought to be relevant to the therapeutic effects of FIR radiation. The therapeutic effects include, but are not limited to the following:

Enhanced blood flow: FIR radiation can cause blood vessels to dilate and open wider, which in turn promotes better circulation. Improved blood flow can have therapeutic benefits, including pain relief and enhanced healing.

Muscle relaxation: FIR radiation and the heat generated from the molecular vibration it induces (1) can help relax muscles, making it a useful modality for workout recovery, pain management and physical therapy.

Detoxification: FIR radiation can help with the removal of toxins from the body through increased sweating. Studies have shown that infrared generated sweating can be 7X more effective for detox than sweat from traditional saunas. (2)

Cellular Responses: The heat generated by FIR radiation can influence cellular processes. Elevated temperature can have positive effects on enzyme activity, protein function, and cell metabolism.

Pain Relief and Healing: FIR radiation is sometimes used in therapies like far infrared saunas or heat lamps for various purposes, including pain management, relaxation, and the promotion of healing. These applications rely on the heat-generating properties of FIR radiation and its potential to stimulate circulation and ease muscle tension.

It's important to note that FIR radiation is not ionizing radiation, and it will not alter DNA like higher-energy radiation types, such as UVC, X-rays or gamma rays.

Weight Loss and Calorie Burning: Infrared saunas can raise heart rate and body temperature, leading to calorie burning. Just imagine the results when an infrared sauna is combined with an appropriately choreographed exercise routine. The combination of exercise with infrared molecular vibration and heat can greatly accelerate the metabolism and calorie burn! This is the basis for the HOTWORX 3D Training Method.

Skin Health: Many people report improved skin appearance and texture following regular infrared sauna use. The sweating induced by saunas can help unclog pores, cleanse the skin, and promote a healthy complexion. The lower temperatures required by IR saunas are easier on the skin as opposed to the extreme heat required from a traditional sauna session.

Stress Reduction: Infrared sauna sessions can help reduce stress and promote a sense of well-being. The relaxation induced by the infrared can be beneficial for mental and emotional health.

Improved Sleep: Some individuals find that regular use of infrared saunas helps improve sleep quality. The relaxation and stress reduction it provides can lead to better sleep.

Maybe it’s time to combine your infrared sauna session with a workout session. Think about it. You have always known the benefits in strength gains and general health from working out… and now you know the benefits of infrared with the heat and molecular vibration.

Why not combine the two, save time and take your fitness to a whole new level.

👊🔥

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5505738/

(2) https://www.drnorthrup.com/infrared-sauna-sweat-toxins/

As any brand becomes established it carries with it a reputation. In the case of the HOTWORX fitness franchise, the brand grew out from one location in Oxford, MS in 2017 to over 500 in 2023 and will cross the 600 mark in the beginning of 2024. The good will of any business is the reputation of its brand name, and that reputation can make or break the business. In order to build good will a brand must deliver the goods and services to customers in harmony with how they are advertised to the public. This is the brand promise. The brand will grow if the promise is delivered.

In any franchise, the franchise licensees who own and operate the locations are 100% in control of how those goods and services are delivered, and this requires a cooperative effort from all franchise owners within the brand to execute superior customer service to that end. It takes a massive force of teamwork to pull it off. If one location does’t play by the rules, then it can tarnish the reputation of the brand and reduce the value of the entire enterprise.

Customers expect the same high level of service and overall experience at all locations that display the brand name on the signage. What is it that turns a customer into a raving fan in the first place though? For the HOTWORX brand, in an effort to understand what it takes for the franchise to deliver what customers want, I have read thousands of the unsolicited 5 star reviews for hundreds of our locations, and I continue to review that customer feedback each year. This enables me, as the CEO, to gain first hand insight as to the reasons why HOTWORX customers love the brand so that we can double down on what is working for them.

From the very first time that I began this practice I noticed a pattern. The reviews fell into three buckets. Customers would write how they love (1) the workouts, (2) the concept and (3) the customer service. Sometimes they would leave reviews with one, or two, and sometimes all three categories. These three categories constitute the three elements of customer experience for HOTWORX. Think of a pie chart like the one below that represents the average ratio for frequency of 5 star review mentions within those three categories. As you can see, the workouts are what HOTWORX customers love the most. This is followed by the customer service and the concept itself.

Customers love the workouts because they are fast and effective within the framework of a unique virtual workout method known as 3D Training (heat + infrared energy + exercise). They also love the innovative 24 hour, tech forward, infrared concept, and of course, the hospitality of great customer service. When all three categories are executed at a high level, the franchise location can experience a high degree of customer satisfaction, and as a result, the brand promise is fulfilled to add to the equity value of the brand.

If the level of customer satisfaction is on the rise, then so is the value of the brand!

👊🔥

Everything evolves.

Sometimes evolution happens in very subtle ways that go unnoticed. Sometimes evolution happens in a big way right before our very eyes.

With yoga, HOTWORX launched a deliberate and very visible program to change the way yoga is delivered to fitness customers. Starting with an athletic approach to Hot Yoga, HOTWORX then developed a suite of workouts based on isometric postures that were borrowed from yoga. These new workouts are modern adaptations, or evolution if you will, from an ancient exercise method.

One of our past virtual instructors, who is a yoga expert, once told me that yoga has no rules. I agree in that it can be used as a basis for creating new workout methods and workout types. Yoga is a “form” of exercise and form can change, and it can be molded into new disciplines. This is evolution by design.

Out of the practice of hot yoga, HOTWORX created a 30 minute yoga routine choreographed for use inside of an infrared sauna as its own version of HOT YOGA. From there, the company then developed more isometric workout types adapted to infrared sauna training as well including: Hot ISO, Hot Warrior, Hot Pilates, Hot Barre None, Hot Core, Hot Buns, Hot Bands and, coming to your studio very soon…Hot Stretch - the first ever 30 minute infrared stretch “workout”. There will be more to come soon about this innovative new workout. But, as a teaser, Hot Stretch is not just a stretching session, it’s a stretch posture workout sequence that burns as many calories as Hot Yoga. Stay tuned for it. Hot Stretch is a training session that makes you feel better than you have ever felt after a workout! This is yoga evolved by HOTWORX once again.

Innovation in fitness should be a deliberate endeavor to evolve.

Sometimes people think that great ideas just happen by chance. I beg to differ. Great business ideas happen when entrepreneurs make the effort to think a problem all the way through to a great solution. The power of thought is immense, and evolution towards better ways of doing things happens out of deliberate thinking. The promise I can make as the CEO to our customers is that HOTWORX will continue to think of better ways to deliver workouts all the time.

Speaking of time…we take MORE WORKOUT, LESS TIME very seriously!!!

Maybe it’s time to experience the evolution of yoga at HOTWORX.

👊🔥

Sometimes I witness people who allow their emotions to overtake their ability to behave in a sensible and/or reasonable manner. When I see this it makes me think how they could live a happier life if they would just begin a consistent practice of infrared fitness. Did you know that infrared training has a multitude of health benefits and one of them is the release of endorphins?

Staying positive and keeping your mood level good is super important to living a happy life. I believe that happiness is a choice and with that choice comes the decision to live a healthy lifestyle.

Infrared sauna sessions help the body release endorphins, which are natural chemicals produced by the brain that act as neurotransmitters. Exercise does this too. This is another reason why the 3D Training Method of HOTWORX is so effective. This method combines the elements of heat and infrared energy with exercise.

Endorphins are often referred to as "feel-good" hormones because they can reduce pain and induce feelings of pleasure or euphoria.

Here's how infrared sauna training sessions contribute to the release of endorphins:

Heat and Relaxation: Infrared saunas generate radiant heat that penetrates deeper into the body compared to traditional saunas. Infrared energy can penetrate the skin up to 1.5 inches into the body. The heat from infrared induces a state of relaxation by relaxing muscles and relieving tension. This relaxation can trigger the release of endorphins as the body responds to the soothing and calming effects of the heat.

Pain Relief: Infrared heat can help alleviate minor aches and pains, potentially due to improved blood circulation and muscle relaxation. Pain relief is one of the key triggers for the release of endorphins.

Stress Reduction: Infrared sauna sessions can help reduce stress by promoting relaxation and improving sleep quality. Stress reduction is linked to the release of endorphins, as they help counteract the effects of stress and anxiety.

Detoxification: Infrared saunas aid in detoxification by promoting sweating, which helps eliminate toxins and impurities from the body. The process of detoxification can contribute to an overall sense of well-being, potentially triggering the release of endorphins.

Physical Activity and Increased Heart Rate: During an infrared sauna workout session, your heart rate increases to get you to the desired heart rate level fast. This increased heart rate and the stress on the cardiovascular system triggers the release of endorphins. This use of stress in a good way is known as hormesis, which suggests that exposure to manageable levels of stress triggers an adaptive response in an organism resulting in improved resilience, health, and longevity.

So, if you want to live a happier, more productive and positive life, then get your infrared workouts on!!!

👊🔥

I went to New York City this week to visit with our NYC partners and to take a look at the incredible new location they opened on Broadway in Greenwich Village. While I was there I got in a few workouts and one of them was a Hot Yoga with our legendary VI Ashlee B on the screen. It was in that lunchtime workout that I heard her say something like, “see that W in the HOTWORX logo on your mat? Does that stand for winner, or warrior, or both?” It made me think, and I decided to write about it this week. It also made me do that posture harder and with better form! Thank you Ashlee!!

Do you want to be a winner for your health and fitness? Or, do you want to be a warrior for it? Why not be both?! It boils down to discipline. Can you learn to love the discipline aspect that is required so that you don’t wind up disappointed in your results? Do you show up when you need to be at the gym? Do you strive for excellence with every set?

While you have other fitness centers that promote Tootsie Rolls and sell memberships to hope the customer forgets they have it approach, that is NOT how we promote HOTWORX.

We recognize that you get out of life what you put in. If you put in the work, you get the results. If you put in the Tootsie Roll, you get out the Tootsie Roll.

We want our customers to come in and remember that those dues are worth every monthly penny of it! We want our customers to always know why they joined in the first place. If you put in the discipline to consistency, then you will get the desired outcome. It starts with a commitment to discipline, not a slide towards cheating with a Tootsie Roll.

This past week I had the privilege to be a guest on the Self Love and Sweat Podcast with host Lunden Souza @selfloveandsweat on Instagram. In that interview, she asked me what is my biggest frustration as a CEO. What immediately came to mind was this.

The most disappointing thing to me as a CEO is when I witness business professionals who don’t give it everything that they have. That goes for vendors, franchisees, employees and myself. To me there is nothing worse than a glass half full in business. It’s 100% or nothing. It’s not a 75% is ok in my books. I always tell my team, don’t turn in a “C” paper. You know when you execute an assignment, or when you do a workout set, whether or not you are turning in an “A” paper. Think about whether that performance is getting you to the result that you really want.

If you turn in a poor performance, and, by that, I mean one that is less than your capabilities and skills at the time you do it, then it’s time to take a cold, hard look in the mirror and ask yourself why did I join this gym, or why do I do this job. At HOTWORX we have a KNOW YOUR WHY motivational poster! You joined because you wanted a result. So, stay the course. Show up and be consistent with cross-training and solid workout types!

It’s never a failure in fitness unless you quit. Don’t quit! Find a way to fall in love with the discipline.

Be honest with yourself. Ask yourself in fitness, “Am I really showing up? Am I bringing it every set? Am I on point with my nutrition? Have I really come to understand what it means to PLAY FULL OUT all the time?”

Be a WARRIOR and be a WINNER!!!

👊🔥

Traditionally, resistance training has been equated to weight training, and has been viewed as a workout more popular with men. Modern fitness protocols, however, incorporate more than just weights for resistance, and more women are now embracing the benefits. For example, resistance bands are now widely used for many different types of exercises. Armed with a resistance band, you can get a full body resistance workout no matter where you are or who you are. When you travel, you should keep a workout band (one that has handles) in your suitcase.

In the development phase for the HOTWORX concept, it became clear to me that there needed to be a resistance workout option for the infrared sauna. The question then was what is the best way to deliver that type of workout in an infrared sauna environment. The most convenient, and most effective method to me was the use of bands. Turns out that was the right decision. The result was a very unique workout now known as HOT BANDS. This workout is one of the more challenging in the HOTWORX lineup.

Resistance training, which includes weight lifting, bands and other forms of strength training, is an excellent way for women to build muscle, improve bone density, boost metabolism, and enhance overall fitness. It can contribute to increased strength, better body composition, and improved confidence.

The combination of resistance training and yoga/isometric training can give you a best of both worlds result. Resistance improves muscle strength and bone density while yoga, and other isometric workouts provide flexibility and balance. This is cross-training at its finest. Women should embrace resistance training as a part of their fitness practice to some extent. Of course, it needs to be tailored by you for your goals, but it should not be ignored as it is a vital piece of the fitness puzzle.

Resistance training with bands inside of an infrared sauna presents an interesting mix of three wellness practices including that of infrared energy absorption by the skin, heat therapy and exercise. HOTWORX invented this method now known as 3D Training that uses various forms of resistance, isometric, and HIIT training workout types in conjunction with infrared energy and heat.

I would recommend at least one band workout in your cross-training rotation. I would suggest at least one band workout out of five in your training session sequence. For example if you do Hot Yoga first, then Hot Pilates followed by Barre None and then Hot Buns, perhaps it would be time for a solid resistance workout such as Hot Bands next.

Resistance training, including weights or the use of resistance bands, is highly important for women in fitness, just as it is for men. Resistance training offers numerous benefits that contribute to overall health and well-being. Resistance training helps women build lean muscle mass, which is essential for increasing strength and improving overall fitness. Gaining muscle also boosts metabolism, aiding in weight management. You are in complete control over how much resistance, and therefore muscle building you do. If you want a moderate toning approach, then practice the 1 to 5 ratio I just spoke of. If you want more muscularity, then raise it to 2 to 5, or 3 to 5. Experiment with Hot Bands to find your perfect protocol. Do you!

Remember that weight-bearing resistance exercises, including that of bands, help enhance bone density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures, which is particularly important for women as time progresses. Resistance training can also improve joint stability and reduce the risk of injury by strengthening the muscles around the joints. Resistance training is without a doubt the most effective form of exercise for improvement of body composition. This is done by reducing body fat percentage from increasing muscle mass, which contributes to a leaner, more toned appearance.

Women who want to achieve maximum levels of fitness should incorporate bands for resistance as an added workout type in their cross-training mix.

👊🔥

As a fitness professional, I am convinced from experience that one of the best ways to stay in shape is to schedule a trip, or a vacation that involves a fitness challenge. For example, maybe someone decides that they want to train to go to California and learn how to surf at Laguna Beach. Or, perhaps you decide to workout for a trip to Cabo to paddle board from the beach to El Arco and back. Those two choices are cool, but the options to choose from are endless. Just imagine your ideal fitness trip, take your training to another level, and go for it.

My favorite fitness challenge is to select a mountain, set a date, rally the team, train like crazy, and fly somewhere exciting and remote to do a climb to the summit.

I can assure you that a spectacular trip involving a fitness challenge will be supremely motivating to you for your fitness routine. All you have to do is commit to it, and take the action. It doesn’t have to be extreme. It could be a 90 day training program that prepares you for a picturesque, long run on Miami Beach, or Cancun. Pick your beach and imagine yourself there, on that run. Match the trip and the challenge to what your anticipated skill set will be once you get there. Customize it for yourself. Do you!

Years ago I saw an unbelievably beautiful picture in a magazine of a place that I swore I would visit one day. I taped the page out of that magazine to my washing machine so that I would have to look at it every week until I could find a way to go there. Eventually I was able to take a group of our corporate executives to this place two years in a row. This place was St. Lucia. There are two awe inspiring mountains there called the Pitons. These two volcanic mountains stand side-by-side with Sugar Beach in between them to form an other worldly place to visit. When I finally got there, I would just stare in awe at the largest of those two mountains from my room and think about climbing it. We climbed that “Gros Piton” from the beach to the peak on that first trip, and on the second trip we climbed it again beating our first time by 30 minutes. And, on those two trips I found a love for climbing mountains as a fitness challenge! I also discovered that the best way to train for hiking and climbing is with a HOTWORX 3D Training program.

Here’s a tip. If you want to add even more motivation for your fitness challenge trip, consider finding a way to raise money for a good cause and make it a part of your challenge!

HOTWORX decided to raise money based on the height of a mountain in feet. This has become the main driving force behind our climbs. Last year we raised $45,682 for Sacred Mountain Retreat Center, a respite for wounded veterans, Gold Star families, and first responders in need. This past year, our goal was $2 per foot in elevation of the tallest mountain in the western hemisphere, Aconcagua, at 22,837 ft. The year before, the HOTWORX climbing team, in its first “Hiking for Heroes” trek, raised $20,174 based on the summiting of Kilimanjaro at 19,341 ft., the tallest mountain in Africa. That first year we raised funds based on $1 per foot. This year, the team will raise money based on a goal of $3 per foot for the highest peak in Mexico, Pico De Orizaba, which is also the tallest volcano in North America at 18,620 ft.

I am happy to announce that this year we are expanding the concept to invite anybody who wants to form a climbing team, train at HOTWORX, pick a mountain and raise money for Sacred Mountain to join us in this rewarding endeavor to do even more for our nation’s finest!

Form a Hiking for Heroes team and join us in some awesome fitness challenge fun and adventure as we raise over 100k together this year for Sacred Mountain!

So, if you are looking for a new fitness challenge, form a hiking team and join us to present your check onstage to Jerrid Geving, the founder and President of Sacred Mountain at the HOTWORX convention in Nashville at the Gaylord next summer. I can’t think of a more exciting way to stay in shape with your HOTWORX routine and support a good cause at the same time!

Word out to all HOTWORX franchise locations…Form a climbing team to represent your studio!!! Then plan a mountain trip somewhere. Showcase your HOTWORX 3D Training program, and climb for the heroes to raise money for a great cause.

This year we have a goal to raise $100,000 for Sacred Mountain! Form a team. Train hard. Let’s do this!!!

More to come soon about the HIKING FOR HEROES expansion for 2024.

👊🔥

Infrared workouts, like those associated with the HOTWORX infrared sauna or infrared heat therapy, have various health benefits, including potential fat-burning effects. Here's how some proponents suggest that infrared workouts might potentially contribute to fat burning:

Increased Heart Rate: Infrared workouts often involve physical activities, such as hot yoga or exercises in heated saunas. The elevated temperature can increase your heart rate and make your workouts more intense and the infrared energy can speed up your metabolism. Increased heart rate during exercise can lead to greater calorie expenditure, which, if combined with a calorie deficit (burning more calories than you consume), and/or intermittent fasting, can contribute greatly to fat loss.

Infrared heat helps to improve blood circulation. Improved circulation aids in the transportation of oxygen and nutrients to muscle tissues, which enhances your exercise performance. Better performance during workouts can help you burn more calories and reduce body fat.

Let’s take a deeper look into the science of how this actually works.

Your body oxidizes fat through a process called beta-oxidation, which is a series of chemical reactions that break down fatty acids into energy. This process primarily occurs in your cells' mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell. Some studies suggest that exposure to infrared radiation improves the function of mitochondria, which are the cellular structures responsible for energy production. Enhanced mitochondrial function can potentially lead to more efficient fat oxidation during physical activity, and here is the sequence of how it works:

Mobilization of Fatty Acids: Before fat can be oxidized, it needs to be released from storage sites in your body, such as adipose tissue (fat cells). When your body needs energy and insulin levels are low (e.g., during fasting or exercise), hormones like adrenaline and glucagon signal fat cells to release fatty acids into the bloodstream.

Transport to Cells: Once released, fatty acids in the bloodstream are bound to a carrier protein called albumin and transported to various cells throughout the body, especially muscle cells and liver cells.

Entry into Mitochondria: Fatty acids cannot enter the mitochondria directly. Instead, they are broken down into two-carbon units in the cytoplasm in a process called beta-oxidation. Each cycle of beta-oxidation removes two carbons from the fatty acid chain, producing one molecule of acetyl-CoA.

Krebs Cycle (Citric Acid Cycle): Acetyl-CoA molecules produced in beta-oxidation enter the Krebs cycle (also known as the citric acid cycle or TCA cycle) in the mitochondria. In the Krebs cycle, acetyl-CoA is further metabolized, leading to the production of ATP, NADH, and FADH2.

Electron Transport Chain: The NADH and FADH2 generated in the Krebs cycle feed electrons into the electron transport chain, a series of protein complexes in the inner mitochondrial membrane. As electrons move through the chain, energy is gradually released, and this energy is used to pump protons across the membrane, creating an electrochemical gradient.

ATP Synthesis: The flow of protons back into the mitochondrial matrix through ATP synthase generates ATP, which is the primary energy currency of the cell.

Oxygen Consumption: It's important to note that the process of beta-oxidation and subsequent energy production in the mitochondria requires oxygen. Oxygen serves as the final electron acceptor in the electron transport chain. Without sufficient oxygen, this process is impaired, leading to the production of less ATP and potentially causing a buildup of toxic byproducts.

The overall process of oxidizing fat is highly regulated and can vary depending on factors like the availability of glucose, insulin levels, and the specific energy demands of your body at any given time. Fat oxidation is a critical mechanism for providing energy, especially during periods of fasting or endurance exercise when glucose levels are low.

After fat is oxidized (broken down) in the body to produce energy, the components of the fat molecules are metabolized and ultimately eliminated through various physiological processes including breathing, sweating and excretion, all of which can be accelerated and made more efficient through the use of infrared fitness training.

It’s time to make the fat scream as you burn it out of your body with IR!

👊🔥

HOTWORX made the decision early on, prior to the opening of its very first studio, that the use of isometrics and HIIT would be the most effective approach to infrared fitness training, and therefore, would be the basis for all of the workouts that would be offered in each of the patented HOTWORX workout saunas. Let’s take a look at the origins and evolution of those two disciplines of training.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a relatively modern approach to fitness training that has gained significant popularity for its efficiency and time effectiveness. HIIT is associated with cardio training because of the demands it places on the cardio system during the high intensity intervals that involve explosive spurts of movement. HIIT provides for an excellent cardio conditioning result. The development of HIIT can be traced back to several key milestones:

The foundations of HIIT were laid down by early research exploring the benefits of interval training. In 1912, Danish physiologist August Krogh and his wife Marie Krogh conducted experiments that highlighted the physiological adaptations induced by interval-based exercise. However, the concept didn't gain widespread attention until the latter half of the 20th century.

A pivotal moment in the development of HIIT was the work of German track and field coach Woldemar Gerschler and his colleague Hans Reindell in the 1960s. They introduced the concept of "Gerschler Fartlek," a form of interval training involving alternating periods of high-intensity effort and recovery. They experimented with intervals of fast and slow running. Their approach was later refined by Swedish physiologist Per-Olof Åstrand, who developed the "Åstrand-Rhyming Test" for assessing cardiovascular fitness. The Astrand Test involves the use of a sub-maximal cycle ergometer aerobic fitness test. It is based on the relationship between heart rate during workouts and the percentage of maximal aerobic capacity and was a precursor to the modern day more advanced VO2 Max testing methods.

Dr. Izumi Tabata, a Japanese researcher, conducted a groundbreaking study in the mid-1990s that greatly contributed to the popularization of HIIT. His study focused on a specific interval protocol: 20 seconds of all-out effort followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated for four minutes (a total of 8 cycles). This approach, now known as the "Tabata Protocol," demonstrated significant improvements in both aerobic and anaerobic fitness.

Dr. Tabata is often referred to as the "father of HIIT" due to his groundbreaking research and development of the Tabata Protocol, which is a very specific form of High-Intensity Interval Training. His work has had a profound impact on the way fitness enthusiasts and professionals approach cardiovascular training.

The results of his study showed that the Tabata Protocol led to significant improvements in both aerobic and anaerobic fitness, which sparked interest in the concept of HIIT. HIIT became popular as an effective and time-efficient method for improving cardiovascular fitness and metabolic capacity.

As a result of his pioneering work, Dr. Tabata is widely recognized for his contribution to the development and promotion of HIIT, and he is often credited with helping shape the modern understanding of this training approach.

In the 2000s, fitness experts, trainers, and researchers started experimenting with various interval training protocols, adapting the principles of HIIT to different forms of exercise, including running, cycling, bodyweight exercises, and more. The flexibility of HIIT, which allows customization of work and rest intervals, made it appealing to a wide range of individuals with varying fitness levels and goals.

Over the past couple of decades, HIIT gained immense popularity due to its time efficiency and effectiveness in improving cardiovascular fitness, boosting metabolism, and burning calories. The fitness industry embraced HIIT, and many gyms and fitness programs, including that of HOTWORX, incorporated HIIT workouts into their offerings.

In December of 2016 executives from HOTWORX corporate experimented with cycling inside of a HOTWORX infrared workout sauna. It was clear from that first Hot Cycle test session that they were onto something. Since that innovative moment, HOT CYCLE, a fast and effective HIIT session, has become one of the most used workouts of the entire HOTWORX lineup.

HIIT’s effectiveness has been supported by numerous scientific studies, highlighting its ability to improve cardiovascular health, increase aerobic and anaerobic capacity, and promote fat loss in a shorter timeframe compared to traditional steady-state cardio workouts.

