The Power of Recovery: Strategies for Better Health

[laughs] Yeah, so we're gonna start first with that cold plunge.

Um, cold plunges are known for taking the mental edge versus, um, muscle growth, so it's min- both mental, but also has that muscle, um, component to it as well.

So starting with the big one, cold water immersion.

So we see everyone from tech mo- ma- ma...

How do you say that word, moguel?

Moguls?

Moguls.

[laughs] Tech moguls or pro athletes doing cold plunges.

What's the actual verdict here?

Yeah, we do these as well.

I do, uh, still that cold minute or cold shower for about three to four minutes towards the end of a shower.

Try to do that at least once or twice a week.

So, uh, it's certainly good to get that cold plunge in, and we've done some episodes about this as well in the past.

So when it comes to this, it's really a tale of two outcomes if you're looking for that mental resilience and dopamine.

The science is pretty solid behind that.

A study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology showed that cold immersion can spike dopamine levels by up to 250%, so it's like a biological reset button for your focus.

Okay, so is there a catch for the gym rats out there?

A huge one, actually.

[laughs]

So if your goal is to hypertrophy muscle growth, then jumping in a cold tub immediately after lifting is actually counterproductive.

It blunts the inflammatory response you need to build that muscle, which is a lot of the research I had done as well when I first started doing these cold showers.

I was doing them pretty much every day, every morning, and then I started researching it more and found that data about how you don't really wanna do it on those days, especially after a heavy workout because your body really needs that inflammation to build that muscle.

So the pro tip is to wait at least four to six hours after strength training before freezing yourself.

Yeah, so don't just go straight to the cold bath right after your workout.