Cold Plunge Enthusiasts?

[El Presidente]

Do we have any Cold Plunge enthusiasts on FOH? 

I have a couple of mates who swear by an ice plunge or at the bare minimum.....cold showers. They are not sane at the best of times 

Personally, the idea leaves me cold......... ....... but I am happy to give it a shot if there are some advocates on here who can spruik its longterm value. 

[Ford2112]

We have a refuge spa in Carmel CA where you do a 15 to 20 minute stint in a Eucalyptus steam room, then a plunge into a 45 degree pool and then a 33 degree pool. Then off to a fire pit for a bit after a hot tub soak. Coupled with the anti gravity chairs and some much needed quiet time and I walk out of there feeling like Gumby! It really is amazing but it's not fun submerging in that icy water. The after effects are worth it. 

[Glass Half Full]

Nope.

I’m down for warm plunges only

[jakebarnes]

I do ice baths during peak training season. Helps with hrv and muscle recovery from my experience. 

[Bill Hayes]

I'm looking into purchasing a plastic one that you can stand in for Summer. When I do a leg workout or deadlifts with glutes the focus, I have a very hot shower to up my core temp then change to a cold shower on my lower half only. It is supposed to flush some of the built up lactic acid out of your muscles. I find it re-energises me a lot and I feel pretty good. I take magnesium at night and then repeat the shower routine in the morning. I find it does help a bit, but I reckon stretching after the workout when still warm works wonders. I start with the tendon under my feet then work up to achilles and calfs, then hammies, groin, glutes, hip and thighs. If I don't do this I can hardly walk the next day. I think the ice baths works well and working up to getting used to the shock of a full body cold shower. Give it a go. Nothing to lose..... well a heart attack is what I worry about. Ha ha!

[LizardGizmo]

Check out Andrew Huberman’s excellent podcast on the benefits of deliberate cold exposure.

I personally love bouncing back and forth between sauna and cold plunge. Incredible feeling once you get past the discomfort.

[ha_banos]

I'm allergic to the cold.

[anacostiakat]

 

[benfica_77]

Ken has been a pioneer in cold plunges for decades....please see below!! You might want to reach out to him for advice haha

All jokes aside I have done them now the question is it all just placebo effect? I don't know. But when I do it consistently I noticed i'm in a better mood and more resilient. 

 

[Ford2112]

At least he kept his hat on

[jhalischuk]

When you do a plunge your body releases many of the same hormones you would release when under stress. The key difference is that it doesn't release cortisol. By staying in an uncomfortable situation you're in essence training your body to manage stress. It's also beneficial for increasing metabolism.

The huberman podcast linked above is excellent, would recommend giving it a listen to get more in depth info. 

[aavkk]

Fantastic benefits Rob, both cognitively with focus and clarity as well as exercise recovery and anti-inflammatory.  I’ve been using contrast therapy for years and for me starting with 3-4 min at 2-3 degrees C in the plunge straight into a traditional Finnish style sauna for ~15 min and back and forth 2-3x is the way to go. Start and end in the plunge. I’d recommend starting with a plunge in the 7-8 deg range and focus on controlling your breathing. Slowing things down. Then slowly lower the temp closer to 2-3.  

[ha_banos]

On a slight tangent there stuff about cooling the hands improves performance. So if you don't fancy full immersion! https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2023.1143447/full

 

 

[riderpride]

I have blasted myself with cold water at the end of the shower every day for 10-15 sec since I was in high school. Man that really wakes me up.

Also note that I don't drink coffee. Probably less than half a cup total in my lifetime. 

Cheers

[ElJavi76]

So I double dip here. I’ve got an infrared two person sauna in my basement. Took a lot of convincing but the wife finally said yes. I enjoy it a ton and so does my younger son. The wife occasionally gets in but my daughter wants nothing to do with sweating. So heard enough podcasts from Huberman, and before him Wim Hof, about contrast therapy. I was sold. So I talked the lady into it again. Rogan and others have these baller cold plunge/ice baths. They retail for like 6-12K USD. I’d be cutting into my cigar budget so I went the DIY route. Watched enough YouTube videos to become an expert at this. Bought a chiller on Amazon that’s the same unit that’s equipped in all of those $6K units. Got a 1/2 hp pump and filter. I bought a 150 gallon tub. I got yelled at with questions like where do you plan on putting that thing? The irony… she got in it first. In the summer months the tub sweats a bit but I can get the water into the mid to high 40’s Fahrenheit. In the Winter I can get the water as low as 38 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s like razor blades on first contact but you feel like you drank 8 cups of coffee when you get out. I started doing 90 seconds early on but I’ve done as much as 6 minutes. Believe it or not it doesn’t feel as cold when you’re trying to cool down after a 45 min sauna session. Out of bed and into 40 degree water feels way colder than the other way around. From dopamine dumps to lowering inflammation and increased resiliency… it’s even supposed to upregulate your metabolism. I’ll take it. Placebo or not I like the feeling I get when I plunge. There are enough studies to show this stuff works. The Nordic countries have used cold water exposure for a long time. There’s science behind heat exposure and heat shock proteins. I like to go into the sauna before long walks to consume all of the liberated fats. Men who sauna 3 to 4 times a week have lower incidence of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. I have a lot of cigars I need to smoke when I’m old. 
 

Brrrr I mean Cheers!

[BoliDan]

I once took a slightly cold shower. It was awful. 

Really though, I do like contrast. We'll keep the hot tub going all winter, and going in there during a night snowstorm is sublime. Going in cold water though? Hard pass. Once the pool goes below 65F/18C it's time to drain. 🥶

[ha_banos]

I stepped out the shower tonight and that felt like enough cold therapy/contrast! I don't have a hot shower but it must be near body temperature because it's cool but not cold.

But still, stepping out to dry off is enough these days! The heating is not on yet.

More power to you guys.

[Fuzz]

Hey @Kam ! Looks like your air dry technique after a hot shower on a cold morning in the Hunter may have its merits. Though, I don't think the cows appreciated your full monty.

[Kaptain Karl]

Enthusiast? Heck no. Do I do it and love it when I'm done? Yup!

[westg]

Rob these make great ice baths 

[dominattorney]

Well, I hate you guys. This thread got me to thinking so I took a 30 second cold shower today after lifting. It was terrible. Until I realized I have way more energy today than yesterday. Try for 45 seconds tomorrow and see where this journey takes me. 

[riderpride]

7 hours ago, dominattorney said:

Well, I hate you guys. This thread got me to thinking so I took a 30 second cold shower today after lifting. It was terrible. Until I realized I have way more energy today than yesterday. Try for 45 seconds tomorrow and see where this journey takes me. 

Hey guys - he bought it 😆 

Seriously though,  try it with your SO. I thought mine was mad, but she rewarded me with a full day of peace and quiet. Almost a second day too 😳

cheers

 

[chasy]

Resurfacing this thread. I'm a believer in cold plunges. I've been doing them 4-5 times a week for the last two weeks. It's incredible.

Anyone on here still sticking with it?

[BrightonCorgi]

I do the cold shower routine semi regularly. It works!

[rabidraccoon]

I don't do a cold plunge but I swim in a spring-fed pool which has around 18-20°C water year-round. It's amazing. It sucks for the first 15 seconds every time but you just need to force yourself to do it and start swimming hard as soon as you jump in. Once your body warms up it's the best. You feel so rejuvenated and refreshed afterwards. I usually go around 9 in the morning or in the early evenings but the hardcore triathlon-training people go at like 5:30 am. I respect that commitment but I'm not that crazy, lol.