As HIIT gained prominence, numerous adaptations and variations emerged beyond the, "Tabata Protocol,” such as "Turbo Training,” and, of course, HOTWORX. These protocols differ in terms of work-to-rest ratios, exercise type, and overall intensity levels. I laugh when I think back to my football training in high school when we were practicing HIIT for conditioning but there was no such official protocol for it. We were running drills that were definitely interval training with high intensity. We would line the entire team up in full pads at the end of practice and then we had to run in a single file line. When coach blew the whistle the player at the end of the line would have to launch into a full speed sprint to get to the front of the line and then the whistle would blow for the next player, and so on until the entire team had ran one full out sprint to the front. Then we would do it again until coach felt like we were conditioned enough for that practice.

The bottom line is this, HIIT works! And it works especially well when combined with infrared energy and heat.

Any fitness history lesson has to wind up with a discussion of the integration of technology. The digital age has certainly played a role in the development of HIIT. Fitness apps, online workout platforms, and wearable devices have made it easier for individuals to access and engage in HIIT routines, monitor their progress, and customize workouts to their specific needs. HOTWORX incorporated technology in a big way since the opening of its very first location in Oxford, MS in 2017. Through the use of its Burn Off App, the franchise allows customers to track their workouts with their Apple Watch or Fitbit and view their results in a rolling 90 day challenge that resets every 90 Days. A 90 Day Challenge should always be happening for your routine. Once you finish one challenge, it’s time for a new one.

The development of HIIT is a result of contributions from researchers, coaches, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts who have refined and popularized interval training approaches over time. Its effectiveness, adaptability, and time efficiency have solidified HIIT's place as a widely practiced and well-studied method of cardiovascular and metabolic training.

Now let’s move over to a discussion about isometrics. What about the history of Isometrics as it relates to cardio?

Any dialogue regarding the development of modern isometrics has to begin with yoga. Yoga was the first disciplined form of isometrics with its origins in Ancient India.

Yoga, as traditionally practiced, is not typically considered a primary form of cardiovascular training. However, in recent years, certain styles of yoga have been adapted and modified to incorporate more vigorous movements and sequences that can elevate heart rate and offer some cardiovascular benefits. Certainly, HOTWORX has invented a way to elevate the cardio experience of yoga and other isometrics through the combination of heat and infrared energy into the the yoga/isometric workout environment. Let’s explore the history of yoga and its evolution as a potential form of cardiovascular training.

Yoga originated thousands of years ago in India as a holistic practice that aimed to achieve physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. While not understood at that time, one byproduct of yoga was conditioning for the heart.

The earliest forms of yoga focused on meditation, breathing exercises, and static postures to promote self-awareness, mindfulness, and flexibility. These practices were not primarily designed for cardiovascular conditioning.

Hatha yoga emerged as a branch of yoga (10th-15th Century) that integrated physical postures (asanas) and breathing techniques (pranayama) to prepare the body for meditation and spiritual growth.

While Hatha yoga introduced physical movements, its pace was generally slow and deliberate, and it wasn't designed with the same emphasis on cardiovascular exercise as modern forms of cardio training. HOTWORX yoga and isometrics, with its athletic style and infrared heat, gets the heart rate to the right range for cardiovascular conditioning quickly and allows customers to maintain the appropriate heart rate at the right level for fitness.

As time passed, yoga continued to evolve and expand throughout the world beyond Hatha. As yoga spread to the West in the 20th century, various styles and adaptations emerged to suit different needs and preferences. Some of these styles began incorporating more dynamic and flowing sequences that can raise heart rate and promote muscular endurance.
Styles like Vinyasa, Power Yoga, and Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga include sequences of poses that are performed with coordinated breath, resulting in a more dynamic and physically demanding practice. Other forms such as Bikram and HOTWORX developed to use athletic postures with very strict holds and sequences. These modern adaptations often involve faster transitions between poses and more physically challenging sequences, leading to an increased heart rate and accelerated cardiovascular benefits.

While certain styles of yoga can elevate heart rate and contribute to cardiovascular conditioning, they may not offer the same level of intensity and sustained cardiovascular effort as traditional cardio exercises like running or cycling unless they are surrounded with an infrared energy and heat environment like that of a HOTWORX sauna.

Yoga's emphasis on mindful movement, flexibility, balance, and focus remains central to its practice, but cardiovascular gains can be a major byproduct of certain styles including that of the HOTWORX 3D Training Method with sequences that can contribute to significant cardiovascular benefits.

Beyond the yoga discipline, isometric exercises, while also not typically associated with cardiovascular training, have been historically used more for strength development and rehabilitation rather than specifically for cardio. Isometric exercises involve contracting muscles without joint movement, such as pushing or pulling against an immovable object to allow for a zero impact workout. However, I can provide information on how isometric exercises have been used and their potential relationship to cardiovascular fitness below:

Isometric exercises have ancient roots too, as they were practiced in various forms of martial arts, yoga, and other disciplines for centuries. These practices used static postures to build strength and stability.

In the early to mid-20th century, isometric exercises gained attention in the field of physical therapy and rehabilitation. They were used as a means to rebuild strength and muscle function in individuals who were recovering from injuries or surgeries. When you think about the combination of isometrics performed within an infrared sauna, you can easily conclude that the results will be dramatic. HOTWORX brought that discovery to the fitness table!

In the 1950s and 1960s, some researchers began to explore the potential cardiovascular effects of isometric exercises. There were hypotheses that isometrics might elicit a cardiovascular response due to the increased muscle tension and potential impact on blood flow.

While isometric exercises can generate muscle tension and engage a significant number of muscle fibers, they are not typically used as a primary method of cardiovascular training. Traditional cardio exercises like running, cycling, and swimming are more effective at increasing heart rate, but when you combine isometrics with heat and infrared energy from an IR sauna it too becomes an excellent cardio conditioning experience.

In modern fitness practices, isometric exercises are still used primarily for strength building and muscle engagement. They can be incorporated into routines to enhance muscular endurance and stability, but they are not typically utilized as a standalone cardio training method. HOTWORX disrupted that notion. HOTWORX isometrics provide for an incredible cardio workout!

Infrared HIIT + Infrared Isometrics = The one, two punch for cardio fitness.

👊🔥

Workout consistency means more than just showing up to the gym on a regular basis. The consistency of the workouts that you do is just as important. That requires a workout sequence that remains the same with very little variation. I call this the principle of sameness. Get your variety through cross-training, not through variation of the flow of a workout type!

I began my journey with yoga years ago with a style known as Bikram. The founder of that style came under fire for his personal issues, but the workout was phenomenal. It uses a flow of the same 26 postures in the exact same sequence every time. The results for me were dramatic. I learned the important of posture flow “sameness” from that program.

Inspired from that original hot yoga experience, HOTWORX invented infrared 3D Training as an exclusive program for members of the 24 Hour Infrared Fitness Studios franchise. One of the cornerstone principles of 3D Training is consistency of workout types.

Customers rely on fitness professionals for the right advice to get the results that they want. Sometimes customers don’t always know what is best for themselves, and they often make requests that are contrary to what works to get them to their fitness goals. One such request is that the workouts be changed up frequently. These requests happen because there are some fitness trainers out there that promote a free-for-all approach with no regard for the importance of a consistent workout flow.

Beware of trainers who lack a well defined method and focus.

These trainers promote workouts that have no rhyme, reason or integrity. They practice no real method. Rather, they push a haphazard, schizophrenic approach to fitness. They think that a client should do something completely different every time they come in the gym. This is dangerous as it lends itself to a high degree of risk for injury, and it has no logical pattern for measurability. These unscrupulous trainers think that it’s their job to get their clients sore after every workout by forcing radical changes in the flow of the workout exercises to the point that customers never know if they are improving or not. I have seen trainers grind their clients into an overtraining funk and declining strength levels as a result of these flawed practices.

As an athlete and a client myself, I have experienced injuries from trainers who pushed fringe exercises designed to shock a body part. And, shock they did. In one of those instances I suffered a severe hamstring injury.

You have to train smart if you want to avoid injury and obtain long term progressions in muscle strength, flexibility and pliability.

Fitness studio owners have the responsibility here to ensure that the safest and most effective approach is recommended to the client, not what might be the most popular fad, or something that is done solely for the purpose of adding variety and shock value. Long term, sustained results will always trump a short term “sugar high” designed to cure “boredom”. There are endless ways to make improvements to the performance of a simple plank that can keep you free from boredom forever. Studio owners owe it to teach their members a proper method of fitness that includes educating them on the importance of workout flow consistency!

Variety is not a training method! And, if it is applied in the wrong manner it can be very detrimental to the client. Cross-training is the most effective way to practice fitness variety, but the workout types, such as yoga, ISO and Pilates must remain consistent!

The HOTWORX 3D Training Method was born out of yoga. HOTWORX then created an entire isometric offering spawned from yoga including specialty workouts for Pilates, barre, core, glutes, bands, and now stretch to name a few. Each of these workout types are carefully choreographed and purposely crafted into a flow that remains consistent over time.

When it comes to yoga and all forms of isometrics, consistency of flow is the key!

Because of the very unsystematic approach that many fitness trainers tend to practice, some clients think that they are supposed to do each workout type with totally different postures each time they come in the gym. GIANT RED FLAG!!! That advice is dangerous, misinformed and less effective. It will NEVER be offered that way at HOTWORX!

Consistency of flow is a fundamental principle in yoga practice, and it is particularly emphasized in styles like Bikram, Hatha, and HOTWORX yoga. Maintaining a consistent flow throughout a yoga workout, similar to the Bikram flow, and like that of the athletic style of HOTWORX isometrics, offers several important benefits that contribute to a holistic and effective practice including the following:

Mind-Body Connection: Consistency of flow helps establish a strong connection between the mind and the body. As you move from one posture to another in a logical sequence, you become more attuned to your body's sensations, alignment, and limitations. This heightened awareness from the consistency of flow allows you to make necessary adjustments and modifications, enhancing the overall effectiveness of your practice. If you are practicing yoga that changes postures every workout, then you will lose this advantage.

Focused Breath Awareness: In a consistent flow, each movement is synchronized with the breath. A flow that is familiar to the client encourages conscious breathing patterns, which play a crucial role in reducing stress, improving oxygen circulation, and maintaining mental clarity. Breath awareness also helps you stay present in the moment and enhances that mind-body connection.

Cardiovascular Benefits: A systematic flow-based isometrics can have cardiovascular benefits when performed consistently. The continuous movement and controlled breathing elevate your heart rate, enhancing blood circulation and cardiovascular endurance. The steady and controlled transitions between poses in flow-based yoga create a balanced workload for the heart. This encourages efficient heart function by allowing the heart to adapt to different intensities of movement while maintaining a steady rhythm. All of this contributes to a healthier cardiovascular system over time.

Enhanced Flexibility and Strength: The consistent flow of poses engages various muscle groups, promoting flexibility and strength throughout the body. By gradually moving through a standard sequence of postures, you target specific muscle groups and gradually work towards increasing your range of motion.

Improved Balance and Coordination: Flowing through a well planned series of poses challenges your balance and coordination as you transition from one position to another. With consistent practice, you develop better proprioception (awareness of your body in space) and coordination, which can improve your overall physical stability. A messy approach to posture sequencing steadiness reduces this benefit.

Efficient Energy Flow: Yoga philosophy often emphasizes the flow of energy (prana) within the body. A consistent flow practice helps facilitate the smooth movement of energy throughout the body's energy pathways (nadis), connecting at the chakras promoting balance and vitality.

Mental Focus: The rhythmic and consistent flow of postures aids in quieting the mind and entering an awareness state. As you synchronize your movement with your breath, you naturally become more focused and centered. This meditative aspect of flow-based yoga with strict isometric postures can lead to enhanced stress management and mental clarity. A flow of postures that remains consistent simplifies the path to focus.

Time Efficiency: Consistent flow sequences can be time-efficient, as they allow you to target multiple muscle groups and aspects of fitness in a relatively short amount of time. Familiarity of posture flow allows clients to connect the mind to the body more quickly yielding faster results. This can be particularly beneficial for individuals with busy schedules.

Holistic Well-being: The combination of physical movement, breath awareness, and mindfulness in a consistent flow practice contributes to overall well-being. It addresses physical, mental, and emotional aspects of health, promoting a balanced lifestyle.

Progress and Mastery: Consistency allows you to track your progress and gradually master the sequence. As you become more familiar with the flow, you can deepen your practice by exploring variations and refining your alignment in each posture.

In summary, the importance of consistency of flow during a yoga or any isometric workout, lies in its ability to create a synergistic integration of physical movement, breath awareness, and focus. This holistic approach contributes to improved physical fitness, mental clarity, and overall well-being over time. Leave the schizophrenic workout trainers behind. Practice workout sequence consistency.

The HOTWORX 3D Training Method promotes consistency within all of its numerous workout types. The 3D Method uses heat and infrared energy combined with exercise and places passionate emphasis on flow consistency. When these reliable workout types are used in a cross-training program, incredible fitness results can happen. Use cross-training for variety so long as the workout types remain consistent. Never forget that workout flow regularity is supremely important.

Don’t fall victim to a misinformed, haphazard approach to your fitness. Find a program like HOTWORX that promotes workout type consistency. Experience change through your constant improvement of the consistent flow of postures and through cross-training of different workout types!

Stay consistent my friends.

👊🔥

When you manage your heart rate appropriately during exercise you can govern the physiological response in a way that gets you to your fitness goals in a fast and efficient manner. When this is done in an infrared sauna, the core temperature of your body rises, leading to an elevated heart rate. The cool thing about training in an IR sauna is the reduction of the time that is necessary for a workout warm up. A proper warm up requires an increase in body temperature to loosen the muscles as well as an increase in heart rate to the appropriate level to process the increased need for oxygen.

This increase in heart rate improves cardiovascular conditioning over time. Of course, people who are new to infrared training should go slow at first and build up to an accelerated pace and level of intensity. This can be accomplished with a “go at your own best pace” approach.

Generally, you should keep your heart rate around 70-90% of your heart rate max level during infrared exercise. The heart rate maximum formula is simple. Take your age and subtract it from 220 and that will amount to your “rule-of-thumb” heart rate max.

An increased heart rate during an infrared workout can have many benefits. Here are a few of the potential advantages:

Cardiovascular Workout: It’s no secret that elevated heart rate during an infrared sauna session combined with an isometric or HIIT workout can help to improve blood circulation, enhance cardiovascular health, and contribute to a stronger heart.

Caloric Expenditure: The increased heart rate also leads to an increase in metabolic rate and caloric expenditure. This can support weight loss goals and contribute to a boost in energy expenditure. Generally, a 1 degree C increase in core body temperature will increase your metabolism by 10-13% and yield approximately 100-130 extra calorie expenditure in a given day.

Detoxification: Sweating induced by an infrared sauna, like that of the HOTWORX patented workout sauna, can help eliminate toxins and heavy metals from the body. Without argument, increased heart rate and blood flow can facilitate the transportation of these toxins to the skin's surface for excretion, and sweating is a natural mechanism through which the body eliminates toxins, not just a means for cooling the body.

As your heart rate increases, your body temperature rises and increases sweating to cool the body. Additionally, however, sweat contains various waste products and toxins, including heavy metals, urea, and other metabolic byproducts. The increased heart rate and associated blood flow can help transport these waste products to the skin's surface, where they are excreted through sweat. It’s important to remember that infrared induced sweat contains 7X more heavy metals and toxic waste than that of a traditional sauna.

Endorphin Release: The infrared heat and increased heart rate can stimulate the release of endorphins, which are the natural "feel-good" hormones. The result is a sense of relaxation, stress relief, and an improved mood.

Muscle Relaxation: The warmth from the infrared sauna can help relax muscles, alleviate tension, and reduce muscle soreness. The HOTWORX infrared workouts are a recovery workout, meaning that the recovery begins the moment you begin a workout in the sauna. Why workout then go to the sauna when you can do both at the same time? The increased heart rate from the sauna workout enhances blood flow to muscles, accelerating recovery.

Improved Skin Health: The increased blood circulation resulting from the IR vasodilation and elevated heart rate helps to nourish the skin cells, leading to improved skin tone, texture, and a healthy skin glow. It may also support wound healing and the reduction of skin-related issues such as acne, psoriases, rosacea, and eczema.

When you begin an infrared training program it is important to ease into the program and allow your body to acclimate to the heated environment. Stay hydrated before, during, and after each sauna workout session, and listen to your body. Learn how to measure your heart rate during your workout with a good tracker like that of an Apple Watch, and reap the heart rate benefits of infrared fitness!

👊🔥

High Intensity Interval Training sessions, AKA HIIT, are fast and can help you burn more fat while getting your cardiovascular system in shape. When HIIT is combined with good nutrition and intermittent fasting, the results can be transformational.

HIIT workouts comprise of intense sets of varying degrees of difficulty in bursts including heavy, medium, or light resistance with a fast, medium, or slow pace, or any number of combinations of both resistance and speed.

For example, HOTWORX provides three 15 minute HIIT workout types including infrared cycling, a total body resistance bike with upper body levers and lower body pedals, and a patented dual independent handle rower (the only one of its kind and exclusive to the HOTWORX franchise) known as the Thunder Row. Each of the workouts use HIIT as the training format led by a virtual instructor queuing clients to perform three different levels of intensity intervals throughout the short sessions.

The advantage of HIIT is the level of calorie burn and the accelerated fat burn that it generates.

One study noted that, “…results indicate that short-term low volume HIIT can increase aerobic capacity and fat oxidation during submaximal exercise.” (1) It has been found that the increased fat oxidation produced by HIIT is caused primarily from the peripheral adaptations from improved mitochondrial composition and function.

Mitochondria are the powerhouses within the cells that are responsible for producing energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Here's how HIIT can impact mitochondrial function and fat burning:

Increased Mitochondrial Biogenesis: HIIT involves short bursts of intense exercise followed by periods of rest or low-intensity exercise. This type of training can stimulate the production of new mitochondria within cells, a process called mitochondrial biogenesis. More mitochondria mean a higher capacity for energy production, leading to enhanced fat oxidation and overall improved metabolic function.

Enhanced Oxidative Capacity: HIIT can improve the oxidative capacity of muscles. Oxidative capacity refers to the ability of muscles to utilize oxygen for energy production. HIIT increases oxygen consumption during and after exercise, which stimulates the mitochondria to work more efficiently and burn more fat for energy. The calorie after-burn following a HIIT session is more effective than that of other forms of workouts.

Increased Enzyme Activity: HIIT can elevate the activity of enzymes involved in fat oxidation. For example, enzymes such as citrate synthase and dehydrogenase (HAD) are responsible for promoting the breakdown of fatty acids within mitochondria. HIIT can up-regulate the expression of these enzymes, leading to improved fat utilization. The increased demand for energy caused from HIIT triggers this up-regulation. HIIT causes lactate accumulation which can stimulate the expression of enzymes that are involved in both anaerobic and aerobic energy pathways, including those responsible for fat oxidation.

Improved Insulin Sensitivity: HIIT can enhance insulin sensitivity, which means your body becomes better at using insulin to control blood sugar levels. Insulin resistance is often associated with obesity and metabolic disorders, and improving insulin sensitivity can aid in fat loss and metabolism regulation.

Elevated EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption): HIIT can create a phenomenon known as “after-burn," where your body continues to burn calories and fat even after the workout is completed. This is due to the increased oxygen consumption required to restore the body to its pre-exercise state. The elevated EPOC following HIIT contributes to additional calorie and fat expenditure.

Hormonal Changes: HIIT can trigger the release of hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine, which are involved in the regulation of fat breakdown and energy expenditure. These hormones can stimulate lipolysis (the breakdown of fats) and increase metabolic rate, leading to greater fat burning.

Many proponents of infrared saunas suggest that they aid in detoxification by promoting sweating. Studies have shown that infrared sweat contains 7X more toxic waste than that of a traditional sauna. Sweating helps to eliminate waste products and toxins from the body, which can indirectly support metabolic processes related to fat burning.

Now you know the science of infrared HIIT fat burning. What about actual results? I have witnessed spectacular fat burning results from numerous HOTWORX clients and for myself from only the infrared HIIT. Imagine when HIIT, especially infrared HIIT, is combined with proper nutrition of a balanced diet and intermittent fasting. The results are stellar!

Now is the time to incorporate HIIT training with infrared for fat burning. Don’t miss out on the incredible results!

👊🔥

(1) https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/10.3920/CEP210028

I recently had an encounter with a treadmill. Normally, for me, I will avoid treadmills because I like cardio that is more interesting. A treadmill to me is just boring and it takes too long to get to a warmed up state. I am used to sauna HIIT training, or isometric infrared training. I am not used to waiting so long to warm up.

On this day in my travels to the HOTWORX convention in Dallas, I decided to use a treadmill to get some cardio in after weight training. There I was, trudging on a treadmill waiting for my heart rate to get to a good cardio level and it felt like it took forever. I hate wasting time with my workouts.

Enter HOTWORX with MORE WORKOUT, LESS TIME…perfect! Training inside of the patented HOTWORX infrared workout sauna delivers a much higher quality cardio session by far. Not only does it take way less time for your body to warm up and for your heart rate to get to the right level, the infrared energy is penetrating your skin delivering all of the benefits of infrared therapy!

The nitric oxide effect of training in an infrared environment causes blood vessels to dilate allowing blood to flow more efficiently. This vasodilation effect increases the transport of oxygen to muscles making for a stronger, more effective workout.

Infrared saunas enhance the endothelial function. The endothelium is the inner lining of blood vessels. Dysfunction in the endothelium can contribute to heart disease. Some research suggests that infrared sauna use may improve endothelial function, making blood vessels more flexible and responsive.

The Official Publication of The College of Family Physicians of Canada published evidence about far-infrared saunas for treatment of cardiovascular risk factors and concluded that:

Although the evidence is limited, it does suggest a number of benefits of FIRS [far infrared sauna] use, including effects on systolic hypertension, New York Heart Association class and clinical symptoms of congestive heart failure, premature ventricular contractions, brain natriuretic peptide levels, vascular endothelial function, exercise tolerance, oxidative stress, chronic pain, and possibly weight loss and chronic fatigue. No adverse events were reported in any of the studies. (1)

The mention of exercise tolerance in that publication article was impressive to me. Without a doubt, the more tolerant you can become to the pain and difficulty aspect of exercise, then the more likely you will continue to workout regularly. The evidence has been clear for a long time that exercise can benefit your cardiovascular health. Recently, it has become increasingly clear that infrared saunas can benefit your heart health too.

Why not practice both exercise and infrared sauna at the same time?

HOTWORX promotes 3D Training which does combine the two along with elevated temperatures in a fusion of isometric exercise or HIIT training, heat and infrared energy to give customers the best of all worlds for a more elevated cardio workout.

👊🔥

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2718593/

Like any athletic endeavor, fitness is also a game of momentum. In this game it is you versus you though. Building your fitness momentum happens the same way momentum takes place in sports. First, you have to become inspired to take action and you have to make a plan for how you will go about achieving your fitness goals. From that inspired plan you then must take massive action consistently to achieve progress towards the objective. In sports the objective is to win against the opposing team.

In fitness, the goal is to win against yourself!

But you can’t just win once, you have to maintain the momentum that you have created, and that takes discipline. Like coach Nick Saban says about the two forms of pain in life, you have to learn to manage the pain of discipline if you want to avoid the pain of disappointment. I don’t know about you guys, but I will take discipline over disappointment any day of the week. I believe you should learn to like discipline. Become friends with discipline. Dare I say, fall in love with discipline! Nobody wants to be disappointed, and especially at the behest of themselves. Develop a positive relationship with discipline.

It’s one thing to be disappointed by someone else, but it is even more painful to be disappointed by yourself.

It’s YOU v. YOU in fitness!

You are in 100% control of yourself. Find your beast mode. What actions will you take today in pursuit of your inspired fitness goals? Do you want to climb a mountain? Take the action in the gym. Do you want to show your abs at the beach? Take the action at the infrared studio. Do you want to live longer with a better quality of life? Take the action and build the momentum in your fitness program.

An inspired plan with massive action builds fitness MOMENTUM!

Do it today…👊🔥

When I think about fitness innovation, I am reminded of a quote from what I consider to be the greatest locker room speeches of all time to come out of Hollywood. It’s from the 2004 movie Miracle, a true story about the 1980 U.S. Olympic Gold Medal Hockey Team. The main character, Coach Herb Brooks, is played by Kurt Russell. In the locker room scene, Coach Brooks opens his speech with the statement, “Great moments are born from great opportunity.”

Opportunity happens when people think really hard to solve problems. It is the mindset of “never quit” thinking until you are convinced that a solution to your problem has been discovered that wins the day. The power of thought is immense. When enough focus goes into to thinking it through, that’s when innovation flourishes.

HOTWORX continues to bring new fitness innovations to the marketplace and each of them began with a problem that needed to be solved. Enter critical thinking. I don’t know of anything that I enjoy more in business than a good brainstorming session with colleagues or just with myself.

Got a problem…think it through!

We had a problem with our patented Thunder Row machine experiencing small leaks from the water tanks. This problem generated three ideas to increase the operational efficiency and improve the workout experience of the rower. We developed a drip pan and a backsplash engineered to fit with the function and design of the water tanks. And then, I was approached by our Director of Project Management, Victoria Price, with a solution that seemed to have really come out of left field. She wanted to test something different than water to provide resistance in the tanks. The first idea was to use sand, which worked but it wasn’t the right feel for the rower. It was to much of a grind and the sound of the rowing was off. But that did not stop her from thinking of a better way forward. A few weeks later, Victoria brought up an idea to use water absorbing orbs. I had never even heard of such a thing. After months of testing and tweaking, Thunder Orbs were born out of the critical thinking process.

