“Could we please hear more in-depth about how exactly a sauna and ice bath assist with recovery. I’m excited to use them, but I’d like to learn exactly why I should be!” This is the question we got from one of our listeners, Billy. On this episode of The New Helix Experience podcast, Tim Frey shares about Q&A: Benefits Of Sauna & Ice Bath.
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00:00:01 Speaker 1
What’s up guys we have a listener question and the question is from Billy. He says could we hear a more in depth explanation on how solar and ice pass assist with recovery.
00:00:12 Speaker 1
I’m excited to use them, but I’d like to learn exactly why it should be.
00:00:17 Speaker 1
So I’ve got a couple.
00:00:18 Speaker 1
Of topics here, I’ve got anecdotally.
00:00:20 Speaker 1
I’ll go into ice bars. We’re going to talk about information and then slowness anecdotally. Billy do you think I would spend $20,000.00 setting up a recovery area at my gym if I didn’t think it was worth it. Answer that question so anecdotally you should probably know that if I believe it is beneficial.
00:00:38 Speaker 1
Cool, there’s a strong certainty that it is.
00:00:42 Speaker 1
Secondly, I love the ice bath because it’s the ultimate pitch test and what I mean by pitch tests is the people that go in ice bars are generally savages and savages are generally the people that get results.
00:00:56 Speaker 1
And if you really think about that. It’s 100% true people who say they don’t like ice. Baths are usually quite soft. Generally speaking here and I’m grouping a lot of people into it, but they’re just not the type.
00:01:09 Speaker 1
Of people that push themselves in terms of pain or discomfort to get a result and sometimes people that love ice bars up.
00:01:18 Speaker 1
You know on the other end of the spectrum there, they’re a.
00:01:20 Speaker 1
Little bit messed up.
00:01:22 Speaker 1
Nobody likes being uncomfortable.
00:01:24 Speaker 1
So when someone says I don’t like ice bars. Obviously, you know it’s uncomfortable. Therefore, they do not like it. Therefore, they do.
00:01:30 Speaker 1
I do it that’s why I do it. It’s because I ******* hate ice buzz. Honestly, it’s the worst thing in the world.
00:01:35 Speaker 1
But I spent over 7 $8000.00. On one because I want to get better at it because I believe in the benefits and primarily for me.
00:01:42 Speaker 1
It’s the ultimate pitch test there’s a strong correlation between people who use Ice Bath and the ones that get the best results so if you think about people that really take their recovery.
00:01:51 Speaker 1
Seriously, they’re the ones that get the best results if you think about people really make an effort to getting an ice bath or sauna, they’re the ones.
00:01:58 Speaker 1
Who get the best results?
00:02:02 Speaker 1
Mentally, I ******* suck at ice pass my first time I was 5 seconds in there and that’s recently when we got our new Ice Bath, but I’ve got up to now.
00:02:11 Speaker 1
I’m doing 31 minutes at 2:00 degrees. It’s something I’m really bad at but personally for me if it’s something I work on I.
00:02:19 Speaker 1
Get better at it, it’s pretty.
00:02:21 Speaker 1
Yeah, I guess.
00:02:21 Speaker 1
Simple So what you need to know about science is science changes all the.
00:02:27 Speaker 1
And I hate to turn this political but if we flush back 2 years ago. You know, and particular thing that happened in the world and people were saying trust the science and then you Fast forward 2 years now.
00:02:37 Speaker 1
The science has changed there’s no difference in the science of that to saunas and Ice Bath. The science is always changing depends on like the researchers.
00:02:48 Speaker 1
How they conduct their research new literature basically?
00:02:50 Speaker 1
If you want.
00:02:51 Speaker 1
To prove something in science, it’s provable in a certain.
00:02:55 Speaker 1
OK so if you have a vested interest in proving something there’s a high likelihood that you’re going to be able to prove that depending on what it is, but you know, people will will stuff to come true and I know that probably goes against the scientific method, but you know that happens and I am a scientist. I’ve got 2 science degrees feels weird, saying that I’ve gone down the whole route of science.
00:03:16 Speaker 1
Many times so you know in terms of research and studying these types of things like from what I’ve seen.
00:03:21 Speaker 1
I could find probably 10 studies on each of these things that prove they’re good and and then put their ****
00:03:26 Speaker 1
But anecdotally you need to know that you know, I do think they’re good and I think they have a benefit.
00:03:32 Speaker 1
So there is some.
00:03:33 Speaker 1
Research to support the use of iPads for muscle recovery. There are heaps of studies that found that cold water immersion can reduce muscle soreness fatigue after exercise like that kind of stuff.
00:03:44 Speaker 1
The extent generally changes on each individual a couple of other studies found that they may reduce inflammation and muscle.
00:03:53 Speaker 1
Damage after intense exercise So what you’re probably thinking here is should information be reduced after exercise. I think not there’s like a natural form of inflammation that happens after you damage your muscle, which your body needs to naturally heal from but let’s talk about inflammation.
00:04:11 Speaker 1
So chronic or excessive information can have negative effects on the body. We could all agree prolonged inflammation can contribute to diseases and and conditions.
00:04:20 Speaker 1
So as such as heart disease, cancer and autoimmune disorders. So obviously they’re not great things to have. There are heaps of factors that can contribute to chronic inflammation, including like?
