In celebration of the Pittsburgh Marathon and all of the amazing runners who participated during race weekend, I wanted to really spotlight how powerful floating can be for athletes. In my personal experience, floating is a fantastic tool both during training AND post-event (or post-hard training session). In this blog, I’ll focus on the recovery side - we had quite a few runners come through in the week after the race in need of some float time! I’ll share one important tip to consider BEFORE booking that post-race appointment below too.

Better Sleep and Better Performance - Floating in Training

So, why would you want to use floating to help you recover from hard training? Here are some takes from three fairly recent studies, all on in-season athletes or that involved floating directly after a training session…

One 2019 study sought to find out how floating affected both an athlete’s sleep quality AND various performance metrics (the explosive kind specifically: jumps and very short sprints). Ultimately, the authors wanted to see how floating measured up against passive recovery performed for the same period of time. The results were phenomenal and will hopefully spur further study with larger sample sizes (N=19 in this study).

The group that floated after training experienced better sleep quality, decreased muscle soreness and physical fatigue, and importantly, significantly better scores on their explosive training metrics. This is particularly useful to all of our strength athletes, but will clearly benefit anyone. 

A 2016 paper delved further into the recovery metric - both comparing floating to passive recovery, but also comparing a nap in the float tank to a totally conscious float. This study found that regardless of mental state in the tank, participants experience significant decreases in muscle soreness versus the control group. This study also looked at mental state post-float, and interestingly found that those who did nap in the tank experienced slightly greater improvements in certain mood variable (they felt less tense, more fresh, and more at ease). So don’t worry about falling asleep in the tank, it’s good for you!

Finally, a 2013 study observed that participants who floated right after a hard training session saw a 25% reduction in blood lactate over the control group, which can lead to faster muscle recovery (so you can train again, sooner). This group also saw an overall decrease in DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). 

Meeting your Magnesium Needs

A huge benefit of floating for athletes - the possibility of greater magnesium uptake from an extensive epsom salt soak. We know that magnesium is a hugely important mineral, affecting hundreds of enzyme reactions in the body. We know it’s vital for muscle and nerve function. And we know that athletes plow through their magnesium stores way faster than the general population. So any method of increasing magnesium is important.

The concept of transdermal (through the skin) absorption of magnesium is very trendy right now. There are no shortage of magnesium lotions on the market (and I’ll be honest, I’ve used a bunch). This is a controversial topic in the literature - most research points to no significant magnesium uptake through the skin barrier. Your top layer of essentially dead skin cells, the stratum corneum doesn’t allow it. 

However, a 2016 paper from Chandrasekaran et al. suggests that magnesium uptake IS possible through hair follicles, when given enough volume (of magnesium) and time. Floating in 1500lbs of epsom salt for an hour? That just might do. But remember, you really do want your head and hair in the water.

Post-Event Processing

This is more anecdotal, but I have found floating to be immensely helpful with the mental side of training. I’ll cover more about visualization in the tank in a future blog, but I really enjoyed using my time in the tank to mentally replay what went well and what didn’t during a race/powerlifting meet/hard training session. Having a dedicated space that is separated from the emotion around the sport can help make you see the reality of it more clearly. In my case, finishing my first marathon was an incredibly emotional moment. I didn’t get to float immediately after, but in my next float I was able to dissect the mistakes I made (not scoping out the pre-race area, not warming up thoroughly enough with the cold rainy weather), revel in the feeling of accomplishment of meeting this huge goal (I finished in 3:50, my A goal), and start planning out my next goal (triathlon and powerlifting? We’ll see).

A word of advice: I would NOT recommend floating directly after a race, or any event where you might chafe. I once made the mistake of getting directly in the tank after a humid 15 mile run and I will NEVER make that mistake again. So much burning. Give your skin a little time, and go to town with the A&D ointment. Otherwise, floating is an excellent tool to add to your recovery regimen.

Our float tanks in both Sewickley and Lawrenceville are great for athletes because they’re large enough to stretch out your arms and legs (think starfish!) so you can find a comfortable position to float in, enhancing your recovery session.

Sources

Broderick, V., Uiga, L., & Driller, M. (2019). Flotation-restricted environmental stimulation therapy improves sleep and performance recovery in athletes. Performance Enhancement & Health, 7(1-2), 100149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.peh.2019.100149 

Chandrasekaran, N. C., Sanchez, W. Y., Mohammed, Y. H., Grice, J. E., Roberts, M. S., & Barnard, R. T. (2016). Permeation of topically applied magnesium ions through human skin is facilitated by hair follicles. Magnesium Research, 29(2), 35–42. https://doi.org/10.1684/mrh.2016.0402 

Driller, M. W., & Argus, C. K. (2016). Flotation restricted environmental stimulation therapy and napping on mood state and muscle soreness in elite athletes: A novel recovery strategy? Performance Enhancement & Health, 5(2), 60–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.peh.2016.08.002 

Morgan, P. M., Salacinski, A. J., & Stults-Kolehmainen, M. A. (2013). The acute effects of flotation restricted environmental stimulation technique on recovery from maximal eccentric exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 27(12), 3467–3474. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e31828f277e