Learn about the amazing benefits of pairing cold exposure, following by an aerobic jog to rewarm, followed by explosive all-out sprints! Warning: Don’t try this at home! Okay, DO try this at home but do it right. In particular, watch the video, read the links, and make absolutely sure you rewarm completely before doing intense exercise.
*First, I conduct my morning chest freezer plunge at 34F for 4-6 min—a great natural energy booster/wake up call. From even brief cold exposure, you get a 200-300% spike in the peak performance hormone norepinephrine (energy, alertness, motivation, cognitive focus, anti-inflammatory benefits) that lasts for a couple hours.
*Next, I exit the tub and immediately start jogging to re-warm naturally. Since my body temperature is low, my perceived exertion is lower, and so is my training heart rate (by about 10 beats at the same speed.) I start very slowly to not traumatize joints and connective tissue, and it takes 30 minutes to feel fully rewarmed.
*After the warmup jog, while still on the hormonal high, I conduct an all-out sprint session and achieve peak performance with lower perceived exertion. It really works!
To ensure I’m fully warmed up before sprinting, I jog for at least 30 minutes, then do extensive preparatory drills and wind sprints before my main set of 4 x 100meters at full speed with leisurely rest intervals.
Read a detailed article about the protocol and the benefits of Unfrozen Caveman Runner!:
Watch my Chest Freezer Cold Therapy video for detailed discussion of benefits and protocol to follow:
Read about the Stanford Cooling Glove study for more details on how lowering body temperature can enhance exercise performance:
Visit Dr. Rhonda Patrick’s FoundMyFitness and subscribe to newsletter for free pdf on cold therapy benefits:
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