Post: #176

Day 4. Skin feels a lot better, and I've become accustomed to the temperature so my legs aren't itching after anymore. The skin on my face feels softer yet more firm.

Post: #177

You guys mentioned taking cold showers being good for your hair, I somehow get headaches if I run cold water top down from my head. Afterwards I would get like a mini-cold like symptoms out of the shower, is that normal?

Post: #178

When I lifted before working, I had to take cold-ass showers so I wouldn't sweat in my office clothes.

Post: #179

(11-06-2016 08:19 AM)262 Wrote:  When I lifted before working, I had to take cold-ass showers so I wouldn't sweat in my office clothes.

This *50

I was always blown away by how how I would be in the office to the point of needing something to dry my sweat.

Not to mention, a cold shower after a good work out is heaven. I always get too hot working out. The cold shower is my reward.

Post: #180

Don't do cold showers immediately after strength training.
Satellite Cell activity, which is responsible for strength and muscular adaptions, is partly driven by excercise induced inflammation. Cold exposure blunts this (positive) inflammatory response.
Simply put: It blunts your gains. Dont do it. Further reading: https://suppversity.blogspot.de/2015/07/...after.html

Other than that, you're good to go. I do 10 minutes cold showers every morning. I would prefer a whole body bath, but have currently no way of doing it. Maybe in the future I will buy a new garbage can, put it on the balcony and fill it with ice water. My neighbours will love me.

Anyways, at this point I hardly have issues going out with a T-Shirt whens its cold as fuck outside. But the first 2-3 minutes of cold showers in the morning are always a massive suckfest, probably will never get used to it.

My main inspiration is Wim Hof. That guy takes cold exposure to new levels.

Post: #181

^good post.

That's an unfortunate finding. Gym + cold shower = unbeatable feeling, and less soreness.

Makes sense though. Oh well. Cold showers in the morning then.

Post: #182

Yeah no cold exposure an hour after workout according to Dr. Rhonda Patrick and P.D Mangan.

I've been exposing my self to the cold since june/july I think, warming up with Wim Hof's breathing technique. I've been able to hold my breath in ice cold water for 3 minutes. (personal record 3.40 10 years ago when I was 13-14).
I have bought a plastic bath tub and then I can fill it with ice cubes and frozen water bottles.

I have really come to love the cold.
When I was staying up all night to watch Donald Trump win, the first snow was falling in my town, and I went out in shorts to "dive" into the fallen snow.

One day I also took a girl to the sea to do a night time dive. Adrenaline rush for both of us and a nice and adventurous thing to do with a girl. She didn't want to have sex in the car after because i got a little sand on my balls which probably wouldn't be so nice to have in her vagina.

A very nice thing is that I never have to buy a winter jacket again. I just wear a shirt and a west even though it's at freezing point and under where I live (0 degrees celsius). If it's beginning to get really cold, I'll just do the Wim Hof deep breathing where I try to take in more air than i exhale.

Also, I have had a really loose patella and have had some bad inflammation in my left knee for 4 years now. When i go in the cold the pain disappears.

It does so because I fill my blood cells with oxygen by doing 30 deep breaths, and then on the exhalation I hold my breath for a minute or so. That puts out a huge amount of adrenalin which causes blood vessel contractions, which means less heat loss because of the smaller surface area of blood vessels in the body. The lack of CO2 and high amount of O2 in the blood also makes the pain signal less intense. (According to Dr. Rhonda Patrick).
And then There is the down regulation of inflammatory cytokines from the cold exposure.

Post: #183

I hit the gym most mornings early. Always take a cold shower after my workout for 5+ years now. I blast it on as cold as it can go and focus abit more on the muscles I just worked out. Takes about 4mins. Then I blast normal temp water for 1min just to avoid getting colds etc.

What iv noticed.

Huge increase in energy.
Increase on mood.
Gets you fired up to do some serious work for the day.
Muscles feel a lot more relaxed and less DOMS after heavy work.
Improves mental toughness.
You get used to them and learn to love them.


I swear by them and if I miss taking one I don't feel the same for the day ahead.

Post: #184

Lol that`s So Hard for me, I barely do that in summer, In winter that will be impossible.

Post: #185

^^
It is all in the mind. Just get under it and after 30 seconds you will adjust.

You will feel like a man after it!

Post: #186

(11-06-2016 10:05 AM)The Beast1 Wrote:  

(11-06-2016 08:19 AM)262 Wrote:  When I lifted before working, I had to take cold-ass showers so I wouldn't sweat in my office clothes.

This *50

I was always blown away by how how I would be in the office to the point of needing something to dry my sweat.

Not to mention, a cold shower after a good work out is heaven. I always get too hot working out. The cold shower is my reward.

Cold shower after workout is not good, it stales gainz.