00:04:32 Speaker 1
Diet stress lack of physical activity cold exposure and exposure to environmental toxins. So there are some research that suggests anti-inflammatory diets training regularly managing stress.
00:04:45 Speaker 1
What may help reduce chronic inflammation this is where I see ice baths come in handy for reducing this stuff?
00:04:52 Speaker 1
Ice Bath and sauna as well. Not so much. The post workout inflammation because your body needs to do its job with fat and reduce that on it.
00:05:00 Speaker 1
Own it’s important to know here that like inflammation is a normal and necessary part of good health, so reducing it completely after exercise is probably not the greatest thing, but then on the other hand, if you start thinking about.
00:05:14 Speaker 1
Is any ice bar thing better than no ice bar thing? I think I would agree with that and then on along with those that chain of thought there is you would say that anytime you could get an ice path would be a better time would be better than not getting an ice bath.
00:05:31 Speaker 1
I’m sure you can agree with that as well, so if you are concerned with information and its effects on your health.
00:05:37 Speaker 1
I would definitely speak with a healthcare practitioner on that, so there’s 2 types of information here. There’s the good type after training and the bad type is from stuff or factors that you should be improving and working on.
00:05:50 Speaker 1
I find that ice bathing and sauna is working on the bad inflammation from your diet or exposure to heavy metals and toxins in the environment or stress or these.
00:06:00 Speaker 1
Things so I just want to talk about the the tipping point of inflammation and disease so inflammation is one of the key drivers in chronic illness and disease so like cancer and and those types of things and diseases. They don’t just happen. They happen from you know inflammation builds up builds up builds up builds up.
00:06:21 Speaker 1
Over years and then at some point, it presents itself as a disease. It’s something that’s always going on in our body and our and our ability to reduce information is key in warding off those chronic diseases, so for ice bars in terms of a weekly dose. I would start with 10 minutes total.
00:06:41 Speaker 1
You can divvy that up, however you want for me, I do that 3 days a week about 3 and a half.
00:06:46 Speaker 1
Minutes each.
00:06:47 Speaker 1
So I’ll do one set at a minute, 2 second set at a minute and 3rd set a minute and a half.
00:06:51 Speaker 1
I’ll do that 3 times and that will give me 3, * 3 and a half is 10.5 minutes and I just want to mention here guys there’s a difference.
00:07:00 Speaker 1
An ice Bath and a cold water immersion session cold water immersion sessions are those types. You get at football clubs where they have a bin they put a bit of ice in it, and it’s about 10 degrees.
00:07:10 Speaker 1
It’s not really an ice bath OK and ice. Bath is close to freezing point close to zero so we have ours about one to 2 degrees.
00:07:17 Speaker 1
At the gym. I would consider that an ice bath OK and the potential benefits of that would, in my opinion and anecdotally be greater than cold water immersion.
00:07:29 Speaker 1
Next up, I’m going to talk about saunas so saunas are a traditional form of heat therapy. That’s basically been used for centuries. They used to build them out of?
00:07:37 Speaker 1
Like rocks and clay you know hundreds of years ago, they used them in Indian tribes and American Indian tribes essentially all around the world.
00:07:46 Speaker 1
The main benefits are relaxation improve circulation reduce muscle soreness improved cardiovascular function and improved skin. Just on the improved cardiovascular function.
00:07:58 Speaker 1
Some research has shown and some researchers have said that it has a similar function to doing low intensity low intensity cardio on the body.
00:08:07 Speaker 1
So 20 minutes in the sauna called equal 20 minutes of walking for your body which is pretty crazy. So if you’re super ******* lazy then you know, getting in a sauna. It could be a good thing. Let’s talk about the relaxation component.
00:08:18 Speaker 1
The heat and humidity essentially promotes relaxation in the sense of well being haven’t really heard of someone getting out of a sore and feeling terrible unless you’ve you know gone, too hard.
00:08:29 Speaker 1
With it Next up? The improved circulation saunas generally help with blood circulation.
00:08:35 Speaker 1
And help the body reduce and eliminate toxins that comes out in your skin as sweat. Thirdly muscle soreness. The Heat generally of the sauna will help reduce muscle soreness and stiffness.
00:08:48 Speaker 1
I like to stretch and the sauna when I’m in there, even if that’s just small stuff like wrists and elbows and ankles and these types of things, stretching is great.
00:08:56 Speaker 1
We did talk about the improved cardio functional. But the last one is the skin generally you have an improved appearance on your skin?
00:09:04 Speaker 1
It’s important to note that you know like I said, before the research is not fully established on soreness so this is all anecdotal.
00:09:11 Speaker 1
My suggestion to you if you are interested in saunas and ice baths. I’ll give it a go.
00:09:18 Speaker 1
My recommendation for dosage on saunas is 60 minutes per week, 20 minutes per session 3 times, so you could do.
00:09:27 Speaker 1
20 minutes sauna one and a half minute ice bath back to back 3 times a week make it a routine do it for a month, 6 weeks 8 weeks. Whatever and then measure how you feel if that’s the only difference or?
00:09:39 Speaker 1
Discrepancy in your routine then you’ll probably have a good anecdotal feel of what the effects of it are so if you liked this podcast answering this Q&A question please.
00:09:49 Speaker 1
Go to my website, www.helixxsp.com go to the podcast tab and then submit a question on there, I will answer that on.
00:09:58 Speaker 1
This show thanks for listening.
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