Cold Exposure Starter Guide: Showers VS Ice Baths for Better Circulation

Let's discuss how to get started with cold exposure.

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-----------------------------------------Show Notes--------------------------------------

0:00 Intro

[TransformXRED]

Cold showers are the best. It helps to regulate body temperature for the next 1-2h...
Especially in winter. When we constantly go in over heated stores, the outside. It helps to stay more neutral for a while.

It's like reseting the stress level.

[Hxney]

I live in FL. Yesterday was going to be my first cold plunge. Ran the "cold" water and took its temp 87° Put my 5 ice blocks I made in 82° 🙄😔😂 I got in and pretended..practice run done

[dang]

I really just love my ice bath every morning (5 days a week) and how it makes me feel. I feel like a cult member that drank the cool aid but it is such a great anchor and a springboard to the start of a great day. I did throw down a lot of $$ for a Morozko Forge but the ice sure seems to have regulated my blood glucose levels from close to pre diabetes levels now to more normal healthy levels. Thanks for sharing Mike!

[caramelcocoa]

Would love to hear your thoughts on cryotherapy

[WhatIsHasValue]

I always get so inspired when I watch videos about cold exposure🙌… and then when it come time to actually make the shower cold I lose enthusiasm 🫠🥴

[TonyMoze]

I love that you quantified this. I have been doing ice-cold showers, which have been great, but I wanted to step it up into either cryotherapy or simply throwing a bunch of ice cubes in my tub. Efficiency is a big thing for me, but if I can do it out of the convenience of my better!

Also, for the sauna blanket, though I need to reserve 30 to 60 minutes out of my time (versus 15 to 20 in a Gym sauna), I am happy I can do it at my home any time of the day, within my convenience!

[jheck]

Funny I ended up running into you while doing my cold exposure / meditative swim yesterday in Lake Washington. You've been a big inspiration these past two years helping me lose 50 lbs, gain muscle, and get in the best health of my life.

[pizzoe]

A $20, 000 ice bath?! 🤯 I'll be sticking with cold showers for the foreseeable forever.

[renes]

Thank you for all of the great information.

I just turned 59 and I started working out again 2 months ago. Couldn't walk very well due to a nerve issue for 4 years. With PT I am now walking 4 miles per day & doing resistance training 4 days per week, just increased from 3.

I would like to add cold exposure into my regimen. What temperature would be cold enough for a shower? Maybe an ice bath at some point...baby steps...lol!

[jimmcintyre]

Great video.
To me I would be very worried about weight training after an ice bath. I would think you would need a LOT of warming up. When I would do ice baths my legs would feel like they didn't belong to me for at least an hour. 😅

[SuspensionTruth]

Thank you again for a referenced, informative, and graphically-oriented video! I love what a difference sauna has made in my life and recovery process. I'm going to focus on taking a cold shower BEFORE my weight training / cardio workouts - it makes a lot of sense. Then finish with a sauna and bask in all the endorphins!

[helenahandkart]

Loving this introductory info, thank you so much!🙏👍

[republicjim]

Our well water from the tap is currently 49 degrees. By early winter it is usually right around 40. It makes for an invigorating contrast shower switching almost instantly from full hot to full cold.

Another option for cold exposure is air rather than water. Obviously it isn't nearly as efficient, but longer exposure during cold weather can provide the same benefits. I drive to and from work (a 15-20 minute trip each way) almost year-round with my windows wide open, no heat or AC, and only in regular office clothing. As it gets colder in the fall my body adapts and the BAT activates more. By the time it gets really cold I can handle some very extreme conditions with only minimal discomfort. My torso generates so much warmth in sub-freezing temps that I have to hold my arms away from my body to avoid sweat stains on my shirt.

[Wolf-orws]

Thanks for making this I really want to set up and convert a freezer to ice bath.

[cws.]

Great report and cold showers are the best! Thanks for explaining the benefits of cold exposures. 😊

[jasek]

2-minute (or a bit less) cold shower every morning.

[jonahbert]

I have a shower head / wand head that has a misting setting. On that setting, the temperature feels significantly colder. Where I am, humidity is always 60% or more. In a dry area the cooling effect should be greater. What if in addition I put a ice pack on my belly where most of the fat is? Rivers / lakes are not that much colder where I live. Actually, the shower water comes from the river. A bag of frozen peas? Yeah, before making dinner, one must thaw out the frozen stuff on your body? Sounds like a plan.

[thorpesch]

Just a thought I do the cold exposure as consistent as possible in Phoenix but I worked for the fire department for 35 years and we did respond to the elderly having cardiac emergencies due to getting out of the hot tub or sauna and going into the cold plunge has there been any research on this from hot to cold? I do the cold first then sometimes do hot therapy

[smooth_pursuit]

I got an ice bath for about $100 online (Nurecover) and keep loads of ice molds in plastic containers in my freezer. Pop them in with me and refill on the way out. You just need the freezer space!

[Alex-viiz]

Is 5 hours post strength training enough to avoid diminished hypertrophy ?