Edit: Noticed that reciproke already wrote that.

Post: #187

I resolved my junior year of college to take only cold showers, and I usually take them now in the summer. It's quite a different story to take an ICE cold shower in the middle of winter in the North East US where they keep the cold water barely above freezing. I kept with it nonetheless though and felt pretty proud of myself. I could see my muscles shredding during the experience, and it was a great source of pride since nobody else I knew did that. That summer I went to Marine boot camp though, and when I got back I relapsed to warm showers because I went through such shit in boot camp I just didn't feel the need to anymore, I guess because I felt bad ass enough.

This thread has inspired me to get back into cold showers full time though. It's manly manly, especially in the winter. Thanks to you all!

Post: #188

I've been searching for the study but I can't seem to find it.

Cold showers have many benefits, but you do not want to do them directly after a workout. You want to wait at least an hour.

The reason being is that lifting causes inflammation (this is a good kind of inflammation) as a response to your body to fix the muscle tissue.

Cold showers reduce inflammation, which is generally good, but not good in this case.

The study I was reading a while back describes how a cold shower directly after a workout stunts muscle growth by up to 50%.

Post: #189

(01-14-2017 02:59 AM)Hannibal Wrote:  I've been searching for the study but I can't seem to find it.

Cold showers have many benefits, but you do not want to do them directly after a workout. You want to wait at least an hour.

The reason being is that lifting causes inflammation (this is a good kind of inflammation) as a response to your body to fix the muscle tissue.

Cold showers reduce inflammation, which is generally good, but not good in this case.

The study I was reading a while back describes how a cold shower directly after a workout stunts muscle growth by up to 50%.

So in theory, the opposite would also be true? As in having a 10 minute sauna heps recovery/growth?

I'm hunting for a new gym and one of them has one of those electric fake saunas (if you ask me, a real sauna uses wood fire). I was planning to go, sauna after exercise is the best feeling ever.

Post: #190

Cold showers help facilitate recovery too, you just want to wait at least an hour after lifting to do it.

Hot showers / saunas / hot tubs would probably help you out as well, but I don't know the science behind it. Feels good and can't hurt as far as I know.

Post: #191

Every second day or so I'll do what I call "cold splashes"

Basically I'll have my typical shower with warm water. I'll then slowly turn it colder and colder until I can barely tolerate it. Give it 30 seconds or so and then gradually go back to hot. Do that process a couple times.

You get all the benefits of the cold shower, without an intense 10+ minute period of suffering. Additionally, the rapid temperature change opens and closes your pores, giving you that "cleansing" effect, which is great if you workout and sweat a lot (salt builds up in your skin if you have a habit of not showering directly after workout).

Post: #192

+1 for cold ass showers and not running to mummy when its cold outside.

People really are pussies when it comes to temperature variations.

Wear less and endure the cold, switch it off with your mind. You will feel awesome.

Post: #193

Man, thanks for getting me back on these. Keep in mind folks, that you can start warm, then scalding hot, then cool, eventually going full arctic blast cold.

Actually, go back and forth slowly between hot/cold to purge tons of lactic acid. I only do this when I have some kind of injury or wicked sore body

Back in high school(basketball/football), we had a pro cold plunge that was brutally cold, however extreme cold can actually repair deep cartilidge/bone injuries. Also had a gym membership once that had a cold plunge.

Kudos to the Cold! I should join that Wim Hoff cult and go jump in a damn ocean until I become a polar bear

Post: #194

I've started doing it after BJJ which is great. I get in with it warm (I keep my house cold so I'm shivering when I step in).

Then I turn it to cold...which right now, in Michigan, is really cold.

30 seconds.

I can't do it in the morning when I get up.

Post: #195

I love this forum, because here is so much "crazy" new information.

I am going to start this challenge tomorrow morning!

Post: #196

Quick update: have been going for about a month now. It was relatively easy for 3 weeks when I was in a tropical climate, but last week moved to NYC where the cold water is COLD in the winter. Somehow have stuck with it and actually it's not a huge deal. But I'm also getting a huge brain freeze so noy sure if that's normal or good.

Regardless big thanks to this thread for making me retake my manliness

Post: #197

I would love that challenge but it's blasting cold outside so I might another few months haha

Post: #198

since its -20 celcius or below in Alberta, ive been taking a normal temp shower and then blasting it to full cold for the last 30 secs. Any longer than that and everythings starts to go numb. Once the temp goes to like +5 celcius ill try and do complete cold shower.

Post: #199

Post: #200

I have done cold showers the last week and do like the results.
But I am in the same position as Sonoran_, my cold water is between 1-3 degrees Celsius.
So after two minutes the skin on my whole upper body goes numb. And after that I just stop.

Does anyone know if it is any good to go beyond the that? Or is it better to do it longer at a
warmer temp?