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Biohack Your Edge: Performance Unchained Insider Ed.8

Welcome to the 8th Edition of Performance Unchained Insider! 🚀


Dear Readers,


I’m excited to welcome you back to another powerful edition of Performance Unchained Insider—your go-to source for science-backed strategies in athletic performance and recovery. This newsletter is more than a publication—it’s a growing community of athletes, coaches, and performance-driven professionals who believe in the power of evidence-based methods to push limits and achieve sustainable, next-level results.


Each edition is crafted to connect you with the latest peer-reviewed research, cutting-edge tools, and real-world applications that you can use to train smarter, recover better, and stay ahead of the game. My mission is to bridge the gap between science and performance, and help you implement what works—with clarity, confidence, and purpose.


If you haven’t subscribed yet, now’s the time. Every issue is designed to empower, educate, and evolve how we approach human performance. Join our community of forward-thinkers and unlock your edge.


Let’s keep leveling up—together. 💪


To high performance and smarter recovery, 

Randy Palacios

Founder, Flexfit Wellness & Recovery

📬 Not subscribed yet? Join the movement and never miss the insights that could change your game.


Wellness Spotlight: Top Recovery Tip of the Month



🔥 Can Sitting in an Infrared Sauna After a Workout Boost Your Performance? Science Steps In. 💪🧖‍♀️

If you’re anything like us, the idea of sweating in an infrared sauna post-workout sounds like a perfect recovery day. But here’s the burning question: Does it actually make you stronger, faster, or help you build more muscle?

A brand new study published in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living took that question seriously—by testing whether infrared sauna sessions after training could enhance neuromuscular performance and muscle hypertrophy in real athletes.

Let’s just say... the results were hot—but maybe not in the way you’d expect. 🔥👀


🔬 The Study: Saunas Meet Science

Researchers took 40 female team sport athletes and split them into two groups:

  • 🧖‍♀️ The Infrared Sauna Group (IRS): 10 minutes in a 50°C infrared sauna after training

  • 🧊 The Control Group: No sauna, just regular recovery

Both groups followed the same 6-week strength and power training program (2–3 sessions per week). Then came testing time:

🏃‍♀️ 20-meter sprint

💥 Squat and countermovement jumps (with and without added weight)

🦵 Max isometric leg press

📏 Muscle thickness via ultrasound + full body DEXA scans


📊 The Results: Sweat ≠ Size, But…

Let’s get into it:

✅ Neuromuscular Gains:

The sauna group showed a significant boost in power, especially in:

  • 🔸 Countermovement jump (CMJ) with 15% extra weight

  • 🔸 Peak power output

🔥 Translation? They jumped higher and pushed harder than before—so, the heat may have helped with explosive strength over time.

❌ Muscle Hypertrophy:

Despite the steamy sessions, there were no major changes in muscle size compared to the control group. So, infrared sauna ≠ shortcut to swole. Sorry, muscle-chasers.


📈 The Stats You Should Know:

  • CMJ Height (with 15% load): Significant interaction effect (p = 0.002)

  • Peak Power: Jumped up significantly after IRS (p = 0.002)

  • Muscle Growth Measures: No significant changes between groups

🔍 Bottom Line? Sauna use enhanced performance, not muscle mass.


💡 What This Means for You

If you’re an athlete, coach, or weekend warrior wondering if the extra 10 minutes of heat therapy post-training is worth it—here’s the tea (or sweat?):


🔥 Yes, Try It If You Want To:

  • Increase explosiveness and power output

  • Add a low-effort recovery tool

  • Feel mentally relaxed while still reaping some physical rewards

🧊 But Don’t Count on It To:

  • Replace lifting heavy or eating protein for muscle growth

  • Act as a performance miracle on its own


🏆 Final Verdict: Infrared Sauna = Power Boost, Not Mass Gain

This study showed that repeated infrared sauna sessions after training can enhance neuromuscular performance—specifically power output during weighted jumps. But when it comes to building muscle? It’s still all about the reps, the sets, and the recovery meals. 🍗💪

Still, if you're already training hard, the infrared sauna might just give you the edge you're looking for—especially if explosive power is your game.


