🌊 ACTIVE RECOVERY/COLD EXPOSURE 🌊
How do you balance your training with rest and recovery days?
Over the last few months, I have been experimenting with cold water exposure-active recovery workouts once a week. After 5 days of solid functional bodybuilding and aerobic conditioning, my body is ready for an active recovery day and this has become my favorite way to blend these two elements of recovery!
Active Recovery sessions help your muscle recovery by increasing blood flow without putting a heavy strain on your muscles and joints.
Cold (water) Exposure is known to Increase metabolism, improve quality of sleep, reduce inflammation, improve body’s immune response to stress and can support increased recovery time after physical exercise.
Cold exposure combined with bursts of cardio endurance movement will increase thermogenesis (the production of heat) which increases metabolic demand and gives you a dopamine high for optimal recovery through the release of human growth hormone (stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration).
COLD EXPOSURE CHALLENGE:
Ocean Plunge
10 push-ups
5 Gorilla Squats
5 rounds
You don’t have to live by the ocean to do this workout! You can begin to train your body and mind to adapt to cold exposure by slowly exposing yourself to colder temperature while performing these movements.
Remember, it isn’t the cold that holds you back.
It is your mind.
(Ocean temp 52°/Outside temp 68°)
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