The University of Louisville has a very precise definition for critical thinking. Here it is: “Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.”

Another way to think of it is to remember the old adage, if you can conceive it and believe it you can achieve it!

👊🔥

It doesn’t matter whether you are a fitness beginner or a professional athlete. It’s the same when it comes to what it takes to achieve your goals. It takes discipline and there is going to be some level of discomfort when you practice discipline. There is no getting around it, you have to just go through it. The key is to make discipline your friend. I don’t know why people shy away from discipline rather than confronting it, and yes, even learning to like it. It’s a choice like everything else in life.

If you choose fitness, then you have to choose discipline if you want to get your money’s worth…its as simple as that.

Nick Saban is regarded as the greatest college football coach of all time. He is quoted as saying, “There are two pains in life. The pain of discipline and the pain of disappointment. If you can handle the pain of discipline, you'll never have to deal with the pain of disappointment.”

And, there it is…no pain, no gain. I am all for seeking out the tools to help with accelerating fitness results, and HOTWORX is an essential tool that can deliver more workout results in less time for people, but the work still has to be done, which requires discipline.

I’m not advocating risks of injury, and HOTWORX goes to great lengths to create workouts that deliver high results with low to zero impact, but there will still be some physical pain to get to the results you are looking for. For example, the buildup of lactic acid generates a brief but painful burn during sets of exercise. This can be minimized with the exposure to infrared during a workout.

Discipline causes some pain, but there is such a thing as good pain. The key with a fitness program is to go at your own best pace and manage through the situation while you are outside of your comfort zone.

Years ago, when I owned a small group training studio called GymMatrix, the magic phrase from myself as a trainer to my clients, and from beginner to intermediate to advanced fitness levels, was indeed, “Go at your own best pace!” What I learned from that small group training business was, the same workout in a group can accommodate all levels so long as the proper direction, or queuing for modifications, is given.

Find your DISCIPLINE, discover your INNER WARRIOR, and go at your own BEST PACE!

👊🔥

As a follow up to last year’s introduction of the Burn Off App nutrition update “Diet Trax,” HOTWORX is announcing a new supplement line that will be on the shelves of all studios this fall. The fitness supplement market is crowded with everything you can imagine and is confusing even for a fitness expert like myself. It is for this reason that HOTWORX made the decision to simplify daily supplements for its customers.

The idea for POWER GUMMIES was, first, to provide daily supplements in an easy to take gummy form rather than having to swallow multiple horse pills. Then, the mission was to ensure that the supplements could be consumed in the morning with the first meal, which is perfect for those who like to practice daily intermittent fasting. Each gummy has only 10 calories, but it is advised to take them with the first meal whenever that might be for your 8 hours on/16 hours off intermittent program.

POWER GUMMIES is a supplement program created by and exclusive to HOTWORX that consists of three daily gummies designed to make supplementation simple to maximize training and to elevate results:

1-CORE: Daily Multivitamin, a powerful plant based formula of essential daily nutrients including Vitamin A, C, B3, B6, B5, Folate, B12, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid and Zinc. Here’s a fun fact about the origin of the multivitamin. It was a noble project indeed. When Americans were called up to serve in World War II, one out of three people were found to suffer from disabilities stemming from poor nutrition. In response to this problem, President Roosevelt created the National Nutrition Conference for Defense in 1941. Out of this came the first set of government recommended daily allowances for vitamins and minerals. The first daily multivitamin appeared in 1943.

2-SKIN: A powerful combination for Hair, Skin and Nails made of Collagen and MCT Oil to boost your beauty, mind and body. The dynamic duo of Collagen + MCT Oil is also good for cognitive function while providing a clean source of energy. It is also good for bone density…note that researchers have found that a year of daily collagen peptides supplementation measurably increased bone mineral density in the lumbar spine and in the upper femur and increased a blood biomarker that indicates bone formation. (1) The subjects of the study, all women, also had higher levels of a blood biomarker that indicates bone formation. 

3-DETOX: Apple Cider Vinegar to enhance detox. This supercharged gummy supports the removal of toxins from the body, enhances the immune system, and promotes clear skin. It provides relief from bloating and is shown to improve lipid and fasting glucose profiles which may help to regulate body weight. Here’s one interesting fact about vinegar. Hippocrates, known in history as the father of modern medicine, used vinegar as a treatment to clean wounds more than 2,000 years ago in ancient Greece.

So, there you have it, a simple way to enhance your training with a supplementation program for your CORE health, SKIN, and DETOX exclusively from HOTWORX headed to studio shelves very soon. More to come…

Keep earning the burn!!!
👊🔥

(1) https://www.uclahealth.org/news/collagen-peptides-may-be-beneficial-menopausal-bone-loss#:~:text=Researchers%20found%20that%20a%20year,biomarker%20that%20indicates%20bone%20formation.

By all standards, reaching 500 open brick and mortar franchise locations is an incredible accomplishment for any brand. Indeed, only 4% of franchises make it to that level. HOTWORX reached that mark this past Friday June 23. The 500th location was opened for business on that day in Hattiesburg, MS. It is interesting to note that the first location opened in Mississippi as well in Oxford in 2017. Big congratulations are in order to the owners of that great new location in Hattiesburg, Ivan & Carley Ostrander, Bryan Whytlaw & Aaron Teneyck! They have assembled a fantastic team there in Hattiesburg.

We held a company celebratory toast with a Zoom meeting just after they opened for business. Cheers again to everyone who participated on that call and to the entire company for a job well done! And, now it’s back to working hard for the next milestone!!

The reason for the explosive growth is a combination of factors including the recruitment of great franchisees who buy into a great product that solves problems for awesome customers. In the case of HOTWORX, the brand delivers on its mission to provide MORE WORKOUT, in LESS TIME. Getting to the results for customers faster and more efficiently will never go out of style in fitness.

It seems appropriate that the company crossed this milestone in the same week of International Yoga Day and the summer solstice. Of course, HOTWORX originated from yoga and harnesses the power of infrared light, like that from the sun, to heat the sauna and for absorption into the skin during workouts. Inspired by the power of yoga and sunlight to improve lives, the brand will continue to grow with an accelerated pace of studio openings.

Appropriately, MOMENTUM is the theme for the annual HOTWORX franchise convention to be held this July in DFW. Momentum begins with inspired planning followed by massive action towards an objective.

I cannot express the amount of gratitude we hold as a company, first to over a quarter of a million active HOTWORX members across the planet and then to our dedicated franchise owners who leave it all on the mat every day to create exceptional workout experiences for the customers. And, let’s not forget the incredibly talented team of corporate employees who bring it every day to support all of the franchise locations.

I like to view this relationship as a pyramid with the franchisor and the franchisees at the base of the structure forming a partnership foundation to support the amazing customers, or the fans at the top of the pyramid. Everything is done to create a world class workout experience for the studio customers. It is with this focus that HOTWORX looks forward to the next 500 on its way to 1000 locations open in the near future!

👊🔥

As I sit in front of my Mac and write this blog article on this beautiful Friday evening in New Orleans, I am reflecting on the past 6 years and a labor of love I know as HOTWORX Franchising. Just 6 years and three months ago we opened the very first location in Oxford, Mississippi on February 13, 2017. We opened with just shy of 100 members recruited from our first location pre-sale. With that humble beginning we launched the innovative franchise into the marketplace.

We began with, and we continue with a fanatical effort to deliver the best customer experience and workout results possible to our customer base.

We launched into uncharted territory in many ways. It was the first fitness studio to offer hot yoga 24/7. It was the first fitness studio to use what would soon become the patented HOTWORX infrared workout sauna. It was the first to create and promote the 3D Training Method. It was the first studio with the motto, MORE WORKOUT, LESS TIME. It was the first studio to connect a consumer app to the calorie burn and the after-burn for multiple workout types at any given trip to the gym.

Now, six years and four months later on this Monday the 19th of June, we will open the 500th HOTWORX franchise location. As I write this blog, we are not sure the exact location that it will be, but on this Monday we will find out, and we will let everyone know.

I have to brag on our franchisees and the corporate team that supports what they do for a moment. Not only have we managed to have such explosive growth, but we have posted increasing average profits for the franchise locations every singe year since we started. This has been possible due to the maniacal focus of the franchise on the fitness studio experience for our customers that begins with the marketing message and continues through each and every virtually instructed workout. Without our customers, we would be nowhere! Their health and fitness results is the reason we go to work every day. It is our passion! As we continue to grow the brand, we want to be world class for our customers and the best franchise in the business for their fitness journey.

The 500 location mark is an incredible milestone for a franchise company to reach, and we are ecstatic to cross that threshold this week!

Here are a few franchise facts worth noting:

“Only 16 percent of U.S. franchises have more than 100 units, and a mere 4 percent have 500-plus locations.” (1)

“Not everyone is national. Regional brands, those in 11 to 34 states, account for 34 percent of brands, while those in fewer than 10 states account for 50 percent of brands. National brands, those in 35-plus states, account for 16 percent.” (2)

HOTWORX continues to grow at a rate that has outpaced several other well known fitness brands. One of the reasons for this is the franchise’s marketing strategy. As is true in most cases, simplicity is more effective than complexity. The HOTWORX marketing strategy is simple. We laser focus our message to reach a 30 year old working female who wants to discover her inner warrior, period. We welcome everyone, include guys, but we have gone to great lengths to create a serious workout environment that inspires our target audience when she walks into the studio.

I hear from our customers all the time who feel that HOTWORX has a very encouraging vibe. This “vibe” speaks to the target customer. When a boutique fitness studio has disciplined messaging tailored to the ideal customer, magic happens. The base of the studio membership is built on the messaging and while the average age will range in the 25-40 year old center of the target, all of a sudden, that focus ripples out to and resonates with more people who are drawn to the culture as well. These folks range from 18 to 80+ years old who also want to discover their inner warrior. I always like to say, you have to focus on the “one” to sell to the “many.” You have to focus on the one to build the right energy, an energy that, from a business standpoint, will result in the highest closing percentage possible for membership sales.

We call our ideal customer “Eileen.” Sometimes it is difficult to teach new business owners the importance of target marketing. Of course, targeting is a marketing fundamental, but it is easy to fall into the trap of trying to be everything to everybody, which is a recipe for disaster. When entrepreneurs try to do that for a boutique type of business they can flood their business with people who have a much lower probability of actually purchasing a membership, and who will, when they join, disrupt the culture of the membership base. Chipping away at the power of your ideal customer base is not good. The focus has to be on adding to the power of the ideal customer base through stellar customer experience!

The messaging of the business creates the culture of the business. Every detail matters in business, especially the detail of the studio culture. This is NOT an anti-inclusiveness tactic. Of course, everyone is welcome and the HOTWORX brand very much believes in the power of diversity as well as inclusiveness to all walks of life, but the messaging is laser focused to the fitness needs of the target audience we lovingly call Eileen. She is incredibly diverse across the marketplace and our messaging pays great attention to that reality. Our job is to keep her in a state of fitness experiential bliss with fast and effective workouts, period.

The marketing strategy has been incredibly successful in building studios that have increased in profits year over year since the beginning of the brand. It is also a strategy that has resulted in the explosive growth from 0 to 500 studios in 6 years!

It is with great pride that we welcome HOTWORX to the 500 Club for franchises!

👊🔥

(1) https://www.franchisetimes.com/franchise_news/only-5-3-percent-of-zees-cross-100-unit-mark-says-frandata/article_6827dc51-94dc-50c1-b225-6102dc34bbab.html

(2) https://www.franchisetimes.com/franchise_news/only-5-3-percent-of-zees-cross-100-unit-mark-says-frandata/article_6827dc51-94dc-50c1-b225-6102dc34bbab.html

Last week I wrote a blog about a cardiologist who is also an entrepreneur and a new HOTWORX franchisee. As a follow up to that article, this week I will dive a little deeper into the importance of infrared fitness to cardio conditioning. Better cardio conditioning leads to a much higher quality of life. Indeed, breathing and the process of oxygenation through blood circulation pumped by the heart is the key to living a fit and healthy life. Developing a strong and healthy heart should be the most basic goal and a result of any fitness program. A strong heart makes all activities easier and more enjoyable. Far too many gym goers pay little attention to the conditioning of their cardiovascular system. Infrared workouts can speed up that process while making it fun.

Infrared training, specifically referring to the use of infrared saunas or infrared therapy, has gained attention for its potential benefits for heart health. While research in this area is ongoing and evolving, there are several proposed mechanisms through which infrared training may positively impact your cardiovascular health. These include:

Improved circulation: Infrared training enhances circulation by causing blood vessels to dilate, leading to increased blood flow. This effect helps deliver oxygen and nutrients more efficiently to the heart and other organs, thereby reducing the workload on the heart.

Enhanced cardiac function: Regular infrared sauna use has been associated with improvements in various markers of cardiac function, such as increased heart rate variability (HRV) and improved endothelial function. HRV refers to the variation in the time interval between heartbeats and is considered an indicator of autonomic nervous system balance, with higher HRV generally associated with better cardiovascular health.“The endothelium is a thin membrane that lines the inside of the heart and blood vessels. Endothelial cells release substances that control vascular relaxation and contraction as well as enzymes that control blood clotting, immune function and platelet (a colorless substance in the blood) adhesion.” (1)

Improved endothelial function, which relates to the health of the inner lining of blood vessels, can contribute to better cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Reduced blood pressure: Some studies suggest that infrared therapy may help lower blood pressure. High blood pressure (hypertension) is a major risk factor for heart disease, and by promoting vasodilation and improving blood flow, infrared training may contribute to blood pressure regulation.

Stress reduction: Infrared saunas are known for their relaxing and stress-relieving effects. Chronic stress can have detrimental effects on heart health, as it may contribute to increased blood pressure, inflammation, and other risk factors. By promoting relaxation and reducing stress levels, infrared training may indirectly support heart health.

It's important to note that while infrared training shows promise for heart health, it should not be considered a standalone solution or a replacement for conventional medical care. Regular exercise, a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, managing stress, and following medical advice are all crucial elements of a comprehensive approach to heart health. It is critical to ensure that there are no pre-existing heart conditions prior to launching any exercise program.

As research on the specific effects of infrared training continues, it is recommended to consult with a healthcare professional or cardiologist who can provide personalized guidance based on your specific health condition and medical history.

Maybe now is the time to add infrared training to your cardio fitness routine!

👊🔥

(1) https://www.cedars-sinai.org/programs/heart/clinical/womens-heart/conditions/endothelial-function-testing.html#:~:text=The%20endothelium%20is%20a%20thin,substance%20in%20the%20blood)%20adhesion.

I had the pleasure of speaking with cardiologist Dr. Ahmed Soliman this week, who also happens to be a new franchisee of HOTWORX in the Houston, TX market. We spoke online and then actually met in person at the grand opening of the Manvel, TX location this Saturday. Our conversations were fascinating and very enlightening to me. I had a couple of questions for him. First, I wanted to know how he came to become a franchise owner, and second, I wanted to know from his perspective about the benefits of infrared training.  

He trained, graduated and now is the associate medical director at Houston Methodist Hospital, a top 10 cardiology hospital in the country and the top cardiology hospital in Texas. He believes, as I do, that time is the most important thing that we have. He worked on virtual and remote monitoring programs that would make patients' care more time efficient. He feels that he can increase convenience and save a patient from having to lose time from work or family to come see the physician in many cases, for example. This aligns well with the MORE WORKOUT, LESS TIME philosophy of HOTWORX.

Dr. Soliman came to know HOTWORX through one of his patients. He always worked with the patients on efficient workouts. The patient told him that after following his advice to find a fast and effective fitness program, he then began a new fitness routine at HOTWORX. The patient told him, “I did what you talked about. I started a HIIT program, and then, my wife and I wound up buying the HOTWORX franchise.”

This story from his patient is what piqued Dr. Soliman’s interest to look into the franchise as well. Upon researching the brand, he joined his patient as a franchise owner too. Ahmed told me that “after analysis, it looked simple.” One of the foremost priorities of the HOTWORX franchise has always been to keep the operations as simplified as possible.

He saw that HOTWORX gives the best of both worlds, the highest return on investment of time spent during an exercise session. In his words, “a member can get the most of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), while increasing the metabolism using heat as well in an environment that is efficient and to the point.”

As for the benefits of infrared training, Dr. Soliman explained that he liked the ability it provides to increase endurance. He went on to say that it is a great combination between high endurance exercise but using heat for both increasing metabolism and providing a method of easing the strain on muscles as well. This, in of itself, he believes, should be able to provide the members with an ability to keep going with less muscle strain and injury. He talked about the heat as a way to increase the metabolic rate during exercise, and the fact that increased endurance using infrared workouts can promote primary and secondary prevention.

The takeaway is this. HOTWORX provides a faster, more efficient workout that also promotes recovery and injury prevention!

Dr. Soliman believes in and emphasized the importance of proper hydration prior to the onset of thirst. He told me that if you are thirsty, you are hydrating too late which was very insightful to me. Lastly, it was cool to hear how he loved the use of infrared sauna training as an incredible weight loss tool.

Dr. Soliman now believes, after his exposure to HOTWORX, that this is an excellent tool to improve cardiovascular fitness through the different types of exercise programs and the heat, with an added bonus that it is fun and easy for all ages!

We look forward to the opening of his new studio in Houston.

There are 21 doctors now, and counting, who are franchise owners of HOTWORX…

👊🔥

You may remember from some of my previous blog posts that hormetic stress is a low or moderate level of stress that triggers a reaction in an organism. This moderate stress yields numerous physiological benefits including cellular resilience and enhanced overall cellular health, improved stress tolerance, enhanced immune function, and increased longevity. The response to mild, managed stress prepares the body to defend against and better cope with greater forms of stress.

A person who wants to achieve higher levels of fitness can use an infrared sauna to better condition themselves to manage other forms of daily stress.

When the body experiences hormetic stress, such as exposure to infrared sauna heat, it triggers a cascade of adaptive responses to protect and repair cellular components. One of the primary responses is the induction of heat shock proteins.

Infrared saunas trigger the body to generate heat shock proteins (HSPs) as a response to the heat stress induced by a sauna session. HSPs are a group of proteins that play a crucial role in cellular protection and repair mechanisms. They are produced by cells in response to various stressors such as heat.

When the body is exposed to the temperatures in an infrared sauna, it experiences a form of controlled stress. This heat stress kicks off a series of physiological responses, one of which is the activation of heat shock factor 1 (HSF1). HSF1 is a transcription factor that regulates the expression of heat shock proteins.

Under normal conditions, HSF1 remains in an inactive state within the cell. However, when exposed to heat stress, HSF1 becomes activated and moves into the nucleus of the cell. In the nucleus, it binds to specific DNA sequences known as heat shock elements (HSEs) located in the promoter regions of heat shock protein genes.

Once HSF1 binds to the HSEs, it initiates the transcription process, leading to the synthesis of heat shock proteins. These proteins act as molecular “chaperones”, assisting in the correct folding of other proteins, preventing protein aggregation, and facilitating the degradation of damaged proteins. Through their chaperone activity, heat shock proteins play a vital role in cellular repair, enhancing the stability and functionality of cellular components. They also assist in reducing oxidative stress, modulating inflammation, and supporting cellular survival.

Heat shock proteins are crucial for cellular protection and repair because they help cells adapt and cope with stressful conditions. They assist in stabilizing cellular proteins, preventing protein denaturation, and maintaining proper cellular function. “Protein denaturation is the net effect of alterations in the biological, chemical, and physical properties of the protein by mild disruption of its structure.” (1)

Heat shock proteins also play a role in reducing inflammation, promoting cellular survival, and enhancing the immune response. Increased levels of HSPs have been associated with improved cellular resilience, enhanced recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage, reduced oxidative stress, and potential anti-aging effects.

The production of heat shock proteins serves as a protective mechanism against the harmful effects of stress.. As molecular chaperones, HSPs help to maintain protein homeostasis, facilitate proper protein folding, prevent protein aggregation, and promote the degradation of damaged proteins.

So, in a twist of irony, the mild stress of hormesis is necessary to prevent more harmful stress. No pain, no gain will always be the order of the day in fitness. It’s important to never forget that no matter how good a fitness tool might be, the work still has to be done to get the results, and that will always require a certain amount of managed discomfort.

HSPs generated from infrared sauna workouts are an example of good stress used to manage bad stress.

The specific mechanisms and effects of heat shock proteins are still an active area of research, and further studies are needed to fully understand their role in human health. However, the production of heat shock proteins is a well-documented response to heat stress, and their potential benefits make infrared saunas an attractive option for individuals seeking recovery, and potential therapeutic effects.

👊🔥

(1) https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/protein-denaturation#:~:text=Protein%20denaturation%20is%20the%20net,mild%20disruption%20of%20its%20structure.

Infrared energy, specifically in the form of infrared light, interacts with cells in the body through a process known as resonant absorption. Resonant absorption occurs when the frequency of the incoming energy interacts with the resonant frequency of the target molecule or cellular structure…a vibrational match, if you will.

In the case of infrared light, it primarily interacts with water molecules within the body. Water molecules have certain vibrational modes, and different frequencies of infrared light can excite these vibrations. The vibrational energy of the infrared light is transferred to the water molecules, causing them to vibrate during infrared workouts.

These vibrational movements of water molecules can then propagate to neighboring molecules and structures, including cells. The energy transfer from the vibrating water molecules to the cellular components is thought to occur through various mechanisms, including direct physical contact and energy transfer through hydrogen bonds.

“Upon irradiation with infrared light, certain bonds respond by vibrating faster.” (1) This resonant dance of infrared energy absorption ignites the metabolic processes.

Once the energy is transferred to the cells, it can have several effects on their behavior and function. For example, as stated, the vibrational energy stimulates metabolic processes within the cells, but also enhances cellular communication, and influences various cellular signaling pathways.

It's important to note that the exact mechanisms and effects of infrared energy on cells are still an area of ongoing research, and our understanding of these processes continues to evolve. The interaction between infrared energy and cells is complex and involves multiple factors, including the wavelength, intensity, duration of exposure, and the specific characteristics of the targeted tissues.

Overall, the vibrational energy of infrared light is believed to play a role in cellular activation, metabolism, and various physiological responses. This is realized during infrared sauna workouts. Without a doubt, the customer validation of the positive effects from infrared training is incredibly high. A mere glance at the reviews online of the HOTWORX 3D Training Method provides the evidence. Hundreds of thousands of people are getting massive results! Welcome to the good vibes of training in an infrared sauna.

Let’s dive a little deeper…

Infrared saunas utilize infrared light to generate heat, which penetrates the body's tissues and induces various physiological responses. The vibrational aspect of infrared light refers to its ability to interact with and stimulate the cells in the body. Infrared energy creates a vibe that resonates with the cells in your body. While the exact mechanisms are still being studied, there are several benefits associated with the vibrational effects of infrared light during infrared sauna training:

Cellular activation and metabolism: Infrared light's vibrational energy can stimulate cellular activity and metabolism. This stimulation enhances the functioning of mitochondria, the cellular powerhouses responsible for producing energy. Improved mitochondrial function can support overall cellular health and contribute to various physiological processes.

Detoxification: Sweating is a natural way for the body to eliminate toxins. Infrared sauna training, by inducing deep sweating, can aid in the detoxification process. The vibrational effects of infrared light are thought to help mobilize toxins stored in the body's tissues, allowing them to be released through sweating. Studies have shown that sweat induced by an infrared sauna contains 7X the toxic substances compared to that of traditional sweating.

Tissue repair and regeneration: The vibrational energy of infrared light promotes tissue repair and regeneration. And, it may stimulate collagen production, which is essential for maintaining the structural integrity of tissues, including skin, joints, and blood vessels. Enhanced tissue repair can contribute to overall health, workout recovery, and recovery from injuries in general.

Pain relief and inflammation reduction: Infrared light has been studied for its potential analgesic (pain-relieving) and anti-inflammatory effects. The vibrational energy of infrared light can help modulate pain receptors and reduce inflammation, providing relief for conditions such as muscle soreness, joint pain, and certain inflammatory disorders.

Improved circulation: The vibrational effects of infrared light can increase blood flow and promote vasodilation, which is the widening of blood vessels. This enhanced circulation can improve the delivery of oxygen, nutrients, and immune cells to various tissues, supporting their health and function.

When it comes to your fitness regime, maybe it’s time to consider an infrared program like that of HOTWORX.

Bring on the good vibes!

👊🔥

(1)  https://personal.utdallas.edu/~scortes/ochem/OChem_Lab1/recit_notes/ir_presentation.pdf

Fitness, like everything else, is evolving, and people are gravitating towards routines that are more effective in less time. I remember when the thing to do was hit the weight room and then head to a treadmill for cardio followed by a session in the sauna. Many people are still doing it that way, but there is a faster and more effective method to train and recover nowadays.

Welcome to infrared training…

When you combine an infrared energized workout environment with the heat that is generated and the right type of exercise, you can take your workouts to another level. The HOTWORX franchise has popularized the use of its patented infrared workout sauna to deliver infrared training results for customers all across the country.

Let’s break it down. Take the HOTWORX Hot Bands workout for example. This all bands, full body workout is done in 30 minutes total including the warmup. The workout gets it all done fast. With the use of bands, it combines the resistance training equivalent to weights and the cardio training is an incredible byproduct inside of the infrared workout sauna. Hot Bands is superior for results compared to that of weight training followed by treadmill.

And then there is an added benefit. When you combine infrared energy with heat you get 7X more detox from the sweating. This effect greatly enhances the workout recovery process while cleansing the body from the inside out.