Would you try infrared sauna after workouts?

Drop your thoughts below or tag a gym buddy who loves sweating it out!👇

📲 Follow us for more science-backed performance hacks!



Athletic Performance Spotlight: Unlock Your Edge Tip of the Month



🎮🔥 Squat Gains in the Metaverse? How Virtual Reality and Visual Stimuli May Supercharge Leg Day!

Would you believe us if we said your brain might squat harder before your legs even do the work? Welcome to the future of fitness, where optokinetic stimulation and virtual reality join forces to tweak how your body balances and builds muscle during one of the most fundamental exercises—the squat.

A new study out of Cureus explored a wild, exciting idea: 👉 Can visual motion cues inside VR alter how your muscles and balance behave during squats? Spoiler alert: Yes. And it's cooler than it sounds.

Let’s break down what they found, what it means, and how your next VR workout might get real gains.


🧠 Wait—What Is Optokinetic Stimulation (OKS)?

Optokinetic stimulation (OKS) is a fancy term for moving visual patterns that trick your brain into feeling motion—even when you're standing still. Think about sitting on a train, watching another train move, and suddenly you feel like you’re moving too. That’s OKS in action.

Now, throw this into a VR headset during squats and what do you get? A strange but effective shift in how your muscles fire, balance stabilizes, and weight shifts. The study compared:

  • 🧘 SOKS: Stationary stimulation (control)

  • ↔️ HOKS: Horizontal visual motion

  • 🔄 TOKS: Torsional (spiral-like) motion


🧪 The Setup

  • 👥 23 healthy participants

  • 🎧 VR headset delivering visual motion

  • 🏋️‍♂️ Everyone performed squats under three visual conditions

  • 📊 Measured: Balance shifts (Center of Pressure or CoP), Foot pressure (FP), Muscle activation (EMG), in the quads and hamstrings


🧠 The Results Are In: Your Eyes Might Be Boosting Your Legs

🔄 TOKS (Torsional Motion) Was the MVP

📌 More Sway = More Work Participants swayed significantly more during TOKS—meaning greater postural challenge.

📌 Weight Shifted to One Side TOKS made participants unknowingly lean toward the visual stimulus side, increasing foot pressure on that side by 10.9%.

📌 Muscles Went Into Overdrive Muscle activation (EMG) jumped:

  • VM (vastus medialis): +4.6%

  • VL (vastus lateralis): +4.0%

  • BF (biceps femoris): +4.9%

  • ST (semitendinosus): +5.5%

💥 The increase was especially strong during the flexion (lowering) and extension (pushing up) phases of the squat. Yes, your brain was calling in backup from your muscles because of what your eyes were seeing!

📌 Fast-Twitch Fibers Activated Median frequency increased in some muscles, indicating more fast-twitch fiber recruitment—a good sign for power and strength gains.


🎯 What This Means for Fitness, Rehab & Sports

🏋️ For Trainers & Coaches:

  • Use VR + OKS for neuromuscular training, especially in balance, agility, or rehab settings.

  • TOKS may help stimulate muscle symmetry and motor control, especially for one-sided weaknesses.

🧠 For Rehab Specialists:

  • Potential to retrain balance in stroke, injury, or elderly populations using safe, engaging tech.

  • Useful for improving proprioception, stability, and leg strength in low-impact ways.

🚶‍♂️ For Fitness Lovers:

  • VR training may not just be fun—it could seriously boost muscle engagement.

  • TOKS shows that visual cues change how your body moves, so imagine pairing this with strength, balance, or HIIT workouts.


🧾 Final Thoughts: The Eyes Have It

This study proves something revolutionary: 👉 Your visual environment in virtual reality can manipulate your real-world movement, muscle activation, and balance.

So next time you're debating whether VR training is just a gimmick—remember: A spiral on a screen might be the future of better squats, smarter training, and safer rehab. 🧠🔥🏋️


Would you try squatting in a VR headset with spinning graphics? Tag a coach, PT, or fitness nerd who needs to see this.👇 📲 Follow us for more cutting-edge exercise science, performance insights, and future-of-fitness tech.



