Cold Plunges?

Joined
Dec 24, 2023
Messages
10
Cold plunges are awesome. Honestly tho, cold showers.. the entire shower, not just the end.. are tougher to do and so I think they give a bigger return
 

mtbraun

FNG
Joined
Jul 6, 2023
Messages
77
Cold plunges are awesome. Honestly tho, cold showers.. the entire shower, not just the end.. are tougher to do and so I think they give a bigger return
Interesting. Considering tap water is probably 55-60 degrees and my cold tub is 39, to me the tub is far more difficult than a cold shower. I take a cold shower after a sauna session and it's a breeze compared to the tub. My tub has circulating water though, and that makes it much more uncomfortable.

Regardless, some form of cold water exposure is very good for you.
 
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khart_6882
Joined
Mar 20, 2019
Messages
332
Cold plunges are awesome. Honestly tho, cold showers.. the entire shower, not just the end.. are tougher to do and so I think they give a bigger return

I tend to agree here. Maybe it’s from 35 years of associating a shower with warmth. I cold plunge almost daily and it’s not too big of a deal anymore to climb in, but a cold shower is pure hell.


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khart_6882
Joined
Mar 20, 2019
Messages
332
Anyone know how long a guy should wait after a plunge to take a warm shower? I usually hop into the icy water trough after I get home and get the outside chores done. I didn’t know how long a guy needs to wait to jump into a hot shower so I don’t mitigate the benefits of the plunge


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ArcherAnthony

Lil-Rokslider
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Dec 24, 2023
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Texas
Im not sure. I know Andrew Huberman suggests doing them in the morning and not taking a hot shower afterwards. I bet if you are doing chores and other things you have waited long enough.
 

mtbraun

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Jul 6, 2023
Messages
77
Anyone know how long a guy should wait after a plunge to take a warm shower? I usually hop into the icy water trough after I get home and get the outside chores done. I didn’t know how long a guy needs to wait to jump into a hot shower so I don’t mitigate the benefits of the plunge


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Do not jump into the shower after the plunge. Take your shower to clean up, then get in the cold plunge. Let your body warm up naturally. Or, just take a cold shower after the cold plunge, lol.
 

Hunt the Top

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 15, 2019
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Interesting. Considering tap water is probably 55-60 degrees and my cold tub is 39, to me the tub is far more difficult than a cold shower. I take a cold shower after a sauna session and it's a breeze compared to the tub. My tub has circulating water though, and that makes it much more uncomfortable.

Regardless, some form of cold water exposure is very good for you.

If the tap water is only 55-60, that probably isn’t going to give someone all the benefits. My tap water on the coldest setting runs 49 in the winter. I’ve found that a cold shower is just as challenging as a 39 degree cold plunge.. anything under 50 should have similar benefits. IMO the only added benefits for going colder is metal fortitude. Cold exposure is a rush! I’m addicted
 
Joined
Mar 22, 2017
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Location
Ohio
Anyone have a problem of there cold plunge freezing in the winter? I live in snow pelt area and mine has like 5 inches of ice. Any idea on how to keep it from freezing that much.
Thanks
 
Joined
Apr 18, 2019
Messages
349
Anyone have a problem of there cold plunge freezing in the winter? I live in snow pelt area and mine has like 5 inches of ice. Any idea on how to keep it from freezing that much.
Thanks
I just stick it in the garage. I got tired of breaking ice, and since the garage is unheated it sits between 35 and 45 f all winter. I add salt as well, but it doesn't help much.
 

Mcribs

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Oct 30, 2022
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Anyone have a problem of there cold plunge freezing in the winter? I live in snow pelt area and mine has like 5 inches of ice. Any idea on how to keep it from freezing that much.
Thanks
I was also wondering about this - i live where it would def stay frozen. Maybe even in my garage.

I’ve been doing the river but that’s really f ing cold, and could use something in the yard. I tend to think cold plunge gets my core down more because of the immersion factor, shower (we have 40 degrees out of the tap, leaves some areas not as exposed and is easier for me.
 
Joined
Jan 26, 2024
Messages
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I did the cold showers for a month, don't know if I noticed any benefits really. Obviously work your way colder and colder and soon
 

Chris_in_Idaho

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Aug 20, 2021
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297
The feeling when you get out and for the next 5-10 minutes is a rush. I never get the "runner's high", but I would say it's akin to something like that. Feels great!

Serious though probably ignorant question: is that high feeling you're getting part of hypothermia? Like how people lost in the woods in winter will eventually strip off all their clothes?
 

NB7

WKR
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Messages
366
Serious though probably ignorant question: is that high feeling you're getting part of hypothermia? Like how people lost in the woods in winter will eventually strip off all their clothes?
No I would say not. I've been right on the brink of hypothermia one time duck hunting, like I could hardly get the keys in the truck door back at the ramp as I was trembling so bad, but I wasn't at the point I felt warm and about to disrobe. Odd because in a cold plunge, if I stay in past the 5 minute mark, which I don't normally do, I begin to not really feel the cold anymore and I'm guessing because by that point my core is starting the process of drawing things in from the extremities to keep the organs warm. Wouldn't say I feel warm exactly, just not as cold.

I think the rush is from the nerve endings in your body when your blood starts pumping back through the way it ought to. Ultimately I like the mental aspect of it, forcing myself do get in there knowing it's going to suck, and then the feeling afterward.
*Disclaimer....I'm clearly no doctor nor scientist so my explanation is pure redneck. All I know is I feel good afterward, both physically and mentally.
 

mtbraun

FNG
Joined
Jul 6, 2023
Messages
77
Serious though probably ignorant question: is that high feeling you're getting part of hypothermia? Like how people lost in the woods in winter will eventually strip off all their clothes?
No, that's adrenaline and dopamine (when you get out). I've never felt a lack of focus or mental block when in the cold plunge. Quite the opposite, actually. I suppose you could stay in a cold plunge long enough to get hypothermia, but then again Wim Hof has been in them for 60 minutes. Crazy!
 

joehew89

FNG
Joined
Feb 14, 2024
Messages
42
I started plunging on Jan 1 this year. Been doing it daily at least one and sometimes twice. I just used an old stock tank I had laying around. I live in Eastern Oregon so its whatever temp mother nature gives me. It's never been warmer than 40 and I've had to break ice a few times. I go neck deep for 4 minutes and wait at least 30 min to shower afterwards. Jury is still out for me. No miraculous benefits yet. I do feel good afterwards though. I'll keep it up for a little longer.
 

mtbraun

FNG
Joined
Jul 6, 2023
Messages
77
I started plunging on Jan 1 this year. Been doing it daily at least one and sometimes twice. I just used an old stock tank I had laying around. I live in Eastern Oregon so its whatever temp mother nature gives me. It's never been warmer than 40 and I've had to break ice a few times. I go neck deep for 4 minutes and wait at least 30 min to shower afterwards. Jury is still out for me. No miraculous benefits yet. I do feel good afterwards though. I'll keep it up for a little longer.
If you're looking for miracle benefits, this ain't it. Cold plunges can be one piece in a giant puzzle of wellness.
 

180ls1

WKR
Joined
Apr 19, 2020
Messages
593
If you're looking for miracle benefits, this ain't it. Cold plunges can be one piece in a giant puzzle of wellness.

Agreed. It's pretty far down on the list. The sauna is significantly more "important" and I used that in quotes because even the sauna is pretty far behind the building blocks (cardio, strength, sleep, avoiding alcohol, etc...).
 
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