Hot Bands yields better results in 30 minutes than a 45 minute weight training workout followed by 30 minutes on a treadmill and then a 20 minute sauna session. That’s 95 minutes! If you can get better results in 30 minutes, then why not just combine all three into a modern workout that saves you time and gets you more?! The old way is a waste of 65 minutes, which is more than an hour of your day!

TIME is the most valuable commodity we have. How we use it during our lifespan determines the quality of how we live. The “fitness time” of our life should be fun, interesting, effective and fast.

👊🔥

Most boutique fitness studios offer only one workout type, or maybe a few versions of let’s say yoga, or Pilates, or Barre. The problem with this approach is that there is little or no opportunity to practice cross-training. Cross-training is one of the most important aspects of a functional training routine and is a must if you are looking to improve your overall fitness. Cross-training by using multiple different workout types and workout categories will yield the best overall fitness results for strength, muscle tone, flexibility and cardio. Practicing multiple workout types will cross-condition your body to prepare you to perform everyday tasks with a much higher quality of movement.

As a snow skier and mountain climber, I look for opportunities to prepare my body for the infinite ways that gravity and body angles can effect movement on a mountain. This requires cross-training. If it can work for mountain climbing, then it can work for better performance of any activity.

An effective cross-training workout program should include isometric workouts, HIIT workouts and weight training or other forms of resistance training such as bands and suspension straps.

Think ISOMETRICS + HIIT + RESISTANCE training.

Cross-training is a vital aspect of fitness that involves varying your training sessions by incorporating different types of workouts and training modalities. Cross-training is beneficial for several reasons including:

• Reduced risk of injury: By incorporating different exercises and movements, cross-training helps prevent overuse injuries that can occur from performing only one workout type, such as  only doing yoga or weight training alone over and over.
• Improved overall fitness: Cross-training helps develop a broader range of fitness abilities, including strength, endurance, flexibility, and coordination.
• Enhanced performance: With incorporating a variety of training modalities, you can improve your performance in your primary sport or activity.
• Greater enjoyment: Cross-training can help prevent boredom and keep your workouts fresh and exciting.

***It is important to note that you have to vary your workout type but with NO variance in the consistency of the workout type! Think cross-training with very strict workout types.

Overall, cross-training is an essential component of a well-rounded fitness program, and it can benefit individuals of all fitness levels and goals. To sum it up, with cross-training you can reduce your risk of injury, improve your overall fitness, enhance your performance, and enjoy your workouts more when you do it right.

Most gyms that offer all three of the workout categories mentioned above (isometric sessions, HIIT sessions, and weight rooms) are larger, intimidating big box facilities. Enter the HOTWORX franchise to the marketplace. HOTWORX 24 Hour Infrared Fitness Studios are typically 2000 square feet of boutique space. However, thanks to its concept, the brand has figured out a way to offer 3 HIIT workout types, 10+ isometric workout types, and an area for resistance training as well, all under one boutique roof with tremendous workout capacity so that you can cross-train until your heart is content.

The typical 10 sauna HOTWORX location offers over 1600 individual workout slots for isometrics and HIIT each day with even more capacity for workouts in the functional training area. This represents an incredible opportunity for people to practice cross-training with the advantage of a more intimate, less intimidating boutique fitness environment, and no waiting for a session or penalty for missing a time!

It’s important to find a gym that accommodates cross-training. And if you want that capacity with your gym along with the intimacy of a boutique environment, then you should check out HOTWORX.

👊🔥

I received a message from a HOTWORX customer recently on Instagram requesting advice on how to properly hydrate and how to use creatine as a supplement. I was happy to respond to her with a few suggestions. After my message to her she responded with a delightful statement:

“I go to the Owasso location! It’s been great!! I …Thank you so much for responding! Hotworx has been amazing for me. Working out isn’t a chore anymore😊”

Her last sentence stood out in my mind as one of the reasons as to why the 3D Training Method of HOTWORX has become so popular across the country, and now in other countries. The workouts are fast, effective, and fun…not a chore.

The combination of unique 30 minute isometric workouts and 15 minute HIIT sessions performed in an infrared sauna provides fast results with zero impact to the joints! Obviously, the work has to be done with respect to the postures and intervals, but the quality of the virtual workouts make the sessions fun and is perceived as less of a “chore”.

The HOTWORX motto is MORE WORKOUT, LESS TIME and that is exactly what customers experience. The sessions are led by exceptional virtual fitness instructors who deliver the goods to customers served up by technology on a reliable and consistent basis.

Customers get the results they are looking for, and many of them then go on to become franchise owners themselves. In fact, about 70-80% of all of the franchise owners of HOTWORX started out as a member of a location first. I hear it every week during our Orientation Day for new franchisees how they came into a location and after one workout they were hooked. Their passion for the HOTWORX workouts inspired them to pursue a goal of becoming a franchisee.

A workout will always require the effort to reap the results, but one that’s not perceived as a chore will always be more desirable, but, the workout has to deliver the results and save customers time to keep them coming back! And, if it’s not a chore, well that’s an added bonus!

MORE WORKOUT, LESS TIME 👊🔥

We were honored to have Dr. Rhonda Patrick as a guest speaker for the HOTWORX franchise convention last year. Dr. Patrick is one of the world’s foremost authorities with respect to the topic of hormesis. My first knowledge of hormesis was through her writings.

Hormesis deals with the notion that sets, or bursts of certain types of stressors can trigger cellular activities that promote health and that can have an anti-aging effect. These hermetic stressors can have a sort-of pruning effect that creates resilience to increasing levels of future stress for a human body. Hormesis is the scientific application of an old saying in fitness, “no pain, no gain.” Or, if you prefer, “there is no progress inside the comfort zone!” One sure way to gain a better understanding of yourself is to learn how to manage stressors, and to use them to your advantage rather than trying to avoid them.

A well designed fitness program can use various stressors to promote hormesis. Examples of this would be training in a fasted state, or training in an infrared workout environment like that of the patented HOTWORX workout sauna.

Training in a fasted state is a stressor that can yield tremendous fat burning results. Imagine even more results that happen when you train in a fasted state combined with an environment of heat and infrared energy. Think about igniting the cellular activity that will be firing up like never before to give the greatest workout results of your life!

We call the combination of heat, infrared energy and exercise 3D Training. There is a 4th element that can be added as another hermetic stressor and that is the practice of training in a fasted state. The best time to train fasted is in the morning at the tail end of your intermittent daily fast. This is when your body has burned up all of the carbs and begins to burn fat for fuel. Remember the 8/16 intermittent fasting ratio? It simply means that you should eat for only 8 hours and then fast for 16 each day, The way I like to do it is to stop eating around 7-8pm and begin my next meal the following day at noon. Prior to my first meal there will be a weight training workout and an infrared workout, usually Hot Cycle right after the weights. It works very well when you are trying to burn fat, gain muscle tone and build strength. And, it works especially well for fat burning!

The higher metabolic performance from the combination of hermetic stressors, especially when practiced during a fasted workout just might be a fitness game changer for you.

👊🔥

In my travels to different HOTWORX locations for book signings I have the pleasure to meet customers from all walks of life, and there is one comment that I continually hear at all locations. Customers rave about the improvement in their skin tone as a result of the exposure to infrared while they train. I hear about how much better their skin looks and feels, and how they are able to achieve a beautiful skin glow.

Everyone wants to glow. Think about the times you’ve heard a comment something like this, “At her wedding she was glowing with happiness!” A beautiful skin glow is a reflection of happiness inside. How you look and how you feel are interrelated.

Sunlight is always associated with happiness, and contrary to mainstream belief, some of the wavelengths of sunlight are actually good for your skin. Infrared, with wavelengths of 780 nm to 1 mm, when absorbed by the skin brings benefits along with it.

As explained by one dermatology website, “The right intensity of infrared light, which is determined by its wavelength and duration, may actually have a healing effect by increasing the cell renewal process and stimulating anti-inflammatory cytokines [cytokines are signaling proteins that help to control inflammation]. Optimal wavelengths of infrared light may also have an anti-aging effect on the skin by stimulating collagen.” (1)

HOTWORX, the first 24 hour infrared fitness studio franchise, provides infrared (IR) workouts by utilizing a mix of 95% far-infrared and 5% mid-range infrared. This makes for the right IR level of intensity. Far-infrared consists of a longer wavelength of non-ionizing radiation with lower intensity than near-infrared and its shorter wavelength. Near infrared is closer to the visible area of the light spectrum.

Increased circulation from IR sauna exposure can enhance the level of nutrients that are provided to skin cells. With increased blood flow the result is the appearance of a healthy glow to the skin. With increased blood flow to the skin cells there is an increase of oxygenation. More oxygen to skin cells can provide increased moisturization and a decrease in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Increasing oxygen also improves the synthesis and stabilization of collagen which is the most abundant protein present in animals. (2) Collagen is known to be on of the most important proteins for skin, hair and nails. Studies have shown that increased collagen synthesis reduces wrinkles and improves skin hydration and elasticity. (3)

Maybe it’s time to get your glow on with an infrared training program!

👊🔥

^{(1) https://derm.net/2019/01/is-infrared-good-or-bad-for-your-skin/}

^{(2) https://journals.lww.com/spinejournalabstracts/Fulltext/2011/10001/GOOD_COLLAGEN__BAD_COLLAGEN__IT_S_ALL_ABOUT_THE.29.aspx}

^{(3) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33742704/}

The fitness “trifecta” will always be the simultaneous goals of shedding excess body weight, firming and strengthening the muscles and, of course, ridding the body of unhealthy substances, aka detox. The most effective means to accomplishment this trifecta goal is to workout in an infrared environment. Infrared workouts provide fast and effective results for any person at any level of fitness. Let’s break it down.

Trim Down

Most fitness clients seek to lose weight to one degree or another. The power of infrared energy and heat to promote fat oxidation is something to consider. Also, the massive calorie burn associated with infrared training cannot be denied. The simple weight loss equation is to burn more calories than you take into your body every day until your weight is where you want it to be. From that point it will be easier to maintain a more lean you with the practice of infrared training.

Tone Up

Exposure to infrared heat causes your body to generate heat shock proteins, which can accelerate strength and muscle gains. Additionally, infrared can promote the production of GH (growth hormone) naturally by the body. The production of both heat shock proteins and GH is a good combination to get your body tone from the muscle increase.

Detox

Our bodies are bombarded with toxic substances on a daily basis. The toxins and toxicants can destroy our health if they are allowed to accumulate within the body over time. The air we breathe is polluted, the water and beverages we drink are full of bad things. What we touch with our skin can also allow toxins to enter our body. The responsible thing to do is to practice detox. An infrared workout can help. Infrared induced sweating is one way to assist with detox. Infrared sweat contains seven times more toxic waste than that of sweat from a traditional sauna.

If you want fast weight loss, more muscle and less toxicity, then now is the time to consider an infrared workout program.

👊🔥

Last week HOT EXERCISE reached #7 on the Amazon Best Seller list for the Business Franchise category. The book consists of a compilation of the latest research on infrared therapy and applies the findings to educate readers on exactly what the subtitle indicates…”The Bold New Infrared Fitness Frontier.”

It’s no secret that exposure to infrared is good for your body and good for your mind. When you walk outside on a sunny day and feel the warmth you are exposed to the invisible, heat generating waves of infrared sunlight. I’m actually writing this blog today sitting in a chair on top of a ski mountain in Aspen, CO and the infrared warmth from the sun feels amazing. What if that type of heat could be bottled up, so-to-speak, and then released inside of a sauna made for exercise? Turns out, it can.

HOTWORX provides infrared sauna workouts for customers on a 24 hour basis. And, not just hot yoga. The company’s franchise locations provide 12+ workouts that go “Beyond Hot Yoga” with multiple isometric workout types and three different types of HIIT workouts in an environment infused with infrared.

I wrote the book HOT EXERCISE to explain “HOTWORX and the Bold New Infrared Fitness Frontier”. Infrared exposure provides an incredible array of health benefits, so it just makes sense to combine your workout with an infrared sauna session. This combination of heat, infrared energy and exercise is now known as 3D Training and is the fundamental aspect of the HOTWORX Training Method which also promotes its version of consistency and cross-training.

The book provides an education in plain English for the anyone who wants to gain an understanding of infrared applied to fitness. It comes in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audible version on Amazon. It is also available on the shelf at your local HOTWORX 24 Hour Infrared Fitness Studio.

The book is required reading for all HOTWORX team members and it is a recommended book for all HOTWORX members and anyone who wants to learn more about the future of fitness.

Infrared workouts can greatly expand the benefits of exercise and can reduce the amount of time that is needed for a desired level of calorie burn and recovery. Get your copy today and join the movement towards MORE WORKOUT, LESS TIME!

👊🔥

Snow skiing and workouts performed in an infrared sauna each require you to step outside of your comfort zone, one for cold and one for heat. Both forms of exercise generate massive calorie burns for each session, much more than traditional exercise in an air-conditioned gym. So, why not practice exercise in an environment that yields greater results in a shorter amount of time? If you can’t ski, then find your local HOTWORX and accelerate your fitness inside of an infrared sauna for a workout.

HOTWORX, the 24 hour infrared fitness studio franchise, popularized training inside of an infrared sauna with its virtually instructed isometric and HIIT workouts.

As an avid snow skier and infrared fitness enthusiast, I can tell you that those two forms of exercise are exciting and fun. Both workouts burn incredible numbers of calories in a short time while greatly enhancing your metabolism. They benefit from the environment that is required for their practice. One is radiant hot and the other restricts oxygen in the cold. These workouts force the body to adapt to surroundings that are not “normal” i.e., in the freezing cold on a mountain and/or practicing yoga or cycling inside of an infrared sauna at 125ºF. These types of training environments trigger an adaptive response of cells and organisms known as hormesis. Hormetic stress conditions the body to withstand greater levels of stress which will make you stronger physically and mentally.

Another thing that an infrared sauna and a ski mountain have in common is related to the all important mind/body connection. When I submit to these extreme environments, I find that I am able to free my mind of any clutter that might block my focus as I make a mental connection to the movements of my body. Infrared heat is especially conducive to creating a positive state of mind.

I know this. When I exercise in the heat, especially infrared heat, or ski in the cold, I get incredible fitness results fast. The HOTWORX mantra is MORE WORKOUT, LESS TIME. Find yourself a workout that uses the training environment as a fitness tool too.

👊🔥

The moment you walk into an infrared sauna to do a workout your metabolism begins to go faster. You immediately begin to burn calories at an accelerated pace because your body’s core is heating up. The higher temperature accelerates your metabolism. As your body’s core temperature rises your metabolism speeds up by 10-13 percent for every increase of 1.8°F.

When you exercise in the heat, especially infrared heat, your body will get to the fat burning process sooner. For fat loss, and weight loss, the main component of body fat, triglycerides, needs to be burned up through the process of oxidation. Oxidation occurs when fatty acids are broken down into molecules of acetyl coenzyme A (CoA) and used for energy. This process occurs in the mitochondria of your cells. CoA is an important molecule for many biochemical reactions. It forms as an intermediary in the oxidation of fats in metabolism. In my book, HOT EXERCISE, I provide the following explanation:

Fat breaks down and becomes water-soluble particles at approximately 100.5°F. When fats are broken down into particles, they are more easily flushed by exercise postures, forcing them out of the body through bodily functions, including infrared-induced sweating and through the liver, kidneys, bowels, and lungs.

Infrared exposure, therefore, causes your metabolism to speed up as the waves of energy interact with the cells in your body. This is important, considering that impaired metabolism is associated with obesity. Low-level inflammation is also a contributor to obesity. Compare this fat-burn effect to the melting of candle wax. In the candle-making process, the wax must be heated to its melting point, which is in the 115–120°F range for most types of wax. Fat breaks down as well when your body is heated. (1)

The most difficult part of fitness is to begin a regime and to see results. People who don’t workout have a lower cellular transport and lower fat oxidation ability. So, if your not in a fitness routine, get it going now. Take the first step and make consistency and a commitment a habit to keep you going.

Once you get to the results that you can see in the mirror, then you will be well on your way to becoming a trained person. Keep going to get to this workout state because the truth is, trained people are able to burn fat more efficiently! This is mainly due to their ability to process oxygen in greater quantities. You have to condition your respiratory capacity. It is easier to maintain a low fat state once you get there.

With an infrared training program results are accelerated due to the heat and the infrared energy that are added to the workout environment. The HOTWORX patented infrared workout sauna can help you get to a trained state faster than working out in an air-conditioned gym, hands down!

Accelerate your fat burning with infrared workouts. Do it now!
👊🔥

(1) https://www.hotworx.net/hot-exercise

Did you know that cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in high-income countries like the United States? Infrared training can help to improve this statistic.

Evidence continues to mount suggesting that exposure to far-infrared contributes to the improvement of the health of people who suffer from cardiovascular disease. What about far-infrared as therapy for prevention of heart disease? And by-the-way, there should be more focus on prevention of disease!

Far-infrared sauna exposure reduces inflammation and improves blood circulation which results in reduced blood pressure. Infrared heat prompts the production of nitric oxide which causes vasodilation and an improvement in the rate of left ventricle ejection from the heart. The amount of oxygenated blood that is pumped out of the left ventricle is important for circulating blood to where it is needed throughout the body. A normal resting left ventricle ejection rate is 50-70% of the blood in the heart with each beat. If this rate improves, then more oxygenated blood gets delivered to where is has to go to keep the body energized and nourished.

According to one doctor who practices holistic cardiology for treatment:

“Patients have found improvement of their congestive heart failure symptoms by taking infrared sauna sessions 3-5 times a week. This type of sauna can also dramatically improve systolic blood pressure just after a 15-30 min session.” (1)

As reported by hightechhealth.com for prevention:

Far infrared therapy, such as in an infrared sauna, has been found in many studies to benefit vascular endothelial function [regulates the flow of cells and substances to from blood to tissues], lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and improve markers of heart disease.  In fact, long term regular sauna use has been correlated with an up to 50% lower incidence of death from heart disease compared with non-sauna users! 

Study after study concludes that regular, long term far-infrared sauna usage reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

According to one study published in JAMA, the purpose of their research was to investigate the frequency and duration of sauna bathing with the risk of sudden cardiac disease (SCD), fatal coronary heart disease (CHD), fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD), and all cause mortality. The study concluded as follows:

Increased frequency of sauna bathing is associated with a reduced risk of SCD, CHD, CVD, and all-cause mortality. Further studies are warranted to establish the potential mechanism that links sauna bathing and cardiovascular health. (2)

The HOTWORX workout saunas emit 95% far-infrared during each training session to provide IR therapy during workouts. So, think about the combination of exercise during a sauna session. The fusion of the two will save yourself time and allow you to experience far-infrared while you are working out. The benefits are numerous and the workouts are almost addictive creating a positive habit to increase the quality of life and to extend life itself! This is all done with no adverse effects.

One article in the National Center for Biotechnology Information came to this conclusion:

FIR therapy may be closely related to the increased expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase as well as nitric oxide production and may modulate the profiles of some circulating miRNAs; thus, it may be a beneficial complement to treatments for some chronic diseases that yields no adverse effects. (3)

The science tells us that we should have a regular practice of sauna bathing. We also know that exercise is vital for disease prevention, mental and physical strength and a better quality of life. This is why HOTWORX combines the two to give customers more for their workouts in less time. There is no need to workout then go to the sauna. Combine the two if time is important to you and if you are concerned about good cardio conditioning.

I tell people that a HOTWORX workout is the best cardio workout that you never know you are getting. This is because of the variety of workouts available and the quality of the workout experience when following the virtual instructors. You become so focused and engaged with the postures or with the HIIT intervals, and then workout is done. During this great workout your heart rate gets to the right level fast providing you with an incredible cardio session on your way to the best cardio conditioning you will ever get from a workout routine!

👊🔥

(1) https://drcynthia.com/infrared-sauna/

(2) https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2130724

(3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4935255/

Infrared light, especially Far Infrared (FIR) is the best light wavelength for training. Why is this true?

FIR absorbs more deeply into the skin (more so than medium or near infrared), and (1) ignites the metabolism while (2) soothing muscle tension and preventing pain. Now, let’s break those two benefits down.

FIR and Metabolism

Far Infrared light, when absorbed into the skin, triggers mitochondria in the cells to accelerate energy production through the energy molecule ATP. ATP transports chemical energy within the cells providing a vital function of metabolism.

An infrared sauna is far superior to a traditional convection heat sauna because of the additional non-thermal effects, or results that can only be obtained from energy present in an infrared sauna as opposed to a traditional sauna. There is an additional element beyond heat associated with an infrared sauna experience. This “beyond thermal” effect is why HOTWORX named its training process the 3D Training Method. Infrared energy is the 3rd dimension. There’s traditional hot yoga, then there is yoga in an infrared sauna. The latter is more beneficial due to the infrared energy infused workout.

One study has shown that FIR increases ATP production. As reported by biomedcentral.com, FIR light enhances the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (adding phosphate group to an organic molecule) pathway to increase ATP production. The study concluded a previously unappreciated function of FIR which was that it may just be the mechanism to improve cognitive dysfunction and suggests that FIR treatments could be an effective therapeutic strategy for Alzheimers Disease. (1)

Mitochondria are vital to the production of energy. As an organelle (structure within a cell that has its own membrane) they are found in large numbers in most cells. Mitochondria serve the biological process of respiration and production of energy. They are found in large numbers in the heart, the brain, the liver and muscles. They transform glucose and fatty acids to synthesize ATP creating energy for the cells. Exposure to FIR can enhance this process.

FIR improves mitochondrial biogenisis! Healthy synthesis of substances within the mitochondria is essential to the metabolic process.

When the mitochondria are dysfunctional it can lead to energy consuming conditions like aging and cardiovascular disease along with cancer and other degenerative diseases. Type 2 diabetes is also associated with weakened mitochondrial ATP levels.

FIR and Muscle Recovery

Workout recovery begins to happen immediately when the body is exposed to FIR rays. Far infrared has effects on atoms and molecular structures within cells due to the radiation and vibration frequencies. 

Studies have shown that FIR radiation produces results from heat, but that there are also non-thermal effects. These non-thermal effects are from the radiation and vibrational qualities of infrared light. They provide for increased artery blood flow and peripheral blood flow. They help to improve endothelial (cells that make up the lining of blood vessels) function involving the opening and closing of arteries and the control of fluids and electrolytes in the blood. FIR alleviates fatigue, lowers blood pressure and promotes vasodilation, all of which enhances muscle recovery.

In my research for this week’s blog article, I came across some information on the treatment of sports fatigue. Of course this is an important consideration for any workout regime. The best way to alleviate sports fatigue is to reduce lactic acid in the body. I am sure that most of you have experienced the extreme burn and pain from an all out set that you have done at the gym. The burning pain is from lactic acid buildup. The goal is to decrease that pain so that you can perform at a higher level.

When you train inside of an infrared sauna you experience less pain and less fatigue. I hear from HOTWORX customers all the time who rave about the reduced workout pain and increased workout energy from infrared workouts. This is because of the infrared causing a reduction in lactic acid buildup during sets and postures.

…the far-infrared energy reaches deep tissues and organs, causing the body to produce a warming effect, dilating blood vessels, accelerating blood flow, and blood Stagnation is reduced, which can reduce lactic acid in the body during exercise and achieve the purpose of alleviating fatigue. (2)

Muscle tension and pain are a result of skeletal muscle fatigue. FIR penetrates the human body to create a warming effect raising the temperature of the skin which then dilates the superficial tissues and capillaries that in turn increases blood circulation resulting in a reduction of lactic acid build up and thereby alleviates sports fatigue.

The bottom line is this. Working out in an infrared sauna makes your metabolism more efficient and it greatly enhances your body’s ability to recover from an intense workout session during the workout session itself! Who wouldn’t want a better metabolism and faster recovery?!

👊🔥

(1) https://jneuroinflammation.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12974-022-02521-y

(2) https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/1790/1/012023/pdf

When HOTWORX introduced 3D Training to the fitness world there was no system for recruiting talent to serve as virtual instructors. Recruitment by referral and scouting at fitness conferences was how it happened. There had to be a better way to find the right talent for the role. The recruitment process should be different in keeping with the unique culture of the HOTWORX brand itself.

As a solution to that problem the company decided to create an international virtual instructor competition, the first and only of its kind. After that decision, in 2018 the first annual HOTWORX VI Competition was launched. With that very first competition, the company saw an immediate elevation of fitness talent for the virtual instructor team. Every year since the inception it has continued to improve with more and more applicants and competitors with higher levels of skill.

The HOTWORX 3D Training Method was created by athletes for fitness, so why not let the fitness athletes compete to serve as its Virtual Instructors? With that in mind, the rounds of competition were well thought out for the first year and have only been tweaked slightly since then. This unique competition is gearing up again as it launches into the 2023-24 season. Here’s how it works.

It begins with an online search for applicants that takes roughly three months. Once the deadline for application process ends, then the corporate team will evaluate each application carefully. It is important to note that those who submit high quality videos really showcasing their fitness specialties and skills are who make it to the next round which is the top 40.

Once the field has been narrowed to the top 40 after the exhaustive analysis of each application, an online voting round begins. This is open to the public for anyone to vote on their favorite. This year HOTWORX will be adding a feature to raise money for a good cause at $1.00 per vote and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Sacred Mountain Retreat Center, a place where healing and respite is provided for wounded veterans, first responders and Gold Star Families. Sacred Mountain is located in the Black Hills near Deadwood, SD.