Mental Performance Spotlight: Mind Over Matter Tip of the Month



⚽️💭 Flow State & Football: How Mental Energy Fuels Game-Day Magic

You’ve seen it before—those moments on the pitch when a footballer seems untouchable. Every pass connects, every move flows, and it’s like time slows down.

That’s the “flow state”—an elite mental zone where performance feels effortless, focus is razor-sharp, and the game seems to play itself.

But what gets a player into that zone? Is it training? Talent? A pre-game playlist?

👀 According to new research, 📚 published in BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, the answer might lie in something deeper: 🧠 Athletic Mental Energy—the internal fuel that powers your performance engine.


🧠 What Is “Athletic Mental Energy”?

Think of it as the mental battery pack athletes use to stay confident, focused, motivated, and emotionally stable—especially under pressure.

This new study wanted to find out:

🧐 “Can athletic mental energy help predict how likely a footballer is to experience flow state?”

Spoiler: It absolutely CAN!


📊 The Study Breakdown

✅ Who Was Studied?

  • 🧍‍♂️ 254 male professional football players

  • 🧓 Average age: 23.1 years

  • ⚽️ Active in high-level competition

✅ What Was Measured?

  • 🧠 Athletic Mental Energy using a validated scale

  • 🌊 Flow State using the Dispositional Flow State Scale

✅ How Did They Analyze It?

  • 💻 Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)

  • 🔍 Correlation and regression analysis


⚡️ Key Findings: Energy Drives the Zone

1️⃣ Mental Energy and Flow Are Tight Teammates

  • Players with higher mental energy were significantly more likely to experience flow state during play.

2️⃣ Mental Energy Predicts Flow (Big Time)

  • Statistical power? 💥 β = 0.81

  • That’s a strong, meaningful predictor of flow—mental energy isn’t just helpful, it’s essential.

3️⃣ The Mental Edge Is Real

  • Focused attention, motivation, confidence, and emotional regulation (all components of mental energy) play major roles in achieving “in-the-zone” moments.


🧠 So, How Can Athletes Boost Mental Energy?

Here’s your mental fitness playbook:

✅ Mindfulness – Practice being present in the moment to improve awareness.

✅ Visualization – Rehearse game situations mentally before stepping onto the pitch.

✅ Positive Self-Talk – Replace doubt with affirmations.

✅ Mental Recovery – Don’t just rest your muscles; rest your mind.


🏆 Final Whistle: Fuel the Mind, Elevate the Game

This study proves what elite players and performance psychologists already know:

The mind is the secret weapon in sport.

⚡️ Mental energy is not a luxury—it’s the foundation of flow. 

⚽️ When footballers tap into it, they don’t just play the game—they own it.

📲 Are you training your body and your mind? 💬 Let’s talk mental fitness—drop your favorite pre-game mindset hack below! 👇

📥 Follow for more science-backed insights on peak performance, mindset, and athletic psychology.



Thank you for diving into the 8th edition of Performance Unchained Insider! 🔥


From the power of post-exercise infrared sauna on muscle growth, to the cutting-edge use of virtual reality in strength training, and the link between mental energy and flow state in athletes—this edition was built to challenge your thinking, expand your toolbox, and fuel your performance potential.


If something resonated with you, let’s keep the momentum going—react, comment, or share this with a colleague, coach, or athlete who’s hungry to grow. Let’s create a community where evidence-based performance isn’t just discussed—it’s applied.


💡 Got thoughts or suggestions? I’m all ears. Let me know what YOU want to see next. I promise to bring you impactful, science-backed studies in every edition—content you can trust and potentially implement.


🚀 Not subscribed yet? Follow us now and become part of a growing movement dedicated to smarter recovery, stronger performance, and informed evolution.

Until next time—train smart, recover hard, and stay relentless. 


– Randy Palacios

Founder, Flexfit Wellness & Recovery


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