Pat said:Over my many years of swimming, every pool has been next to a sauna room and
a steam room. I have noticed countless really fat people going into the
steam room. One guy in particular (that is between 350-450 pounds) does
nothing at the gym BUT the steam room. A few years ago, I tried it myself.
I couldn't find anything redeeming in it and only managed to stay about 5
minutes.
So, in nearly 10 years, this particular guy hasn't lost a pound and yet he
faithfully sits in the steam room every time I go to swim. Another guy of
about 400 pounds went in on Tuesday and sat for 5 minutes and came out. He
"rested" and then went back for another 5 minutes. He did this about 6
times. I was swimming laps at the time.
Once, a guy told me that the steam room "melted away the fat" and he
believed it! I wanted to "invite" him to come in the pool and at least walk
up and down, but when I stopped to say it, he ducked inside the steam room
to "melt" more fat....
Pat in TX
A very expensive club I used go to had a lovely 25m ozone treated
pool, which they claimed was kept at a constant 28 C. Sadly, the
(air) temperature was quite a bit on the chilly side. Whilst doing,
say, the crawl, each time a body part emerged from under the
protective water temeratures , the chill in the air was quite
annoying.
Luckily, there was a steam room, sauna and two jacuzzies to escape to
on those days when the draughtiness took the wind out of the will to
swim. Or at least, helped to build up an imagined increased internal
temperature to inspire enough courage to get on and enjoy a dip in the
pool.
However, at one point, the steam room wasn't what you might call
working right. I'd pop in and notice no great heat had hit me, but
assumed that maybe, having just come out of a long swim, I was too
cold to notice it quickly. So I'd sit and wait and wait and wait and
wonder why the steam room was so full.
Then someone would do something to the thermostat and the steam would
start going and then the complaints would start. "Too hot", they'd
whine, whilst fumbling with their broadsheet newspapers in a manner
to highlight their protest.
When one can reads a newspaper in a steam room... it aint't really
working.
The sauna was often just as good. Only when it was working properly
was it possible to find a place to sit.
Overall, the main benetits to these facilities were, I'd suspect,
social in nature. People would chatter there more comfortably then
they were able to manage in the pool. That was London prior to the
restrictions extention on the smoking in public spaces, so for many
people it was a social valve.
Your fat guy might like it because there's no food involved.
But if he can stay in there throughout your entire workout, either the
steam room is not up to steam, or there's something wrong with him.