The winner with the most online votes automatically advances to the finals to be held live at the HOTWORX annual franchise convention that will be held at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in DFW this July. The public will be allowed to vote for multiple competitors as often as they wish during the online round.

Another 14 competitors are selected by a team of HOTWORX Executives to solidify the Top 15, who will then be flown to the Gaylord during the convention where there will be four days of competition and will include an intense interview round, a fitness instruction combine, an outdoor workout round, a photo shoot round, and an intense final two hour round in front of the entire franchise audience for onstage questions while doing five minute planks and other intense postures. This obviously requires major fitness skills and communication skills under pressure of a huge audience and bright lights onstage.

After the onstage finals completes the competitive rounds, the audience is allowed to vote and the results are then factored into the overall judging. And then, at the end, the top seven are selected and brought back to the stage to begin their year as Virtual Instructors for the new season.

This past season was filmed and edited into a half hour reality show made for TV and was aired across the U.S. on local network stations and is now streaming on the HOTWORX website that can be viewed at this link, VI Competition 2022-23.

👊🔥

Cardio exercise increases the level of your heart rate (HR) over a sustained period of time at a consistent level or with intervals of varying HR levels through the use of various body postures, and repetitions, or intervals of movement. Cardio workouts expand your body’s ability to process oxygen which enables more efficient metabolism for muscle growth and fat burn. Let’s explore the origins of this wildly popular form of fitness training practiced everywhere around the globe.

The history of cardio exercise began well before the advent of aerobics or the invention of the treadmill. In the beginning there was running and then came yoga. All exercise was practiced in the elements and was done for survival.

Cardio fitness has always been important, even since pre-historic times when humans had to venture out and run extensively to hunt for food. Primitive man’s need to survive required physical conditioning and cardio performance.

It is believed that the first recorded history of a cardio fitness program dates back to more than 3000 B.C. with the development of yoga. Yoga began in India primarily as a practice of meditation but evolved into many forms including those that developed into sequences of isometric postures.

Early Hatha Yoga with a focus on mental and physical strength dates back to the 11th century. Hindu texts exist from the middle ages that teach Hatha Yoga with instructions on postures, breathing, meditation and tantras which were used to systemize the workouts.

Yoga began in India “naturally” in the heat. Large parts of India consists of tropical and subtropical climates with temperatures routinely exceeding 120º Fahrenheit in the summer. The original hot yoga was indeed experienced in infrared as it was practiced in the outdoors exposed to sunlight and radiant heat from the energy of infrared light. Isometric yoga postures performed in a heated environment causes the heart rate to go up more quickly creating a better workout for the heart.

‍AEROBICS

Any discussion about the history of cardio workouts has to include the advent of aerobics. Dr. Kenneth Cooper, a former Air Force lieutenant colonel from Oklahoma, is credited with the birth of aerobics. He coined the term “aerobics” in 1966 and then his book, Aerobics, was published in 1968. In the book he explained how aerobic exercise could prevent disease. He created a non-profit research organization in 1970 called the Cooper Institute in Dallas, TX dedicated to development of lifelong health and wellness through preventive medicine. Dr. Cooper is known as the Father of Aerobics. I can remember my early days as a gym owner hearing the name Dr. Kenneth Cooper everywhere in the fitness and bodybuilding circles.

Jacki Sorenson, a dancer who created routines based on Dr. Cooper’s knowledge, coined the term “aerobic dance”. From that point, aerobic classes grew steadily in popularity with different fitness personalities who created new routines and different choreography.

Jazzercise came on the scene in the 1970’s developed by Judi Shepherd Missett who also began as a dance instructor who created fitness classes based on dance. Her routines were choreographed without the more difficult technical aspects of proper dance.

In addition to aerobics, a running boom began in the ’70’s inspired in part by the Olympics and propelled by the advent of better running shoes with more cushion to absorb the impact.

STEP AEROBICS

Gin Miller in 1989 invented step aerobics. She was inspired to do so when she used her porch steps to strengthen her knee. Her new aerobic method involved the use of a step as a low impact alternative with a choreographed routine set to music. Her program offered an exciting new alternative to aerobic dance. Eventually Reebok bought her out.

This new form of aerobics blew up so fast it was mind boggling. It grew rapidly because it allowed people to join in at lower levels of fitness, and because it provided a lower risk for injury. It seemed like overnight every gym in America had a step class. Even gyms without access to the actual Reebok steps made their own steps. At my small town gym back then we had wooden boxes made for customers to launch our own step aerobics program. I remember getting a lot of mileage for customers out of those wooden steps in our aerobics room!

The first step class I participated in was at a Gold’s Gym location that I owned in Jackson, MS. It was brutal, just like my first yoga session was years later. My step aerobics instructor, Dawn, who also was a nurse, tried and tried to convince me to take her class and finally one day I did. Man was I humbled by that experience. I should have stuck with it, but it was back to the StairMaster for me.

I suppose I found it difficult to change my cardio mindset as a former competitive bodybuilder. As a bodybuilder, cardio was a vital fat burning component to success onstage. I would use a stationary bike back then set on high resistance for an hour and I would wear full sweats with a towel around my neck to generate heat throughout my body. Heat is an important component to cardio training. Raising the body’s core temperature is necessary to elevate the HR to the desired level during exercise.

WORKOUT VIDEOS

Jane Fonda and the VCR brought aerobics into the living room in the 1980’s. There have been numerous celebrity fitness videos since then. Then came P90X and Insanity that brought more intensity to the living room. Recently, Peloton popularized home cardio workouts connected to live streaming instruction on cardio machines.

MODERN HEATED CARDIO‍

Most people still think of two things when they contemplate a cardio workout, a cardio machine or an aerobic class. That understanding of cardio training is changing rapidly though. The fact is, cardio workouts have evolved well beyond those two things. Yoga is an excellent form of cardio training and is gaining popularity over aerobic dance.

Hot yoga takes cardio to an even higher level. Modern hot yoga began with Bikram in the early 1970’s and eventually evolved into other forms of heated yoga including Vinyasa, and even spilled over into forms of hot Pilates.  

HOTWORX

The HOTWORX franchise began in 2017 and brought with it a wholesale change to the cardio workout landscape. HOTWORX provides an entirely different way to do cardio through the use of virtual instructors and a patented infrared fitness sauna in combination with HIIT and Isometric workouts. HOTWORX added infrared energy to the workout equation. HOTWORX’s app driven 24 hour heated infrared workout studios are using patented workout sauna technology to deliver next level cardio.

HOTWORX Hot Cycle first launched to the world on a Facebook live in 2016. The idea was to provide a fast HIIT workout for lower body work and of course for cardio. Now, millions of hot cycle workouts later, it has become one of the most popular ways to do cardio in the country.

In the summer of 2021 HOTWORX launched a patented new rower to the market, changing the game once again for cardio. Known as the Thunder Row, it is the only fitness rower with independent handles driven by dual water turbines for an incredible workout called Hot Thunder.

👊🔥

Valentines who train together stay together! Train with your valentine and keep your hearts healthy together while you motivate each other. Doing cardio with your better half is an excellent way to stay “heart healthy” physically and emotionally.

It is well documented that working out with someone is more effective than going it alone. Make the effort to invite someone to train with you. Even better, convince your sweetheart to be your training partner. Think about it. You always strive to impress your spouse or whoever you might be dating. This carries over into the gym as well. Probably the highest motivation for your workout is when you’re repping it out with your better half.

As reported by psychologytoday.com, the results of one study revealed:

“Exercising together with a romantic partner was associated with greater positive mood during exercise—beyond the happiness boost that results from the exercise itself—and it correlated with higher positive mood (but not reduced negative mood) during the day. Lastly, it was related to greater relationship satisfaction.” (1)

Consider training with your partner inside of an infrared sauna. HOTWORX offers fast and effective 30 minute isometrics and 15 minute HIIT workouts inside of a patented workout sauna. This 3D training method combing the exercise with heat and infrared energy is a semi-private session perfect for couples to tone up, torch calories, and get their hearts in shape together.

Training in an infrared sauna is an incredibly effective heart workout. The variety of different workouts available at HOTWORX will keep you and your partner engaged to the point that you won’t even notice the cardio work that you are putting in. It’s the best heart workout you never know you are getting! It’s modern, fast, and way more fun than grudging away on a treadmill in a traditional air-conditioned gym.

The heat will get your heart rate to the desired 70-90% of your heart rate max quickly and from there you and your partner go at your own best pace to maintain that level, and before you know it your training session is done. More heart work in less time!

Be heart healthy with your valentine this year!

👊🔥

(1) https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/finding-new-home/202111/why-couples-should-work-out-together?amp

I have tried so many different brands and formulas when it comes to an electrolyte and/or branched chain amino supplement, but, I have to say that the HOTWORX formula is by far the best. We call it a “During and After” WORKOUT supplement because it is exactly what your body is craving during your workouts and right after your workouts.

Water is not enough.

Yes, you have to hydrate well with water, but you need to replace electrolytes and supply aminos to your body for recovery and for muscle building. After mixing this powder with your workout water you get way more for your body when you hydrate. It’s a 2 for 1 to energize you and repair you during your workout. And, when you combine the boosted hydration with an infrared workout, you will discover what a recovery workout really is. Workout recovery begins when you workout, not just after the workout!

When you add the During and After powder to your water bottle, this is what happens. The water increases the oxygen level that your body needs, the branched chain aminos repair and build your muscles, and the electrolytes help to retain the fluids to keep joints lubricated and keep the body balanced and hydrated while keeping energy levels high. Electrolytes are also needed for neural activity and muscle contraction while the aminos promote metabolism functions.

More on aminos…

“Amino acids help enhance metabolism which promotes cell proliferation and improve exercise performance as well as functional recovery during exercise. Also, they help perform better by contributing as the energy source and reducing the accumulation of 5-HT (serotonin), the central fatigue substance.” (1)

Whether I’m training in the sauna or climbing a mountain, I get an immediate and noticeable boost in workout performance after supplementing my water with the During and After WORKOUT powder. I call it “magic” because the effects are immediate in terms of an energy boost. And, there is a feeling of satisfaction as it flows throughout my system when I drink it. The powder is giving my body exactly what it needs at the moment it needs it.

👊🔥

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4241904/

I can’t think of a better way to put a fitness level to the test than climbing a mountain. Different mountains present different challenges. This year the field of play would be a mountain high in the Andes of Argentina.

Last week the HOTWORX Hiking Team including myself-CEO, Victoria Price-Director of Project Management, Amanda Gianelloni-Marketing Director, and Jeremy Harwell, my training partner, the original GM of HOTWORX and now one of our Franchise Performance Coaches, ascended the iconic Mt. Aconcagua in the Mendoza region of Argentina. Aconcagua is the tallest mountain in the western hemisphere, highest in the Andes and the second tallest of the 7 Summits. This climb was a beast and the mountain was incredibly volatile and challenging in many ways including obstacles that we had not prepared for.

Sacred Mountain Retreat Center provided the inspiration for this climb. The work that they do in providing therapy and support for injured Veterans, First Responders, & Gold Star families is life changing for those who have been through the program. Sacred Mountain is “a catalyst for positive change in the lives of these heroes.” SMRC helps to “eliminate the noise of everyday life and encourage healing through exposure to nature, alternative healing methods, and open communication with our brothers and sisters in arms.”

Months prior to the climb, we used an oxygen restriction mask to simulate high altitude breathing. This was helpful, but what we did not know until we got to the mountain is the oxygen pressure on Aconcagua is 7% compared to 30% on Everest. What that means is that the pressure on Aconcagua is over 4X less favorable than that of even Everest. The result of that environment is headaches to the point of being unbearable at times the higher up you go. Lack of oxygen, and disorientation from unusual oxygen pressures diminishes the body’s ability to perform, or to do work. My blood oxygen at sea level is usually around 98% in the extreme altitudes of Aconcagua it was in the low 70’s.

Oxygen conditions vary from mountain to mountain due to latitude and other factors. This quote from 8kpeak.com helps to clarify:

“Of the three main necessities of life (air, water, and food), oxygen is the most critical. It is air pressure, not air density, that forces air into the lungs and allows it to assimilate into the blood stream. So from a mountaineer's perspective, we will focus on what has been termed "Pressure Altitude" as opposed to "Physical Altitude.” (1)

Aside from the oxygen obstacle, there were many other twists and turns, literally, to contend with on Aconcagua. The first two days of the climb reminded me of Kilimanjaro with favorable weather and somewhat easy terrain, but when we got to base camp on day 2, that’s where the favorable terrain stopped. We wound up stalled at base camp for 4 days waiting on the weather at the upper camps to clear and to try and time our window for the summit day. This did give us a pause to acclimatize our bodies at 14,000 ft., and prepare our minds for the 9,000  ft. vertical to come.

And with that vertical, the push to the limit would ensue and all of the fitness variables for cardio, endurance, muscle strength, balance, durability, pliability, flexibility, and mental toughness would be tested.

All of the fitness factors are brought to bear on a massive, unpredictable mountain like Aconcagua.

In addition to the oxygen pressure variable, there are terrain variables with ice, snow, falling rocks, and loose gravel known as scree. Then there is the wind, and the temperature. The mountain weather can quickly turn from a blinding sun to a snowstorm and gale force winds.

The most dangerous factor during the climb, though was sleep, or the lack thereof actually. We did not anticipate extreme exhaustion from lack of sleep. We knew it would be hard to sleep well, but had no idea of the compounding effect of no sleep over a period of two weeks with a summit day, the most difficult day at the very end.

Everything is a HIIT workout when performed at extreme altitude on Aconcagua from rolling out the sleeping bag, to getting up to pee, your heart rate is going up with everything you do! My son is a really good wrestler who has won two state championships in Louisiana. Climbing Aconcagua reminds me of the wrestling quote on some of Landon’s t-shirts. The iconic Dan Gable quote is, “Once you've wrestled, everything else in life is easy.” I think that quote works well for climbing Aconcagua too. After Aconcagua, everything else in life must be easy, right?

The two days of approach climbing from the entrance of the national park to the first camp and then the second day 8.5 hour hike to base camp was accomplished with the same hiking boot that I wore to scale to the summit of Kilimanjaro in ’21. It’s pictured as the smallest boot on the left in the photo. Below you will see the three boots that were necessary for Aconcagua. The middle boot was used for the acclimatization hike at base camp and the big “double” mountaineering boot with crampons (the metal teeth) had to be used for the ascent from base camp to the peak and back to base camp. As you can tell by the boots, Aconcagua is quite a step up from Kilimanjaro from an equipment standpoint.

Those double boots and crampons added quite a bit a weight to each step. More weight of course means more energy expended for each step as an added fitness challenge.

I noticed at base camp, as expected, that there were no unfit people on the mountain, which comes as no surprise. Obviously, any excess weight is a drag on performance, so everyone appeared to be in excellent shape.

Each day at base camp our head guide Rolando, or “Rolo” as he is known on the mountain, would update us on the weather conditions at the upper camps and the summit. We finally determined that we should head out after four days at base camp, so that next morning at 11 a.m. we headed to Camp Canada, the next stop on the way up. That hike was more challenging, by far, than the two days of climbing to get to base camp. When we got to Canada the views were absolutely stunning. That night, though, the wind was relentless to the point that I wondered would we have to abort. That next morning I learned from Rolo that those winds were normal for that camp.

The most successful people on the planet have a coach, such as a business coach for a franchisee like that of HOTWORX. A third party teacher and motivator is always a good idea. In our case, on this mountain, we had a guide that has 38 Aconcagua summits under his belt, Rolo, along with his assistant Jose who had 3 successful summits to his credit.

Next up from Camp Canada was Camp Nido with an extreme altitude level of over 18,000 ft. Nido was well outside of our comfort zone. No pain, no gain, right?!. In order to access potential that you never knew you had you have to go somewhere you have never been and/or do something you have never done!

When we got to Nido, we had another weather issue with super high winds so we had to postpone our ascent by another day. At this time the altitude became a factor. It was at Nido where Amanda and Victoria were experiencing Acute Mountain Sickness with migraines that became unbearable for them to continue. From Nido it became necessary for them to descend back to base camp. Jeremy and I would continue to try for the summit.

There at Nido I met a gentleman by the name of Rafah. Rafah is a mountaineer from Russia who has no legs. He climbs with welding gloves and and an ice axe in each hand. He was super positive and had a continual smile on his face. On my next ascent I remember stating his name in my mind through the toughest parts to get to the high camp at near the 20,000 ft. level. When I think of Rafah, I question why any of us with all of our limbs would ever be in a bad mood. And, Rafah scaled from Camp Canada to Nido in four hours which is the same amount of time it took our team. Thank you Rafah for the motivation to keep going!

Next up, after another sleepless night in the tent, Jeremy and I made our ascent to High Camp aka Camp Colera at 19,600 ft., an altitude higher than the summit of Kilimanjaro that we scaled a year earlier. Colera is the final camp before the Aconcagua summit attempt. Upon the final approach to Colera, there was an “L” turn to the left going up over a set of boulders with a fixed cable on our left side that made for a very gnarly welcome to high camp. I will never forget having the thought that this is probably the most dangerous part of any climb that I have ever made on any mountain, and hoping that it wouldn’t be my last! Then suddenly there was Colera. What a relief it was to see the tents of that last camp.

I thought about my new friend Rafah a lot on that climb to the final camp. When the grind got hard I would say his name in my mind to inspire the next step. If Rafah can climb with no legs, I can certainly make the next step.

Summit Ascent…

We spent our final sleepless night on Aconcagua on the evening of the 20th. At 4 a.m. we would put the double hiking boots on one more time and head up to attempt the summit on the 21st. We did indeed begin our summit ascent for what I would estimate to be another 500 feet in elevation in darkness with headlamps on. I can remember going over and over in my head, “go at your best pace, go at your best pace…” The problem was clearly one of endurance. Our endurance was shot as a result of lack of sleep. Of course, neither Jeremy or myself was going to tap out. Rolo finally stopped the ascent and told us that we had to make a decision due to our slowing pace. He was worried about our ability to summit and get back down to camp in a reasonable amount of time. There had been several people rescued by helivac due to frostbite, and this was no doubt weighing on his mind. It was a hard pill to swallow, to get that close to the top and be forced to turn back. It was a gut punch, but it was the right decision at that moment in time. You can see how close we were in the photo below.

What we managed to accomplish, though, was an elevation much higher than before. Kilimanjaro was 19,341 feet. This year we ascended past 20,000 ft., a record for the team. As Tony Robbins would say, the key to happiness is “progress.”

Progress requires stepping outside of your comfort zone mentally, and physically if it is a higher level of fitness that you seek. I think I can speak for the entire hiking team to say that Aconcagua was the most challenging fitness quest of our lives.

The final hike on Aconcagua was the brutal descent all the way back to base camp more than 6,000 vertical feet below. At this point I was dreaming of that base camp known as the Plaza De Mulas. We arrived there at around 1 p.m. just in time for a late lunch. We were done, finally, with our fitness quest in Argentina.

We will  continue our fund raise for the heroes of Sacred Mountain until we surpass our objective in the next few weeks. With our sponsors and with the corporate match we should surpass our goal of over $46,000 very soon. Thanks for all of you guys who have donated and to those who continue to raise awareness for this cause! Once we have achieved this goal then we will announce our HIKING for HEROES mission 2024.

Namaslay it y’all!

👊🔥

‍

(1) https://8kpeak.com/blogs/sneak-peak/18351807-altitude-real-feel-physical-altitude-vs-pressure-altitude

As I’m hanging out here at the Aconcagua base camp dining tent of our guide company Aconcagua Vision, a dome tent with a clear vinyl window and a view of the mountains, I was contemplating a blog topic. I was having breakfast with the team and mentioned I was about to write a blog in advance to be published right after our summit day. Then, Amanda, team member and marketing director for HOTWORX, spoke up and said I should write about the moment when your mind takes over to push you to a higher level of performance. I told her thanks for that topic idea, so here we go.

Fitness success requires will, and will requires an acknowledgment that your mind can indeed control where you take your body. Elite athletes know that when your mind is right you can do things with your body that you once thought not possible, and out of reach so to speak. As a quick side note, this same “will” can work wonders for your business too!

To quote Amanda, who is a professional baseball player in the national women’s league, from our conversation she said, “To get to the next level of performance, you have to master your mindset!” That conversation was perfect as we acclimatized at base camp to get ready for the big 9000 ft. push to the summit at 22,840. The final push to the highest peak in the Americas will be the most difficult thing the team members have ever done. It will require a WILL to get to the top.

In fitness, to get results and to achieve your goals you have to get outside of your comfort zone to go to the next level. When you use your mind to push your body to higher levels of performance you will learn more about yourself.

People can always do more than they think they can do. The key is to use your mind to push through the discomfort on your journey to the top, whether it is an actual mountain or if it’s to be in the best fitness shape of your life. This is the WILL TO SUCCEED!

👊🔥

When you read this article I will probably be high in the Andes Mountains with the HOTWORX Climbing team. The last cardio workout I did before leaving for South America was an infrared Hot Yoga session at my new location on Magazine St. in New Orleans. I practice intermittent fasting with infrared training to manage weight and body fat, but I also do it to keep my metabolism firing on all cylinders. I know that when you wake up in the morning into a fast that began at 8pm or earlier the night before, a really good workout including resistance training first and then cardio in that fasted state can work wonders for your performance when practiced consistently.

Fitness training in a fasted state is a dietary form of hermetic stress. This type of stress is caused by the energy restriction of the fasted state, and when exercise is added to the equation even more stress is created. When this happens an adaptive response to the intermittent stress called hormesis occurs. Hormesis conditions the cells in your body to withstand even more stress. Mind you, this is a good form of stress. This is a way to accelerate your workout/fitness progression!

Infrared fasted training is great for burning fat. After fasting for 11 or 12 hours from 8pm to the morning workout the next day, the body has spent all the carbs and will use up fat for fuel during your fasted workout. The infrared energy absorption into the skin accelerates the fat burning as it causes fat to be oxidized when your body is heated. All of this is good for fat loss but remember, you still have to come in at a calorie intake deficit to calories burned throughout the day for weight loss! Imagine your results, though, when you combine the caloric intake deficit with a fasted infrared workout regime.

What about daily functional performance or sports performance from fasted infrared workouts? In one study it was found that an overnight fasted group “showed a significantly greater training-induced increase in VO(2max) and resting muscle glycogen concentration” (1) than the fed group. Another study showed that growth hormone (GH) concentrations increased in fasted human subjects. (2) Of course, you need to perform strength training during your fast and then consume appropriate daily grams of protein when you break the fast to obtain the desired fitness gains from the increased GH.

Don’t eat right after your morning fasted workout. Studies have shown that waiting three hours after your workout to eat also promotes increased GH. Hormesis from the stress of the fasted workout and your body’s effort to get back to homeostasis causes this hormone shift.

Give your body a boost in 2023 with a fasted infrared workout routine!

👊🔥

(1) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20452283/

(2) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1548337/

As I pack for my trip to Argentina tomorrow to climb the tallest mountain in the Southern and Western Hemisphere with our HOTWORX Climbing Team, I am thinking about cardio. Cardio conditioning is the most important physical aspect leading to the success of any mountain climb. It is imperative to get your heart in shape in general, but especially for the sport of hiking. Climbing a mountain requires a calorie burn ranging from 3,000 to 5,500 per climbing segment which is a direct reflection of how hard your heart is working. Depending on the terrain, you will scale anywhere from 1,500 to 4,000 vertical feet in any given, weather permitting day. A mountain climb is one continual HIIT session. Each step to the top requires heart work, and a well conditioned cardiovascular system is key.

Doing cardio inside of an infrared sauna, especially cycling, is probably the best way to prepare for a climb. Doing Hot Cycle at HOTWORX gets me to my target heart rate zone faster and allows me to finish my workout sooner, and with zero impact to my joints! I always promote a low to zero impact method because I believe that you should save the impact for the game. In this case, the game is a trek to the summit of a legendary mountain high atop the Andes in South America.

Your game might be different. Maybe running is your game, maybe it’s softball, or skiing, or an obstacle course event, or surfing. Whatever the case, saving the impact for the game with an infrared routine will keep you from injury and, if done right, will certainly get you the intensity level you need to prep for the game.

So, what is the correct level of cardio training. To determine that, you need to become super familiar with your heart rate.  The best way to do it is to buy a fitness tracking device that you can easily see without having to look at your phone for the data. I am talking about a watch. I have tried a few and I will have to recommend the latest fitness watch by Apple. The Apple Watch Ultra is by far my favorite. It will do everything you need, but most importantly it is super accurate and easy to read for tracking your calorie burn and heart rate. Your heart rate (HR) needs to peak near your HR max and then go down a little when the intervals ease up during HIIT.

“Your exercise intensity must generally be at a moderate or vigorous level for maximum benefit. For weight loss, the more intense or longer your activity, the more calories you burn.” (1)

With a program like HOTWORX, your HR rises fast and is easy to track for a fast and efficient cardio workout. You can refer to the chart below to match your age to a heart rate zone for fitness training. The best approach to cardio is to start at a moderate level of intensity and heart rate, and then build to higher levels. The approach is determined by your fitness goal and the condition of your cardio system at the beginning of your program. Is your goal general fitness, or is it competition? How far you take it is based on your goal.

What about the mental aspect? I can tell you from experience that mental preparedness is vital to the success of each cardio interval that you do preparing for your competition or event. When you change the workout environment to something like that of an infrared sauna you force your body and mind to acclimate. This trains your mind to overcome the initial discomfort and makes everything you do in life easier from riding a bike to picking up a suitcase or working in the yard.

Without a doubt mind over matter comes into play on the field, and for my teammates while we are scaling a mountain. My high school football coach, Coach K, always had us in great condition to the point that we were never winded in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line. As it relates to hiking, upon the final ascent to the summit your body is completely exhausted and this is where mental toughness takes over along with cardio. If your heart is not ready, though, no amount of mental toughness will get you to the top. I’ve seen tough people fail to summit because they neglected their cardio training. Your mind can help you to withstand higher intensities while training and preparing and it can certainly help you in the game or on the mountain, but it is best to be fully ready from a cardio standpoint before you step on the field, or the court, or wherever your game is played.

Intensity is the feeling, heart rate is the metric.

“Beware of pushing yourself too hard too often. If you are short of breath, are in pain or can't work out as long as you'd planned, your exercise intensity is probably higher than your fitness level allows. Back off a bit and build intensity gradually.” (2)

Cardio conditioning is guaranteed to happen so long as your remain consistent and relentless with your infrared training!

As a rule of thumb, subtract 220 from your age to get your heart rate max. Generally, you need to train with bouts of 85% max heart rate to achieve your best cardio conditioning. It is well documented that HIIT with its alternating intensity of workout intervals is highly effective and even safe for those with type 2 diabetes. Infrared HIIT is super effective for weight loss as well as cardio.

👊🔥

(1) https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise-intensity/art-20046887#:~:text=The%20American%20Heart%20Association%20generally,of%20your%20maximum%20heart%20rate

(2) https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise-intensity/art-20046887#:~:text=The%20American%20Heart%20Association%20generally,of%20your%20maximum%20heart%20rate

Just the thought of the word momentum conjures up memories for me of the effort it takes to get something going. The first step of any journey, especially one for fitness, is always the hardest, and it takes momentum to keep it going and growing. The great thing about momentum is, when it is gained, it can move and grow things forward at an ever accelerating pace if managed properly. Momentum changes everything in its forward path. This is true for a business, or for an individual’s workout program.

Dictionaries define momentum as the amount of motion of a moving body, or the quantity of motion of an object measured by its mass and velocity. (1) In other words, momentum is the force and speed of a thing in motion. The key to gaining fitness momentum is to work hard at building your body with your mind and to gain velocity towards your goal at the same time, not just one or the other! By velocity, I’m referring to your pace towards your fitness goals and then momentum for the maintenance of that level once you have reached it. Momentum is an increase in your personal rate of development.

The way to find your fitness momentum in 2023 is to choose a program that you can continue without going the way of the masses which is to fail at the resolution every year. Most who launch a fitness program the first week of January last for about a month. According to one survey of 4,000 people, it was found that 43% expect to quit their fitness goal after one month. (2) Of course that happens to them because they don’t actually believe that they can do it.

You have to believe in your fitness goal and your workout method to see it through, and you need a program that is fast, convenient, simplified, and effective. I hear from customers all the time that HOTWORX is the first fitness program that they actually have continued. Fast results will never go out of style folks, and that is exactly what the effect of infrared training is. Fast results create more belief, and more belief creates more motivation to keep going. And, when you keep going with more belief you create MOMENTUM!

Maybe 2023 is the year for you to build your fitness momentum and keep it going with a 3D Training program at HOTWORX.

Most of you know that HOTWORX is a fitness franchise, and this year’s theme for the annual franchise convention is MOMENTUM. The convention will be held in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, the city where the franchise first gained substantial growth momentum.

So, here’s to building massive fitness momentum for your business and for your personal fitness program in 2023. Make it your best year ever in fitness!

👊🔥

(1) https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/momentum, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/momentum

(2) https://www.sundried.com/blogs/training/research-shows-43-of-people-expect-to-give-up-their-new-year-s-resolutions-by-february

I watched an interview recently with Tom Brady explaining his training routine. Of course, Tom Brady is playing quarterback on the highest level at the age of 45 in the NFL. He attributes much of his longevity in the league to training for “pliability.” So, what is pliability anyway? Pliability according to dictionary.com is the quality of being easily bent without breaking; flexibility. (1)

Pliability training yields faster and more complete muscle recovery, and joint flexibility is contingent on the pliability of muscles. Pliability exercise develops the easy to stretch muscles that allow for joints to produce wider ranges of motion. If it works for the NFL, then I submit to you that a version of it can work wonders for the average fitness enthusiast. Pliability work will help to build resilient muscles that can handle impact. With a regular practice, pliability training can alleviate soreness and can become another weapon in your injury prevention arsenal.

So, how do we get more of this “pliability” for our bodies?

The HOTWORX 3D Training Method is a pliability method. The exposure to infrared energy and heat to reduce inflammation, combined with the foam rolling practice with each isometric workout delivers the goods when it comes to better recovery and improved flexibility. Deep tissue, self-administered massage with a foam roller towards the end of an infrared sauna workout is the ticket to greater muscle pliability!

Pliability training involves minimizing inflammation through proper diet and quality sleep too. I hear all the time from HOTWORX members who rave about the improvement in sleep quality from their workouts. A well balanced diet should also be a part of your efforts to improve muscle pliability so that your metabolism can function efficiently for strength gains from muscle recovery.

Train your muscles for resilience through a focus on pliability. There’s no better way to do it than a 3D Training program at your local HOTWORX 24 Hour Infrared Fitness Studio!
👊🔥

(1) https://www.dictionary.com/browse/pliability

As an entrepreneur, I watch developments in the economy very closely. Most economic outlooks predict a mild recession in 2023 induced by higher interest rates from the Fed. As a fitness franchise professional, and based on my experience with previous down cycles, I can tell you that a recession presents an opportunity in two ways. First, when financial times get tough, people tend to go to the gym more often. There is no better stress reliever than a great workout, especially a great infrared workout. Secondly, when recession happens, business executives think about gaining more control over their own destiny. Many of those professionals look to franchising as a way to gain more freedom and opportunity for their future.

I am prejudiced, of course, but I really do believe that our brands have the greatest opportunity for ROI and wealth creation, more than any other in the fitness and spa industries. HOTWORX benefits greatly from a seasoned franchise management team. With an organization dating back to its roots as a franchisor in 1996, the company has learned a lot through experience and has endured through several economic downturns. The HOTWORX franchisor team is seasoned and ready to sustain its explosive growth in franchise profits and number of locations well into the future. The path to franchise profits is through an unwavering focus on the customer.

Keep this in mind. A franchise product needs to be innovative and attractive to the customer, but business growth doesn’t just happen because a product is “cool.” It starts with the product, and the product is extremely important, for sure, but growth happens because of a steadfast discipline to creating a culture based on a precise target.

HOTWORX maintains a maniacal effort to adhere to its customer strategy. When a brand has laser focus on the target customer, then magic can happen. Most brands wind up watering down their brand due to a tendency to bend to market forces that can distract a company away from its true identity. As the CEO of HOTWORX I am determined to never let that happen to our franchise. I see it happen all the time, though, with other brands. It takes focus and courage to stay the course with a concept. And, staying true to the founding maxim is vital to the health of any innovative brand. Companies have to evolve while staying true to themselves. So goes life.

Think about the brands that have mastered the art of innovation and authenticity simultaneously. Starbucks, Apple and McDonald’s come to mind immediately. All three of those iconic brands emerged from humble beginnings and made it through some moments of identity soul searching. They ultimately prevailed when they went back to their roots while creating massive innovations at the same time. Netflix is another brand that made an incredible 180 operational pivot from DVD’s to digital before the customer even asked for it, all while maintaining the essence of who they are as a company. I have the utmost respect for companies that execute bold and innovative strategies with courage and confidence in who they are and what they represent.

Great brands keep it real and are customer focused. For HOTWORX, our target customer is well defined. She is a 30 year old female who is gainfully employed and who is looking to “discover her inner warrior.” In the modern fitness world, female clients want more than the old “Richard Simmons” style of low challenge aerobics and pink dumbbells in the weight room. At HOTWORX we recognize this and we don’t hold back when it comes to helping customers unleash the warrior within as they pursue the fitness results that they want.

Our focus on that customer avatar attracts the core 18-35 year old client for sure, but it also attracts others who want to discover their inner warrior too, and we welcome them to the studio with open arms. The end result of that unwavering strategic focus is a fitness studio culture of individuals ranging from 18-80+. And yes, we do have some guys, about 15% who want to discover their inner warrior too, but we have the discipline to keep from marketing to them.

I love this quote:

“Build something 100 people love, not something 1 million people kind of like.”
                                                                                                         
                                                                                    Brian Chesky, CEO/Founder of Airbnb

I like to say this:

Focus on the ONE to sell to the MANY!

At the end of the day, brands that have the discipline to stay true to their identity, while evolving ahead of the needs of their customers will always win, especially through an economic downturn.

Franchises have an extra hurdle to cross as opposed to a 100% company owned model like that of Starbucks and Apple. As a federation of entrepreneurs, so to speak, a franchise must find ways to keep everyone on brand point at all times. This can be challenging for a franchise and it requires and incredible amount of teamwork and discipline to pull it off. But when it is done right, the entrepreneurial power of a franchise company is an incredible business force to reckon with in the marketplace.

A franchise is a team!

Maybe now is the time for you to align with the franchise team that is right for you!

👊🔥

Dr. Craig Perlman is a HOTWORX franchisee and a Board Certified Endocrinologist who has a practice in the same clinic with his brother, Daryl, who is a Board Certified Internist and specializing in obesity. Craig received his medical degree from the New York Institute of Technology - College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his Residency in Internal Medicine and Fellowship in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism from NYU Langone - Winthrop University Hospital. He is also the co-chairman of the Department of Endocrinology at Northwell University Hospital of Plainview & Syosset. Over a year ago I had the opportunity to interview them both. This week I had a great discussion with Craig as a follow on update since he recently opened a HOTWORX franchise.

As an endocrinologist, Dr. Craig Perlman specializes in treating disorders of the endocrine system which is the network of glands that produce hormones in your body. Specialists in this field treat conditions including diabetes, thyroid issues, osteoporosis, cancers, and metabolic disorders to name a few.

Fitness plays a big role in his practice. Increasingly, doctors are recommending fitness programs including infrared as a part of disease prevention protocol. Craig recently opened the first HOTWORX in the state of New York in Bethpage, a city on Long Island.

When I spoke with him this week he told me that at least 25% of his studio members are patients referred to HOTWORX to address their need for lifestyle change. Below you can read his very informative answers to a few HOTWORX related questions.

What was it that first attracted you to the HOTWORX business concept?

As a practicing Endocrinologist, I mainly treat patients with diabetes mellitus, obesity and thyroid disease. In addition to pharmacologic therapy, I attempt to incorporate lifestyle interventions including an exercise regimen as well as dietary modifications. With a busy practice, we knew that it would be too laborious to start a fitness studio without the guidance and knowledge of a fitness franchise. After researching over ten different fitness franchises and speaking with representatives from them, it was ultimately the 'Hot Exercise' book that piqued my interest in HOTWORX.  The book does a fantastic job explaining why HOTWORX is the most effective fitness brand for weight loss and it's overall health benefits.

What area of medicine do you specialize? 

Endocrinology, a subspecialty of Internal Medicine

Do you refer patients to HOTWORX as a part of their recovery/preventive regime?

Yes. I refer my patients to our HOTWORX fitness studio as part of a holistic approach to manage their health and wellness.

What do you think about the use of hot infrared exercise as a way to strengthen the cardiovascular system? 

Prior studies have shown benefits of far infrared therapy as treatment for congestive heart failure. The Nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation that occurs as a result of FIR causes reduction in blood pressure and symptoms of angina that would be analogous to sublingual nitroglycerin tablets. By modifying coronary risk factors (reducing weight, blood pressure, and preventing diabetes mellitus) through hot infrared exercise, there is prevention of cardiovascular disease.

What are your thoughts on infrared light as a form of therapy?

As an Endocrinologist, I treat many patients that suffer from Hashimoto's thyroiditis, an illness that has many contributing factors including exposure to environmental toxins. The infrared therapy that HOTWORX incorporates allows for detoxification through sweat to reduce the toxin burden that contributes to the disease severity of hashimoto's.  It also reduces the inflammatory markers associated with this disease. Commonly associated with hashimoto's thyroiditis, is the co-existence of other autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and other forms of autoimmune arthritis. There are studies that entail the use of FIR as treatment of autoimmune arthritis to reduce symptoms/ pain scores that have yielded great results. Typically, these diseases are treated with immunosuppressants such as Humira, which can increase your risk of infections and cause cancer. Far infrared therapy can be considered as a potential alternative to immunosuppressants without the concern for harmful and even fatal side effects. The studies that show a prevention of onset of diabetes mellitus type 2 is very appealing and pertains directly to a large proportion of my patients.

What are your thoughts on heat as a form of therapy?

The first thought of heat as a form of therapy that comes to mind is the improvement in muscle mass through the expression of heat shock proteins and elevated GH levels. The higher level of muscle mass, in turn, results in a higher basal metabolic rate which results in a more effective weight loss/ muscle toning effect. Second, the musculoskeletal recovery due to an increase in blood flow to tendons & ligaments as a result of heat exposure. Third, heat as a form of therapy to increase muscle and ligament flexibility to help reduce injury.

What are your thoughts on the importance of exercise as it relates to health?

During my Fellowship, I recall presenting a meta-analysis on the comparison between  aerobic and resistance exercise training on cardiovascular risk factors, ie. systolic and diastolic blood pressure, insulin resistance, hemoglobin A1c, lipid profile and body composition. Aerobic activity yielded greater blood pressure lowering effects, while resistance training lowered HbA1c more than aerobic training in patients with type 2 diabetes. The general consensus is that both aerobic and resistance training combined will provide the most optimal reduction in all cardiovascular risk factors, as opposed to utilizing only one form of training.

What are your thoughts on the combination of heat, infrared energy and exercise, otherwise known as 3D Training?

I feel that 3-Dimensional training is the essence of the HOTWORX fitness brand. It truly allows more workout in less time. There are studies that show the benefit of exercise followed by heat and infrared energy. However, it will be exciting to see new research in the future that study the outcomes for simultaneous 3-Dimensional training.

Maybe it’s time to consider 3D Training as an upgrade to your fitness lifestyle. 👊🔥

I was inspired to write about the topic of consistency once again and this time it came from a book I am currently reading. I highly recommend Warrior Cardio by Martin Rooney, COO of the Parisi Speed School. As a coach he has prepared hundreds of athletes for the UFC, NFL, NBA, WNBA, D-1 college programs and the Olympics. One of the themes of his book is the importance of measurability and consistency, which resonates with that of the HOTWORX training philosophy.

Rooney has 10 commandments of metabolic training for which two of them stood out to me as particularly important with respect to a general fitness program. The 2nd and the 4th. In his 2nd commandment he states, “Thou shalt not confuse fatigue or soreness with being productive.” Too many times, trainers get sidetracked by listening to the popular noise about “muscle confusion” and workout “variety” to create more soreness, and therefore, the illusion of more results. The problem with that is, more soreness is not an indication of progress. Only results are the indication of progress. Trainers should pay more attention to workouts that afford better recovery time with less muscle “confusion”.

His 4th commandment declares, “Thou shalt monitor and record heart rate and HRV (heart rate variability) during every metabolic session."

One of the most important reasons to train is to positively affect your cardiovascular system. It only makes sense that you should measure your cardio performance during each workout to see improvements and to monitor your heart’s ability to recover, and of course, to check for any problems that might need to be discussed with your doctor. Consistency with measuring workout performance is vital. It’s the best way to know if your body is responding to a fitness program the way it should.

Rooney promotes an interesting observation and he explains it as the Illogical Four:

First, people and trainers select and prescribe exercises according to what I call the Illogical Four: Novelty, Coolness, Ability to Produce Soreness, and Ability to Produce Fatigue. What amazes me is that the veil of the Illogical Four has been pulled so strongly over our eyes that we no longer look for the reason why we started voluntary exercise in the first place: improvement in health and performance, a.k.a. results. (1)

As a trainer myself, I completely agree with this viewpoint, and illogical tendencies by trainers cause them to get sidetracked from the true mission to get results for clients. It is the results in strength gains, flexibility gains, balance gains, detox, and of course, cardiovascular gains that leads to progress, not soreness, coolness of an exercise, or changing of a workout merely for variety alone. Don’t listen to the noise. A fitness program should always be about results, and that requires consistency of training and measurability based on exercise that is logical and data driven.
👊🔥

(1)  Rooney, M. Smith (2012) Warrior Cardio. HarperCollins.

The HOTWORX franchise organization supports heroes in the military who keep us free and the first responders who keep our lives safe. This desire to support those heroes motivated the company to create an annual fundraiser known as Hiking for Heroes. It all began last year when we formed a climbing team to scale Kilimanjaro to raise $1 per foot of elevation climbed which amounted to $19,341. We raised over $20k and donated that amount to Sacred Mountain Retreat Center. SMRC provides a program in the beautiful Black Hills of Deadwood, South Dakota for wounded veterans and first responders. All in for 2022 HOTWORX has raised over $100k for this cause.

The HOTWORX Hiking for Heroes team will jump start 2023 by scaling the tallest mountain in the Western Hemisphere (and the Southern Hemisphere) with an expedition scheduled for January 10-22. This year we have a 5 person team including the same 4 from last year’s climb and one more athlete for 2023.

On January 10, 2023, 5 sponsored athletes will take on a 12-day climb to the top of Mt. Aconcagua. At an elevation of 22,841 feet, our goal is to raise $45,682, which is $2 for each foot of the journey to the top of the mountain. Contributions to this fundraiser will be donated to Sacred Mountain Retreat Center, a non-profit organization near Deadwood in the Black Hills that brings our Military, First Responders, and Gold Star Families to South Dakota for a time of respite and healing. If you wish to support this cause, please click the link below…

https://www.gofundme.com/f/hotworx-hiking-for-heroes-mt-aconcagua

We have three major sponsors to thank for this climb to the top of ACONCAGUA…

‍

Last year we put our HOTWORX 3D training to the test on Kilimanjaro to get us to the top on the shortest route with only a 27% success rate. In spite of those odds, all four of us made it to the summit! Kilimanjaro is the tallest free standing mountain in the world, the tallest mountain on the continent of Africa and the fourth tallest of the seven summits. This year we take on Aconcagua, the second tallest of the seven summits of the world.

Cardio conditioning is the key to climbing a mountain. I watched several people who failed to get to the top of Kilimanjaro last year and it made me grateful for the time my team spent in the HOTWORX sauna getting cardio ready. I can tell you that it made the difference in our performance to beat that 73% probability of failure. This year it will be no different for conditioning. Different mountain, higher elevation, but the infrared cardio training, both the isometrics and the HIIT is what gets the heart ready!!!

One of the key health benefits of infrared therapy is improvement in cardiovascular health. Infrared light increases the production of nitric oxide, a vital signaling molecule that is important for the health of blood vessels. This molecule helps relax the arteries and prevents blood from clotting and clumping in the vessels. Aside from these, it also combats free radicals to prevent oxidative stress and regulate blood pressure.

Nitric oxide is essential in improving blood circulation, which provides more oxygen and nutrients to injured tissues. Thus, infrared light hastens wound healing and stimulates the regeneration of injured tissues, reducing inflammation and pain. (1)

What we are about to do will be incredibly taxing on our minds and body, but it pales in comparison to the sacrifice of those veterans wounded in battle. May we never forget what they have done to protect our freedom to live how we choose and to explore and to climb mountains if that’s what we want to do! Because of them, we climb!!

👊🔥

(1) https://www.news-medical.net/health/Infrared-Therapy-Health-Benefits-and-Risks.aspx

A couple of weeks ago my blog featured a husband and wife, doctor and nurse team who are franchisees for HOTWORX in the Houston, TX area. This week I would like to introduce another franchise owner, Dr. Clifford J. Evans, DO, who is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon. “His practice focuses on the evaluation and treatment of afflictions of the bones, joints, muscles, tendons and nerves. He has a special interest in sports injuries and working with young athletes. Dr. Evans is certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.” (1)

He is also an Army Veteran, and we all want to thank him for his service to the country! “From 2008 until 2012, Dr. Evans was staff orthopedic surgeon at Blancfield Army Community Hospital, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He joined the Army in 1988, and was a pilot in the 101st Airborne, serving in the Gulf War, Hurricane Andrew relief, and in Honduras. He was a flight operations officer in Italy, and a mission commander, instructor, and executive officer in the 160th Special Operation Aviation Regiment. Dr. Evans received his doctorate in osteopathic medicine from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his residency at Texas Tech University and William Beaumont Army Medical Center.” (2)

I was fortunate to get a chance to speak with Dr. Evans this week. He places a lot of emphasis on the fact that exercise combined with infrared increases blood flow and nitric oxide release. I’ve written multiple times on the positive effects of nitric oxide as a signaling molecule.

"Nitric oxide is a compound in the body that causes blood vessels to widen and stimulates the release of certain hormones, such as insulin and human growth hormone." (3)

He mentioned a list of benefits that included reduction in hypertension, treatment for small vessel diseases, skin condition improvements, and increased blood flow to extremities. Dr. Evans likes to stress the importance of treatments such as infrared to prevent the need for surgeries. He mentioned the fact that when the positive elements of exercise, heat and IR are combined it has a synergistic effect. Each component alone can provide great health benefits but, when performed in conjunction, the whole is greater than the individual parts. The whole is almost always greater than the sum of its parts!

According to Dr. Evans, what we like to call 3D Training, the combination of exercise, heat and infrared energy, can greatly accelerate the healing and recovery process. He also spoke of the low impact approach to training, which is the underlying strategy of the HOTWORX training method using isometrics and HIIT.

To me it says a lot when so many medical professionals believe in a fitness program to this extent. The HOTWORX franchise credits 19 owners who are also doctors including surgeons, chiropractors, general practitioners, and sports medicine specialists.
👊🔥

‍

(1) https://www.drcliffevans.com/clifford-john-evans-orthopedic-surgeon-kokomo-peru-westfield-in/

(2) https://www.drcliffevans.com/clifford-john-evans-orthopedic-surgeon-kokomo-peru-westfield-in/

(3) https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326381

There is a lot of confusion out there when it comes to the understanding of what is Infrared. Infrared is light, invisible light.

The word infrared comes from a combination of the the Latin word infra that means “below”, and the English word for the color “red”. Infrared light has a wavelength that is longer and falls just below the frequency of red light that humans can still see. Just past the red light comes infrared which turns invisible to the eye.

Infrared falls way beyond the wavelengths that are threatening to humans. Beginning with ultraviolet B and C light waves, the radiation becomes ionizing which means that it has the potential to alter human DNA and can be harmful to your health. Non-ionizing light absorption is where you want to be and that is where infrared light is. Not only is infrared non-ionizing, it also provides numerous therapeutic benefits. These benefits are well documented and include increased blood flow, decreased inflammation, and glowing skin to name a few.

Infrared light represents an abundant form of natural energy in the universe. Humans even emit their own IR light. We can also create this light form with modern technology inside of a sauna. Infrared saunas have been around for decades, and a few years ago, HOTWORX designed a patented infrared sauna for fitness training with a very precise array of IR heaters. So, what is the difference in infrared light produced by an IR heater and that of the sun or what humans generate and emit naturally? That question deserves an entire article, or chapter in a book. I will save that for later, but to sum up the difference, here it is.

Natural sources produce the entire spectrum of IR for humans to absorb. IR saunas can be engineered to produce the most desirable IR wavelengths for human absorption.

Sunlight and other natural sources produce the entire IR spectrum consisting of short, medium and long infrared light wavelengths. Infrared radiation (IR), which is also known as thermal radiation, involves the part of the light spectrum including wavelengths beyond red visible light between 780 nm and 1 mm. Infrared has three distinct categories including IR-A (780 nm-1.4 µm), IR-B (1.4-3 µm) and IR-C, also known as far-IR (3 µm-1 mm).

Humans have used tools and machines for centuries to heat their environments for comfort or for therapy reasons. We heat our water for bathing, we heat beverages for drinking, and we heat our air as well for various reasons. Versions of saunas have been used to heat the air in a small room for millennia. Infrared saunas use different types of heaters to emit different types of infrared light waves. IR sauna heaters can be tailored to emit more of the far-IR than B or A. Far-IR has a longer and more absorbing wavelength. Longer wavelengths of IR are desirable for training purposes as they are more comfortable for working out and more absorbing for increased workout recovery while training.

The use of infrared light energy to heat up a workout environment has proven to be a fitness game changer when applied to isometrics and cardio machine HIIT. I was speaking to a friend and his wife recently while in Oxford, MS for an Ole Miss football game, and the topic of conditioning came up. My friend told me that his wife recently talked him into his first HOTWORX workout and that she has been using the IR workouts frequently. As a testament to far-infrared training, he told me a story about going biking with his wife and that she demonstrated “superior” conditioning to him on that ride attributable to her HIIT sessions at HOTWORX. Infrared workouts provide outstanding cardio conditioning results in much shorter training sessions.

Infrared light is energy. Change your environment, and you change your level of energy.

In the words of Einstein, “Everything is energy and that’s all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics.”

Find your light wave training frequency!
👊🔥

The HOTWORX franchise, after only five and a half years in development, has rapidly become one of the fastest growing franchise organizations in the history of the fitness industry. One of the reasons for the growth is the results that members get from the 3D Training Method combining heat, infrared energy, and exercise. The results speak for themselves through the thousands of unsolicited 5-star customer reviews online. It’s interesting to note that there are now 19 HOTWORX franchise owners who are doctors. One of those, a medical power couple in Houston, Dr. Jeffrey Liang and and his wife Lisa who is a nurse, are featured in this article.

I had an opportunity to speak with them this week via the internet. The energy and passion they have for health and fitness radiates from the moment you meet them. Here is their story relating to HOTWORX.

Dr. Jeffrey Liang has a sports and family medicine practice.  Lisa came to him with the HOTWORX idea originally and at first he was a skeptic. With his “exercise is medicine” philosophy, though, he decided to give it a try. Now he is a believer in infrared fitness programs, and is an advocate, especially for the recovery aspect of HOTWORX. He refers patients to HOTWORX now as a part of their recovery and ongoing wellness programs.

It is well known that sweating assists in the detox process. Here is one notable quote from Dr. Liang, “infrared exponentially multiplies the sweating.” And, we know that the sweat from an infrared sauna produces up to 7X more detox when compared to sweating from a traditional sauna.

His belief in “exercise is medicine” developed out of his love for sports activities that include tennis, weight training, running, swimming, skiing and snowboarding. Most recently he has taken on rock climbing. According to Lisa, “Jeff practices what he preaches.” Most of his career has been in a multi-specialty orthopedic practice but has since moved on to working in a supervisory and teaching role with a rapidly growing urgent care business. Dr. Liang also sees the development of a fracture clinic in his future.

Lisa Liang, an nurse with extensive experience in internal medicine, women’s health, labor and delivery, postpartum, infertility, surgery, and critical care, has two kids of her own and six surrogates. She is a big believer in the power of HOTWORX for improved flexibility, wound healing and scar treatment.

Lisa talked for a while about the surgery recovery benefits and the increased blood flow for wound healing acceleration. In her words, “it jump starts the healing process,” and it is “great for diminishing scars and is a recovery therapy.”

Dr. Liang expressed how effective infrared training is for mood and referenced Dr. Rhonda Patrick who spoke at the HOTWORX convention this year in Scottsdale, AZ. He also pointed out how important it was that the HOTWORX training program, with the semi-private workout environment, is adaptable to all fitness levels from the beginner to the pro athlete. He also noted that with HOTWORX, for members, “there are no intimidation barriers.”

I sent out a questionairre prior to our online chat and one of the questions was, what are your thoughts on the importance of exercise as it relates to health? Here is his answer.

‘It’s extremely important. Nothing replaces exercise, but infrared heat in combination with exercise is a game changer for health and wellness.”

I also asked, what are your thoughts on the combination of heat, infrared energy and exercise, otherwise known as 3D Training? He answered…

“It’s phenomenal, and speaking from a clinical standpoint recovery specifically, your blood and oxygen increases, helps healing in any injury, in any recovery from intense sports, and any surgical recovery. It, overall, is honestly the best supplement to any person's regime of health and wellness.”

As an RN, Lisa has been in and around medicine as well for over 20 years in primary/family care, labor and delivery, OBGYN, critical care, fertility, surgery, oncology, and general care. She is well-rounded to advise clients for what is needed to launch a healthy lifestyle for longevity. She has a personal fitness journey that is inspiring as well. Her history with obesity, weight loss surgery, 6 pregnancies, 8 babies (2 sets of twins), helping other families complete their family by being their surrogate, extensive skin removal plastic surgery, and chronic back issues, in her words…

“HOTWORX is and has been a miracle intervention to me! It has allowed me to become more flexible. My back pain is all but gone. My surgical incisions are healing at a ridiculously rapid pace, and my cardiovascular system functions like that of a marathon runner…”

This duo’s health and fitness philosophy is, as Lisa puts it is, “kick aging in the ass!! Focus on what is hindering you in your health, in your life, and how HOTWORX can make that better!!” If you get a chance, please visit their new studio in Houston at 1416 W Orem Dr., or call (832) 219-0999.

Maybe it’s time to think about adding infrared as a supplement to your health and fitness regime!
👊🔥

I like to tell people that the experience of isometrics performed in an infrared sauna is the best cardio workout that you never know your getting. I say that because the workouts are fast, the infrared feels so good, and your focus is on correct posture form and mind/body awareness. As opposed to grudging it out on a treadmill in an air-conditioned gym, you never really think about cardio except to check your fitness tracker to monitor your heart rate.

Take HOTWORX Hot Yoga for example. The workout is only 30 minutes. Your heart rate (HR) gets up to the target training zone of around 70-85% of your HR max very quickly, much faster than yoga in an air-conditioned studio, and you cruise through the posture sequence until you reach the cool down and end of the workout. Your HR then remains elevated creating the calorie post-workout after-burn. This consistent practice begins to elevate the health of the heart over time making the cardiovascular system much stronger and more efficient at processing more oxygen into your body. The higher the level of blood oxygen, the better conditioned your body will be for higher quality workouts.

Your fitness has to become a lifestyle, and cardio training should be a major part of any fitness program.

Of course, common sense tells us that a person should closely monitor their heart health throughout their lifetime and not just when they embark on a serious fitness program. It goes without saying that prior to any strenuous workout regime, a gym member should have their heart checked to ensure that they do not have any form of a cardio condition that would keep them from exercise. If a heart condition is detected, then they would need a doctor to treat them and eventually to clear them safe to proceed with exercise. This is commonly known to everyone and should be taken seriously.

Those who have a healthy heart can become even more cardio fit, extend the life of their heart and their general health for longevity and a much higher quality of life through the practice of infrared exercise. The health benefits of traditional and infrared sauna usage are numerous and have been reported by a multitude of scientific studies over the years.

Credible sources continue to publish support for the use of infrared saunas.  One Mayo Clinic article, written by Brent A. Bauer, M.D., reports that, “Many studies have looked at using infrared saunas in the treatment of long-lasting health problems and found some proof that saunas may help. Conditions studied include high blood pressure, heart failure, dementia and Alzheimer's disease, headache, type 2 diabetes, and arthritis.” (1)

Cynthia Thaik, MD, a cardiologist serving the Los Angeles area, responds in this way to the question of whether an infrared sauna is good for your heart…

The short answer is yes! The heat emitted from an infrared sauna slowly reduces inflammation and improves blood circulation. This is beneficial because these are all factors for fighting against heart disease. Studies have documented the effectiveness of sauna therapy on patients with hypertension, congestive heart failure, and post-myocardial infarction care. Sauna therapy increases vasodilation by the production of nitric oxide, as well as improves the rate of left ventricular ejection from the heart. Patients have found improvement of their congestive heart failure symptoms by taking infrared sauna sessions 3-5 times a week. This type of sauna can also dramatically improve systolic blood pressure just after a 15-30 min session. (2)
   
Maybe it’s time to do something good for your cardiovascular system with an infrared fitness program.
👊🔥

(1) https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/expert-answers/infrared-sauna/faq-20057954

(2) https://drcynthia.com/infrared-sauna/

This past week I travelled to Punta Mita, Mexico to attend a Tony Robbins seminar. While attending the seminar I used the hotel gym in the mornings for my workouts. You could have hung meat in that place! Geez, I froze during those workouts. I didn’t sweat a drop. It was like going to a beach with no sand, or going to the amusement park only to find out that your favorite roller coaster was closed for repairs. A total bummer. They could have saved a lot of kilowatts by just turning down the AC in that gym.

Let the people sweat!

Sweating is good for you, and it feels awesome to sweat it out during a workout. A workout without sweat is like a glass half empty. There is nothing worse than a half-you know what experience.

One of the best ways to get a good sweat during a workout is to train in an infrared sauna. HOTWORX was first to introduce hot exercise in a now patented infrared sauna with access to workouts like hot yoga 24 hours a day providing customers with the opportunity to get a sweat on anytime they want 365 days per year.

Sweating is so much more than just your body’s way to cool itself. Sweating is a detox mechanism too. Granted, sweat is mostly water with a complex mixture of chemicals and it serves as a cooling mechanism to lower the body temperature, but 2-3% of the perspiration from a traditional sauna consists of toxic substances that are being removed from the body. Even if only a small percentage of sweat consists of toxins, it is still worth it to rid your body of it. Compared to sweating in an infrared sauna, though, the percentage of toxic waste in sweat goes up to as high as 20% which is 7 times greater than that of traditional sweating. Without a doubt, most of the bodily waste is handled through the kidneys and the liver, but sweating cannot be denied as an additional method to cleanse the body from the inside out.

With the daily pounding from air pollution and other forms of toxic substance intake, we should all be looking for ways to increase detox!

As reported in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health, “Along with essential minerals, sweat is an acknowledged excretory route for toxic metals.” (1) Multiple studies have proven this, yet the sweat critics, with their Big Pharma agenda, would have you believe that you can’t detox your body from sweating. Science and common sense beg to differ.

I am amazed to see all of the erroneous journalism denouncing the practice of sweating and declaring that there is no such thing as detox from sweat. These articles are found in some very high profile periodicals and online news sources. These health “experts” want us to get sick and then just take a pill from the doctor as opposed to doing something preventative and obviously good for our health. Don’t be fooled. Informed health practitioners know better. The real science can be found in scientific journals as opposed to the online magazines and newspapers beholden to their Big Pharma advertisers. Shame on them.

Sweat also contains waste from your body including urea, salts, sugars and ammonia. (2)

According to Dr. Christiane Northrup, women’s health expert and New York Times Best-Selling author, there is a clear difference in results between sweating from a traditional sauna and sweat induced from an infrared sauna. Take a look at the excerpt below from her website.

While most sweat is comprised of water and little salt, studies show that 15-20% of infrared sauna-induced sweat is composed of cholesterol, fat-soluble toxins, heavy metals, sulfuric acid, and ammonia (as well as sodium and uric acid.) In other words, an infrared sauna may enable your body to eliminate environmental toxins through sweat. (3)

Dr. Derek Ferguson, owner of Ferguson Life Health Centers in New Jersey, believes in the use of infrared saunas for detox. In one article on his website he states that, “Detoxification is important because it strengthens the body’s immune system and helps the body’s biochemical processes function efficiently so that the body is better able to digest the nutrients in foods.” He goes on to say, “Sweating is good for you. Sweating is one of the body’s safest and most natural ways to heal and maintain good health. Infrared saunas are specifically designed to promote a deep, healthy and natural detoxifying sweat.” (4)

HOTWORX franchise locations offer a unique way to experience infrared detox sweating while getting in a great workout. This training method is called 3D Training and combines heat, infrared energy absorption and isometrics or HIIT exercise sessions. It is no surprise that many medical doctors have actually opened franchises all over the country. Stay tuned for a series of blog post in the coming weeks that will feature knowledge from these doctors who now own HOTWORX 24 hour infrared fitness studios.

Sweat it out!!!
👊🔥

(1) https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2012/184745/

(2) https://sciencetrek.org/sciencetrek/topics/body_waste/facts.cfm

(3) https://www.drnorthrup.com/infrared-sauna-sweat-toxins/

(4) https://www.drdferguson.com/blog-1/2021/3/11/infrared-sauna-are-the-claims-backed-up

At the beginning of 2022 we introduced Diet Trax to the HOTWORX lineup. In conjunction with the introduction of Diet Trax we also introduced a new level of fitness achievement, the ultimate Level 7. Level 7 is the final level, a warrior level of fitness for sure. This level requires a premium HOTWORX member to not only reach the highest workout level in one of their rolling 90 day challenges, they must also meet the requirements of the Diet Trax software every day during the challenge to get to the highest level, Level 7 (Diet Trax is available exclusively to Sweat Everywhere members).

Diet Trax is a wonderful tool for those who want to trim down and shed body fat. And, it has just been upgraded to accommodate daily intermittent fasting to any schedule for anybody. Also, it allows members to track all nutrition data and calorie intake throughout the day measured to an individualized target. To achieve Level 7, the member must populate Diet Trax with their individual nutrition data every day during the 90 day fitness challenge and ensure that the ending calorie intake average results in a 10% or greater deficit to their BMR (basal metabolic rate). Level 7 requires the right balance of workout intensity and consistency with dedication to nutrition as well. This is not easy. It was not created to be easy, but it will deliver massive results.

Easy is not worth having. True accomplishment requires a lot of work. And guess what? If you do the work to get to Level 7, you will learn a lot about yourself and about what it takes to accomplish goals in life. In my opinion as a trainer, it is truly worth it!

Now, meet Sabrina, a Sweat Everywhere member in Gretna, LA…

I predict she will be one of the next Level 7 recipients very soon. I met her in a Hot Cycle session at the Gretna location last week. We struck up a conversation in the sauna and she told me that she was on a mission to get to Level 7. I told her that one person had recently made it to that level and that after watching her determination on the cycle, I believed that she would be next. She was 100% focused on the instructor, Ashlee B, and made sure that her form was perfect on what was her second cycle session back-to-back. I came in for my session a few minutes before she was going into her second one. I asked her if I could take her photo for social media and she agreed. I told her that she inspired me with a topic for this week’s blog article.

As we cycled, I could hear her, under her breath, but with intensity saying, “it’s Friday”, “it’s Friday!”. She trains hard Monday-Friday, same as me, and then devotes her weekends to family and leisure activities. By-the-way, she did both cycle sessions with a full sweat hoodie on…beast mode…get it Sabrina!

Level 7 is no joke. It takes the discovery of your inner warrior to get to the top. This week’s post is for all of you out there who want to find your inner warrior. I can tell you that when you get to Level 7 you will, without a doubt, have awakened the warrior within! Find your HOTWORX BURN OFF APP and go for Level 7 on your next 90 day challenge.
👊🔥

During my flight home to New Orleans yesterday my mind began to reflect on my quick little trip to New York. If you are a business person or a fitness professional, NYC is super appealing because it’s a place that screams productivity, and I love that! Spending time in Manhattan, and having the opportunity to visit the first HOTWORX to open in the state of New York, in Bethpage on Long Island, made me think about my personal productivity and the importance of “time” once again.

The center of NYC is known as Times Square. I stayed at a hotel in Times Square for this trip. So, Times Square, and the fast pace of the city, was front and center on my mind. You know that you’re in a place that values every moment when they name their town square “Time”.

Here’s some historical perspective. The mayor renamed the square from Longacre to Times in 1904 when the The New York Times newspaper moved into a building that is now known as One Times Square. Everybody knows that NYC is place where things move fast and the energy level is always high. No other city knows the value of time like New York. I must admit that I like the fast pace and the “get it done” spirit of NYC.

Having said that, I am happy to announce that a lease has been signed and development is under way for the very first Manhattan HOTWORX franchise location on Broadway that will open soon to provide MORE WORKOUT in LESS TIME for New Yorkers!

The point is this. Your time is valuable. I would argue that time is the most valuable commodity that we have. Time is something we try to extend for our lifetime and time is what we try to make the most of while we are here, at least for those who want to live longer and get things done!

Fitness is all about time…intervals of it, sets of it, reps of it, recovery periods of it. Ultimately, fitness time is about how long it takes to get the results that you want. As the old saying goes, time is of the essence. In fitness you have to do it now and get it done with no wasted time.

Gym time should be efficient. Why not get more out of your workout in less time?

In my book, HOT EXERCISE, I begin the very first page with this:

“Time is perhaps the most valuable commodity we have in life. We might even go as far as to say all human advancement is the result of an effort to improve the quality of time.

Think about it—think about any innovation. Let’s take an obvious one, the computer, which was invented to accelerate information processing to make it more readily available. Since its introduction in the 20th century, technologists have endeavored to improve upon the computer’s capabilities at an ever-expanding and exponential rate. The Apple Watch or Fitbit you use to accelerate your workout effectiveness is a product of this technology race to satisfy your need to make the most out of every minute of your life.”

I think most people would agree that getting the most from a workout in the shortest period of time would be preferred so that they can get on with other important things in life. Everyone wants more time to spend with family, friends and to do other passionate endeavors they might have.

The HOTWORX 3D Training Method combining heat, infrared energy, and exercise reduces the amount of time needed for a workout while also delivering all of the health benefits associated with infrared sauna sessions. It’s a time management game changer for fitness. Time is always of the essence in fitness!
👊🔥

Common sense tells us that you should drink water or some healthy form of sports drink while you do a workout. Of course you should drink when you’re thirsty! But when you are working out your body is depleting itself of electrolytes and your muscles want to recover at once during every set or posture that you do, not just after the workout is done. Hydrate your body with what it needs when it needs it. Water is NOT enough…you need electrolytes and aminos during your workout.

Recently I have begun to notice how energized I get when I use the HOTWORX During & After Workout Powder mixed with my water. I notice the “umph” almost immediately when I take a drink. Why does this happen? First, let’s understand what is in this powder. The HydroGo During & After powder is packed with electrolytes and BCAA’s.

Electrolytes such as potassium and sodium are minerals that are electrically charged, and your body needs them to do its metabolic work like generating energy for muscle contraction during a workout. When your body is resupplied with electrolytes during training you will sense a boost in energy levels if you are focused enough to notice. Your mind should always be paying attention to your body during a fitness session.

What about aminos? BCAA’s are a source of energy during a workout!

Branched Chain Amino Acids, or BCAA’s for short, consists of the three essential amino acids including valine, leucine, and isoleucine. Mose BCAA supplements supply twice as much of the amino leucine as the other two. The HOTWORX During & After Workout powder has a 2:1:1 ratio. This is done because leucine is much better at generating protein synthesis and reducing the breakdown of muscle protein.

BCAA’s can reduce fatigue during workouts and help to limit the levels of tryptophan in the brain. The body uses tryptophan to make serotonin that can cause drowsiness. BCAA’s go to work in the muscle recovery process to lower levels of soreness from workout inflammation  too. BCAA’s also promote muscle building through the stimulus of muscle proteins.

“When glucose — your muscles’ main energy source — becomes low, BCAAs can serve as a source of energy. (1)

BCAA’s also support immunity. Exercise can wear down immunity due to a reduction in glutamine, but BCAA’s can help to build it back up by converting to glutamine for the muscles.

I can tell you from experience with mixing BCAA/electrolyte powder with my workout water that it packs a very noticeable punch when you drink it DURING your workouts, not just after. Your body needs to resupply the electrolytes it loses during a sweat session, and it needs aminos the moment you begin to break down your muscles during a workout. This combo can give you a much needed burst of energy and recovery while you train!

👊🔥

(1) https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/when-to-take-bcaa#benefits

Fitness training evolves alongside, and as a result of, advances in athletic training practices. I have observed athletic training and have participated as an athlete in this transformation and then I have noted the adaptations of these new approaches to the fitness industry. Training has adapted and mutated towards the goal of improving performance with fewer injuries. This form of artificial selection, or performance engineering has propelled athletes and fitness enthusiasts to greater and greater results.

The evolution has been away from ballistic and plyometric workouts to the incorporation of more stretching and lower impact training by using forms of isometrics. Coaches have learned to save the risks for the actual game. Even NFL quarterbacks including Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady have incorporated yoga into their workouts to add longevity to their careers.

The bottom line here is that it doesn’t make sense to wear out your body if you can get the same or better results with a lower impact program. The truth is you can achieve what you want without the high risks. The right level of intensity can absolutely be accomplished by means other than jumping, or what professionals know as ballistic training. There is no need to do that to your joints in order to prepare for a game or to obtain the fitness results you are looking for.

Isometric exercise such as yoga and Pilates offer incredible results, especially when practiced in an infrared sauna at the right temperature range of 120-125 degrees F and for the right duration of time. Infrared cycling or rowing is also a great low impact alternative to running and jumping. The target heart rate can be achieved quickly with infrared at no impact through the warmup and for the appropriate intensity level to get to the fat burning range. Burning fat for fuel is always the goal for fitness performance and results.

I have found that I actually perform better at my two athletic passions, snow skiing and mountain climbing, with a near zero impact training routine. My regime includes weight training, infrared HIIT and isometrics at HOTWORX. Before HOTWORX I used to wear myself out running on the streets and stair steps of downtown New Orleans. I left that behind with the advent of HOTWORX and now I get more results in less time and with no impact to my body.

SAVE THE IMPACT FOR THE GAME!!!

I preserve the impact for my actual snow skiing and mountain hiking and climbing. It just doesn’t make sense to jar my body on a continual basis with the preparatory training. Why wear out the body unnecessarily? There is no need for that, and if you actually perform better without it, then just let it go. Sometimes it is hard for an athlete to let it go. I get it. But, change is inevitable if you want to evolve to a better life of sport and fitness.

The HOTWORX 3D Training Method is the game changer!

You should give some serious thought to switching your fitness routine away from ballistics to a more long term low, or near zero impact program like that of HOTWORX.
👊🔥

The Sun is our star. As the center of our solar system, it is the powerful symbol of energy and vitality to our planet. No wonder why people regularly flock to the beaches to lay out and absorb its infrared warmth and energy as a mental and physical recharge. Those who practice yoga are familiar with the importance of the Sun too.

Most people who do yoga have performed a Sun Salutation as a warm-up to the yoga workout. This warm-up is a very effective and complete way to prime the body for an upcoming sequence of isometric postures, but why is it called a “Sun” Salutation, or Salute to the Sun? It derives from the ancient Indian practice of facing the morning sun to the east to welcome energy into the body. “In the Vedic tradition, the Sun is symbolic of consciousness and, therefore, has been worshiped daily in the Indian culture.” (1) The sun is our primary source of light, and therefore, is the provider of energy to our planet.

Of course, infrared energy from that of an infrared sauna generates the same invisible light that is received from the morning sun. That is one advantage of doing yoga in an infrared sauna. Clients can regulate up or down the level of infrared based on the setting of the thermostat.

HOTWORX begins each of its isometric workouts with a modified version of the Sun Salutation. This is a perfect preamble to the workout and a primer to prep the body with infrared energy absorption. The modified Sun Salutation prepares the mind and body for a higher level of awareness. The importance of mind/body connection in fitness cannot be underestimated. The more aware the mind is of the physical movement of the body, the greater the performance of the task.

Elevated focus created from proper warm-up sets the tone for a great workout to come next!

“Yoga makes you get better at decision-making, and mind-body coordination. The traditional practice of Sun Salutation or Surya Namaskar builds single-mindedness, determination and commitment towards your goals.” (2)

Fitness is all about a commitment towards your goals. It is important to begin a workout with the proper warm-up! There is no better warm-up than that of a Sun Salutation.
👊🔥

(1) https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/5033/sun-salutation

(2) https://doctor.ndtv.com/living-healthy/improve-memory-and-concentration-with-yoga-expert-explains-best-poses-2242878

It’s not enough to just say you want to lose 20 pounds. In fitness, as in business, everything should be based on a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) goal.

SPECIFIC + TIME-BOUND

First, you need to start with what the goal actually is. Here’s another acronym for you. You have go establish a personal fitness BHAG (Big Harry Audacious Goal) and set your deadline. The goal needs to be “harry” enough that you actually have to reach for it. Don’t set a patsy goal. In business we call that sand-bagging when you set a wimpy goal. Make it achievable and believable but not easy. Dream big. Then you have to go out and find the right tools that can help you get to your BHAG on time.

Here’s a fitness BHAG example. Let’s say you want to lose 20 pounds before the vacation wedding that you are attending which happens to be three months away. What to do? First, tell a couple of people that losing that 20 is your 90 day fitness mission and that will satisfy the “S” in SMART and force you to be accountable to your friends. Then set the actual date that you want to have that weight loss goal accomplished and that will take care of the “T”. In this wedding event example, I would suggest that the time-bound date should be one week before the event to give you time to try on and buy your new clothes that will fit your new body!

I want to emphasize that most importantly, the goal must have a deadline that you are absolutely committed to. It must be “time-bound”!

That takes care of the S and T. What about the MAR?

MEASURABLE + ACHIEVABLE +  RELEVANT

Be sure to fire up your fitness tracker, and sync it with the HOTWORX Burn Off App so that you can measure your progress. We have a thing in business called a KPI, Key Performance Indicator. You need a KPI in fitness and that KPI is your calorie burn and post-workout after-burn combined with your calorie intake. Learn what you need to know about the KPI’s, and try to reach the HOTWORX Level 6 and now Level 7 on your way to that 20 pound 90 day weight loss goal.

Your goal needs to be achievable, so make it within reason and doable based on what others have been able to accomplish, and keep it relevant to your event. Focus on being ready for your event and you will kill it!

Now you have the complete SMART goal. What next?

I wrote a blog about fitness visualization recently. You have to visualize how good you will look at that event and then you will believe that you can hit your goal. Once you can see it, then you will believe it! We have a saying at HOTWORX and it goes like this regarding goals:

BELIEVE, DO, ACHIEVE, REPEAT!

The key word in that phrase is DO. You can have a perfect SMART goal, but if you don’t do the work to get there, the goal is just a pipe dream.

Once you have made the commitment to your fitness BHAG, then you have to take MASSIVE, CONSISTENT, ACTION on your weekly fitness routine. You will also need to find the right tools that can help to achieve what you want in a faster and more efficient manner. The most efficient workout on the planet is provided at HOTWORX. The 3D Training method that was developed by HOTWORX combines exercise with heat and infrared energy to deliver, as the brand says, MORE WORKOUT, LESS TIME.

So, remember SMART fitness goal setting for your next event, and stack the odds in your favor with the right fitness tools this time!
👊🔥

The HOTWORX franchise introduced a new fitness level of accomplishment through its Burn Off App this January, the Level 7. Level 7 requires that, first of all a customer needs to achieve Level 6 which requires a calorie burn of 27,000 or more for a 90 day challenge and takes a Herculean effort to get there, then to get to level 7 they have to record daily meals in the Diet Trax nutrition tracker (that is available to premium customers in the Burn Off App) every day without fail within a 10% calorie deficit or better to your basal metabolic rate (BMR).

Level 7 is the ultimate HOTWORX 90 day challenge.

Kelly Ham was up for the challenge from the time she joined the HOTWORX location in South Arlington, TX. I had a chance to interview her to find out how she accomplished this feat as the first ever to do so, and with 30k+ calories burned with 100% Diet Trax discipline.

Kelly and her husband Chris actually work out together at HOTWORX. They are a competitive couple to say the least, and both are highly accomplished in their professional careers. Chris is a Hall of Fame former BMX competitor.

It happened faster than I thought it would take for the first level 7 accomplishment, and like that of the original running of the four minute mile, there will be many more to join the ranks of Level 7. But, there will always be the person who got there first, and her name is Kelly Ham. Kelly is an inspiration to listen to and learn from, and her level of energy immediately captivates the conversation.

My first question for her was, how much discipline did it take? Her answer was simple, she said, “A lot!” Then she went on to elaborate about her experiences thus far with HOTWORX. Her and her husband fell in love with the workouts to the point where they decided to become franchisees.

I always like to talk about the fact that the HOTWORX training method, with the use of infrared energy and heat is a “recovery workout”, meaning that your muscles will actually recover from the workout while you are working out. Customers tell me all the time about the incredible workouts that they get from HOTWORX, but without the soreness. This is due to the penetration of infrared energy and heat from the sauna during the workout. Kelly raved about this. In her words, “I got addicted to the feeling of not hurting.” And, “man, the difference it made in my joints!”

My next question was to ask what was her number one motivator to get to Level 7? Her answer: “The thrill of the win. I want to be 1st!” “I like to win.” “I gotta get it in. It feels so good to achieve that goal.”

She first came to know the brand from seeing a social media posting from her fitness fanatic hair stylist back in May of this year. Word about a great way to achieve results travels fast on the internet!

I then asked her about the Diet Trax aspect of Level 7. She explained how she used to use My Fitness Pal, but that now she was using Diet Trax as a feature of her Sweat Everywhere premium HOTWORX membership to allow her to see what she was eating.

Kelly and her husband Chris are opening a franchise in the DFW market. “We are so in love with this that we are now getting our own franchise.” If they attack their new business in the same way that they attack fitness, then they will absolutely crush the franchise numbers. Kelly also told me that her dad raised her, “to do everything 110%, and people will take notice.” Those are wise words to live by, indeed!

Towards the end of our discussion, Kelly said, “This is going to be great for our HOTWORX!” No doubt about that. To be able to say that you are the first Level 7 achiever and this is the HOTWORX franchise that I own will be an incredible story for customers to hear.

What one person can do, so can another! 👊🔥

With fall upon us now and as we look to the holiday season approaching, we might need to arm ourselves with an added means of fitness motivation as this year winds down…

As a fitness professional, one of the most important things to teach clients is how to remain motivated for workouts. All motivation begins with a vision. In the case for fitness motivation the most effective tool I know is to envision a trip. My very first recommendation as a trainer is to tell customers to plan a trip and use it for motivation at the fitness studio.

To use the trip as a fitness lever, you have to imagine what it would be like to get there and to live your best life for a few days in an exotic or remote place for a vacation or an adventure. I always keep events like this on my calendar. Sometimes, you have to just book it. Take the leap to put it on the calendar, and then just do the planning to make it happen. The biggest part of the planning has to be your fitness regime, though.

You have to take the action for a vacation just like you do for your job.

If you live a fitness lifestyle, then you probably already know this, but if not, you will learn that the planning for let’s say a yoga retreat, or a hike, or just a few good days at the beach is one of the most motivating reasons that there is for working out. Make every rep and every posture all about the way you will perform on that trip, or about how you will look on that trip! It’s the thought of how well you will perform, or how good you will look, or both, that keeps you engaged at a high level with your workouts. It’s the anticipation of the event that forces you to go above and beyond what your mind and body will usually allow.

When you train you have to see yourself at the top of that mountain you wish to hike, or laying out on that pristine beach somewhere! Plan your vacations with the purpose of “getting in shape” for the trip at the top of your mind. When you envision yourself on the vacation while you train you will experience better focus on your sets. You will connect your mind with your body on every posture too. When I’m feeling not so motivated at the studio, then I will remind myself that I am in training for a trip, and then I imagine myself at the top of the mountain I am planning to hike and in that moment my focus and determination to do a good set or posture skyrockets.

If I go to a beach, then I will usually find a mountain to hike that’s close by, or spend my mornings running on the beach. If I’m in place like Tulum, then I try to hit a different yoga place every day. Right now, I’m in training to climb Aconcogua with four others on the HOTWORX climbing team. I’ve seen videos and photos of that summit and I can see all of us standing there on top of that mountain for the moment of bliss while taking selfies and congratulating each other. It’s an incredible motivator. When I’m getting ready for a ski trip, I envision actually skiing certain runs on the mountain. When I take a beach trip, I’m focused on trimming the waistline to look better on that beach. When there is always a trip coming up, then the motivation can remain high and less possibility of an unhealthy, out of shape phase in your life.

It’s the desire to be “ready” for a trip that consumes my thinking while I train and it motivates me for every rep or posture that I do. My best advice as a trainer is this…

Train for a trip! 👊🔥

There are four main areas of exercise which are endurance, flexibility, strength and balance. Isometric workouts address all four areas very well. No matter your sport, weight training alone is not enough to prepare you for performance. I learned that lesson through experience. Now, as a skier and hiker, I continue to lift weights, but for the past several years I have added infrared (IR) isometrics to my training routine and it has literally changed my life. It has transformed my fitness for athletics. My skiing has elevated and my hiking has graduated to new heights as well.

When you go beyond strength training with IR isometrics to address endurance, flexibility and balance, you will see a marked improvement in movement performance!

Infrared Isometrics improves all of the four areas of fitness mentioned above. I’ve noticed my performance improvement most prominently in the balance and flexibility areas. This is good because it has allowed me to enjoy my two sporting endeavors with greater mobility and less susceptibility to injuries. I remember a time during football training when I pulled a hamstring, the same muscle, twice. I pulled it the second time on the exact same sprint drill after I thought that I had fully recovered. Perhaps, if I had been into a steady practice of hot yoga back then, I could have avoided that injury.

Greater flexibility prevents injury!

Infrared isometrics is especially effective for stretching. The heat primes your muscles for added flexibility, and, so long as the subject is no further than three feet from the IR heaters, the heat generated from IR is absorbed within the body due to deep penetration from the waves of infrared energy.

The use of heat as a “good” stressor is one of the reasons for the popularization of hot yoga throughout the world. And now there is IR hot yoga. Infrared hot yoga in a sauna was first introduced by HOTWORX. The HOTWORX franchise, through the use of a patented infrared sauna, actually offers multiple types of hot isometric based workouts, beyond just yoga, that incorporate stretching and foam rolling to elevate flexibility.

Greater flexibility reduces the risks for injury. And, science backs the idea that heat from an external source is needed to improve flexibility for certain parts of the body. See the quote below from the Medical Science Monitor:

Light exercise raises the blood flow to muscle and the temperature of muscle rises toward that of the core. But other tissues such as the knee and its ligaments can only be heated effectively externally. This is also true for the ankle. Here, external heat may be of great benefit. (1)

Heat can certainly help to increase muscle and ligament flexibility. I would argue that IR heat, with its deep penetration through the skin, can work even more effectively for flexibility than that of traditional convection heat.

No matter what your sport is, or if you simply want better mobility and general fitness, infrared isometrics should be a part of your fitness regime.
👊🔥

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3747018

Fasted cardio is a buzz term in fitness. So, what is it and why is it gaining popularity?

Fasted cardio, or fasted training in general, can be defined as working out during a period of non-eating and restricted liquid intake. Training during a fasted state is gaining popularity because of the results that can be obtained, namely fat loss as the most desired outcome.

“Fat is the main fuel source used during exercise when fasting…” (1)

When carbs are depleted from fasting, workouts burn fat on an empty stomach. Fat loss is not the only benefit, though. Athletes will be happy to know studies have shown that V02 max, a measure of endurance, increases over time in response to fasted training.

Fasted training can get you to ketosis faster than diet alone.

“If you are following a low-carbohydrate diet and aren't reaching ketosis or having symptoms, high-energy activities like sprinting or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) will quickly use up your glucose stores so you reach ketosis quickly.” (2)

Analysis of fasted training research suggests that quick workouts during a fasted state are preferred over longer periods of training to avoid fatigue from extended training time. In other words, don’t overtrain. Additionally, quick infrared HIIT workouts can yield a higher and longer workout calorie after-burn without the likelihood of overtraining.

In 2016 an analysis and review of numerous studies was performed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, and it was found that there was a significant increase in fat oxidation among subjects who worked out in a fasted state versus a fed state. The review resulted in this declaration: “We conclude that aerobic exercise performed in the fasted state induces higher fat oxidation than exercise performed in the fed state.” (3)

I would recommend fasted workouts in the mornings to get your day started, and/or fasted training around noon before eating while using an amino/eloctrolyte powder or gummy with your water during these lunchtime fasted workouts. The calories from these powders are negligible, but this will increase your workout performance and recovery after 16 hours of fasting.

Morning fasted workouts are ideal if you wait to eat until lunchtime. Studies have shown that waiting 2-3 hours to eat after training in a fasted state increases levels of growth hormone. I find that it is easier to wait until noon to eat and that I can benefit from the increased GH immediately following the workout during the hours leading up to the first meal at noon.

In the same way that combining heat with infrared energy for your workout increases efficiency, the combination of fasting with your workout can accelerate weight and fat loss with your diet.

Another thing to consider in the choice of what time you should train is your body’s natural circadian rhythm. Good sleep = better health. Most fitness experts agree that early in the day is best for fasted training and good sleep. Morning workouts are preferred to match the circadian clock. Training and/or eating too close to bedtime can disrupt REM and deep sleep.

In my opinion, evening workouts are fine as long as the fasting period begins soon after and if the workout is well before bedtime so as not to interfere with deep sleep.

Fasting increases insulin resistance, optimizes levels of GH, and increases glycogen breakdown. This suggest how important the workout calorie after-burn is during a fasted state. The after-burn leads to higher levels of fat oxidation. Infrared HIIT training generates an intense and longer lasting after-burn. This is why I urge HOTWORX members to use infrared HIIT as a way to utilize the advantages of fasted workouts and from the fasted after-burn (post-workout) elevated metabolism.

Train fasted my friends!
👊🔥

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6983467/
(2) https://www.livestrong.com/article/474030-will-exercise-put-me-into-ketosis-quicker/
(3) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27609363/

The 2022 HOTWORX Franchise Convention theme was “FOCUS”, and it was a laser focused event indeed. From the opening of the first day with a laser light show set to high energy music to the riveting lineup of speakers, the three day event was jam packed with great content. The energy level was sky high with almost 1000 people in attendance live and another few hundred watching online.

World renowned scientist and heat therapy expert Dr. Rhonda Patrick delivered a brilliant talk involving several topics relevant to infrared training. Her comments on hormesis as it relates to training in a sauna were exceptionally noteworthy!

The keynote address was delivered by Amy Purdy as the final speaker of the opening day and she brought the house down with her story of how to turn obstacles into opportunities. If you want some extra motivation, find a copy of her book On My Own Two Feet.

In the background of the convention the annual Virtual Instructor Competition was held with multiple segments including interviews, small group training, the outdoor isometric workout, the photo shoot and the onstage finals the last day. I must say that the top 7 for this new season are an incredibly talented group of fitness athletes. They will certainly be bringing it very soon for the filming of new 2022-2023 infrared workouts.

The Expo Hall this year was packed and the vendors welcomed franchisees with open arms! There were many fresh and exciting things displayed this year from newly expanded yoga wear offerings and imaginative retail displays to transformation of sister brand Planet Beach into the innovative new 24 Hour Sol Spa concept. HOTWORX Brand Ambassador, Rachel Bradshaw, was in the house signing autographs at her booth, and the VI candidates performed a live photo shoot competition in one area of the Expo. The hall was electric this year!

Amy Gordon returned to host the Laser Focus Awards Banquet and served very well as the auctioneer of the charity fund raise for Sacred Mountain Retreat Center to benefit Wounded Vets and First Responders. So far in 2022 the company has raised 100K between the Hiking for Heroes Kilimanjaro climb to the silent and live convention auctions in support of this important cause providing vital therapy to veterans in need!

Big thanks go out to all who donated cash for the Kilimanjaro climb and to those who purchased items and donated items for the auctions. Your support for our troops and first responders in need is greatly appreciated!

With the largest company convention ever now in the books, HOTWORX looks to next year with the theme of “MOMENTUM” for the 2023 franchise convention. Stay tuned!
👊🔥

As I reflect back on my career in fitness it dawns on me that I have been directly involved in not only fitness but the franchising of fitness for most of my professional life. My very first franchise encounter was with Gold’s Gym, which was quite the learning experience. I became a licensee and eventually owned three locations. I still love that brand and I travel out to Venice, CA now and then to train at the original Gold’s known as the Mecca of Bodybuilding.

What I learned from being a licensee of Gold’s was how important it was to have standards for a franchise. It was the lack of standards with Gold’s that eventually pushed me in another direction, which was to become a franchisor.

Over the past 3+ decades since I became a licensee of Gold’s I have honed from my experience three areas that can make or break a franchise. I call these the three pillars of franchising. If all three are done right, then there will be high levels of success for the organization. Here they are:

Pillar 1 - Profit

Let’s face it, people buy into a franchise for the opportunity to make money. The right way to do it, though, and the long term path to great profits in a franchised business is through the shear delight of the customer all the time! The franchisor must focus the entire franchise on profitability based on giving customers the highest level of satisfaction that they can possibly obtain. In fitness, this means RESULTS for their body and mind! And, if high levels of results can be delivered to health club members on a consistent basis, then customers will reward the business with great profits! This is a win, win scenario. The customer wins from great value for their money, the franchisee wins with high net income in their bank account, and the franchisor wins from the continued growth of the franchise and the profits derived from business expansion.

Pillar 2 - Customer Experience

The customer experience will determine how much value they assign to their membership. This is where a franchise system can shine if the concept is structured properly. The concept needs to be fresh at all times and this requires constant work and innovation on behalf of the franchisor. This is not an area for the franchisee. The franchisor develops and maintains the concept and the franchisee executes it. The concept of the fitness studio accounts for about 20% of the customer experience, but it is the sole responsibility of the franchisor to keep it fresh and innovative. The workout is the largest piece of the success pie. The workout experience itself is half of the success pie! Take a concept like HOTWORX where there are so many different well produced workouts for customers to choose from that it keeps the satisfaction level for members very high. Traditional gyms rely on local delivery of workout content most of the time that is less reliable and very expensive to the gym owner.

Workout content is KING my friends! When the workout content is controlled by the franchisor, then the consistency and the integrity of the workout method can remain intact. Consistency is the key to workout success for customers.

The last 30% of the customer experience equation is straight up customer service. This area is completely reliant upon, and controlled by the franchisee. There are two parts to customer service in the fitness studio business, cleanliness and hospitality.

Cleanliness is an absolute no brainer. The gym has to be spotless, clutter free, on point with the brand design requirements and alive with the right background music at all times. There can be no exception to this for the sake of the customers. Sounds like common sense I know, but some operators just don’t get it for whatever reason and they are penalized in the form of lost members and lost profits.

The second part of customer service is hospitality. This is the most important aspect of a business that has to be supported by everything else that constitutes the customer experience.  What is required for hospitality is for the entire staff to be on their “A” game at all times when they report for duty at the studio. Customers should feel at home no matter which location they choose to visit for a workout!

So here it is. This is how hospitality works for customer service…

Just be nice!

When we started our first franchise, Planet Beach, in the spring of 1996, the first commitment I made to myself as a new franchisor was to be a freak about the importance of member reciprocation so as not to have the same problems that Gold’s had with respect to that issue. Gold’s had three different variations for reciprocation and it was utter chaos for the owners and for the customers. To this day, I am still a stickler about all aspects of customer service. Common sense, though, should govern how reciprocal members are treated. Reciprocal members deserve the same high level of hospitality and respect at all locations within the franchise and not just their home location! There can be no exceptions to this rule!

Customers reward businesses with 5 star reviews when they feel like they are respected and greeted with a smile at an establishment. It doesn’t take volumes of customer service books to understand how to deliver it. Just be nice to your customers. A smile and a little bit of love for all of your customers, no matter who they are, goes a LONG WAY! Franchise owners are in full control of this aspect, and all locations rely on each other to get it right every time for the sake of the customers and the brand reputation.

Pillar 3 - Teamwork

Anybody who knows me understands that I am a football fanatic. I played the sport for many years and grew up as a kid listening to all of my dad’s football war stories. The game has shaped my life and has given me an understanding of business from a competitive standpoint. That understanding is naturally a part of my strategic beliefs that I practice for the two franchise brands that I am responsible for as a CEO.

In my book, HOT EXERCISE, the last few pages address the topic of franchising as team. Without a doubt, a franchise is a team. The franchisor is the coaching staff and is responsible for teaching and motivating the players to execute the playbook for the purpose of scoring the most number of points possible. In franchising, these points translate to profits. The franchisee is the player on the team responsible for executing the franchisor’s playbook. Both the coach (franchisor) and the player (franchisee) must work together and have the discipline to perform their roles at the highest level for the benefit of the fans who are the end users of the fitness business. There is no other way. The roles of the coach and the player cannot be blended. The coach cannot go out on the field of operations and score the points and the player cannot be distracted trying to make up their own plays.

When the discipline of the two roles, coach and player, franchisor and franchisee, are adhered to and when they both practice teamwork to understand and deploy the three pillars of franchising, then the magic will begin to happen for the entire organization.
👊🔥

Intermittent fasting works! I find that a 16 hour per day fasting period yields great results for a calorie restricting practice and for a general feeling of wellness. My experience is one of a sense of being lean and of efficiency in terms of my metabolism. There are a few things to know about fasting that can make it more effective, though.

First, what can I drink during my fasted hours? Sparkling water, mineral water, or flat water will not break your fast because there are zero calories with the intake. A good cold sparkling water with lemon extract and a hot black coffee with stevia works for me. Being from New Orleans, I prefer my coffee with chicory, thank you very much. 👍 Evidence shows that chicory is healthy for you and won’t detract from the fast.

What about supplements? Can I take them during fasting hours? It depends on your goal.

For some people, ketosis is more important to them than a state of absolute fast, and that’s ok if fat loss is primarily what you seek. If that is the case, then you can consume very small amounts of calories, such as gummy supplements that might have 5 calories per gummy. This practice might technically break your fast but it will not break the state of ketosis. Proceed with caution though, and it might make sense just to wait for your first meal to take your supplements so as not to break the fast or risk your state of ketosis, not to mention, supplements usually absorb more readily with food intake.

It makes sense to seek out sugar free supplements to avoid extra calories that might break your fast!

As indicated in the first paragraph, fasting benefits go beyond that of just a way to restrict caloric intake. It allows the body time to repair, recover and maintain rather than just focus on digestion. I recommend at least 16 hours of fasting per day. I like to begin meals around 11 a.m. and end meals at 7 p.m. Pick the fasted hours that work best for your schedule.

Fasting causes metabolic changes that lead to a desired state of ketosis. Ketosis happens when your body begins to burn fat for energy due to the unavailability of carbs. You want this to happen during your intermittent fast periods which is why it is important not to intake anything that will break the fast and slow down the ketosis.

Fasting also promotes autophagy. Autophagy rids the body of damaged, harmful and otherwise unneeded cells and dysfunctional cell components within the body.

Want to shift your intermittent fasting into overdrive? Try fasted infrared training. HOTWORX provides over 10 different workout types to put your cardio and resistance workouts to the test when you are in a fasted state. Stay tuned for next weeks blog post when I take up the follow on topic of fasted infrared workouts!
👊🔥

The price for a quality deep tissue massage for 50 minutes is around $100-150 depending on where you are in the country. I sometimes hire a massage therapist for a deep tissue session when I am on vacation, but only when I don’t have access to a HOTWORX workout sauna. In my experience, I know that I can get a deep tissue massage on my own using foam roller. That being the case, why would I spend a hundred bucks, unless I just wanted that experience on a vacation.

When should a foam roller be used? At a minimum, you should practice foam rolling immediately following your workout, and I would recommend inside of an infrared sauna. Post workout foam rolling can enhance the recovery process, and especially in a heated environment to promote even greater muscle relaxation. Elite athletes foam roll to stimulate more blood flow which provides more oxygen to sore muscle fibers. There is evidence to prove that pre-workout foam rolling increases short term flexibility, so that is something to consider as well to improve workout performance.

Your body will tell you where you need to focus with your roller. Some muscles will be tighter with more fascial trigger points that need attention. Focus there until those muscles loosen up, or when those trigger points release the tension.

Smoothing out the knots in the fascia is important to increase flexibility and to improve workout muscle recovery.

Self myofacial release can be accomplished through foam rolling. Fascia are the tissues that connect muscles. “Fascia is defined as a sheet or band of fibrous connective tissue enveloping, separating, or binding together muscles, organs, and other tissues of the body.” (1)

Tightness and trigger points develop in the muscle fascia that need to be relaxed and lengthened to promote recovery and flexibility. Slow rolling over the trigger points with enough pressure to provide mild discomfort is best. Find the right level of pressure and apply it until the area becomes relaxed. This should take only 5-30 seconds for any area that you are working. Since fascia runs in all directions, I would recommend a knobby roller like the one in the photo at the top of this article. For some people this is too much, and in that case a smooth surface roller will work for them.

Current research demonstrates that foam rolling after your workout does indeed accelerate recovery. A compilation of this research was performed and reported in a Frontiers in Physiology article entitled, “A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Foam Rolling on Performance and Recovery”.

The analysis concluded that: “The current review demonstrates that post-rolling recovers exercise-induced decreases in sprint and strength performance more quickly than passive recovery.” (2)

You should consider adding foam rolling to the end of each of your workouts! Your muscles will thank you.

👊🔥

(1) https://functionalfascia.com/whats-it-all-about/fascia-facts/
(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6465761/

I had the honor recently to meet Dr. Rhonda Patrick in an online discussion about her upcoming guest appearance onstage at our franchise convention to be held in Scottsdale, AZ this August 1-3. During the meeting she spoke about hormesis and the role it plays in usage of infrared saunas. Her insights were enlightening to say the least.

What is hormesis?

“In the fields of biology and medicine hormesis is defined as an adaptive response of cells and organisms to a moderate (usually intermittent) stress. Examples include ischemic preconditioning, exercise, dietary energy restriction and exposures to low doses of certain phytochemicals.” (1)

Hormesis is the bodily response to hormetic stress. In other words, these hormetic stressors trigger hormesis. Hormesis conditions cells of the body to withstand even greater stress. One example that I am very familiar with is the use of an oxygen restrictive mask during Hot Cycle HIIT sessions in an infrared sauna. I used this method of stressors to condition my body to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and the result allowed me to scale a very high altitude on the quickest route with ease in a low oxygen environment.

Hormetic stress can make you physically and mentally stronger!

Evidence is mounting to suggest that hormetic stressors like HIIT training, intermittent fasting and exposure to infrared saunas may assist the body with adaptation to other “negative” stressors such as depression and anxiety through a process known as cross-adaptation.

The understanding of hormesis at the cellular and molecular level is leading to better methods for preventing disease. HOTWORX promotes intermittent stress by way of infrared sauna usage for workouts. HOTWORX also promotes the practice of intermittent fasting through the use of its proprietary Diet Trax software available for use by members on the HOTWORX BURN OFF APP with a membership upgrade.

The franchise is pleased to announce that world renowned scientist, Dr. Rhonda Patrick, an expert in the field of hormesis and co-founder of Found My Fitness Podcast, will participate in an onstage discussion and audience Q&A at this year’s annual HOTWORX franchise convention. Please note that Dr. Patrick is a convention guest and not an endorser of HOTWORX services or products. HOTWORX looks forward to her deep dive into the science of the benefits of exercise and sauna usage.

Her podcast includes discussions on the benefits of exposing the body to hormetic stressors such as cold, heat, fasting, and exercise. Her guests include scientists, authors, and other experts covering scientific and health related information.

“Dr. Rhonda Patrick has a gift for translating complex scientific topics into actionable insights in her videos, podcasts, and articles. She's dedicated to the pursuit of longevity and optimal health—and shares the latest research on nutrition, aging, and disease prevention with her growing audience.” (2)

Dr. Patrick is a published scientist and health educator based in San Diego. As stated before, she runs a popular website, podcast, and YouTube channel called FoundMyFitness which focuses on promoting strategies for increasing healthspan, well-being, cognitive and physical performance and includes interviews with many scientists at the forefront of the aging field.

Her areas of focus include micronutrient deficiencies and their role in aging, the role of genetics and epigenetics in health status, benefits of exposing the body to hormetic stressors, such as through sauna use or heat stress, various forms of cold exposure, exercise, fasting, or plant phytochemicals, and the importance of mindfulness, stress reduction, and sleep.

Her work has been published in the journals Experimental Gerontology, FASEB, Nature Cell Biology, and Trends in Cell Biology.

Among other relevant topics, at the HOTWORX convention she will discuss the role of hormesis as it relates to hot exercise.

👊🔥

(1) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18162444/

(2) https://www.foundmyfitness.com/about-dr-rhonda-patrick