Cold Thermogenesis Archives | Optimize Performance & Life

Upgrades to My Chest Freezer Ice Bath

February 14, 2022 by Troy Delaney 6 Comments

Before I jump into the details, I recommend joining my Fire & Ice Contrast Therapy (Hot-Cold) facebook group.

Check out my ebook Exposure 101 Heat & Cold Guidebook

I’ve been enjoying my chest freezer cold plunge for a little over three years now. This article is a follow-up to my extremely popular article and video How to Build a Chest Freezer Ice Bath. It includes some upgrades I’ve made since setting up my cold plunge, some best practices I’ve learned and implemented, along with my current plunge routine and how to maximize the time spent in the cold.

UPGRADES

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Build the Best Home Gym for Health, Longevity and Performance

March 9, 2021 by Troy Delaney Leave a Comment

If you’re ready to burn fat, build muscle and get in the best shape your life…at home and maybe even save some money while you’re at it, read on.

But don’t jump right in and spend $3000 on a Peloton. You can build an incredible gym at your home for almost nothing.

For under $100, you can get a kettlebell and some online training and have the ability to train from home and home office, for the rest of your life. So there’s literally no excuse in the world why you wouldn’t be able to exercise.

Don’t even have $30 to spare? Get Onnit In 30 Bodyweight, 10 awesome, on-demand workouts for $10.

Here’s how I got back into a fitness routine after thoracic surgery.

My Approach

The easiest way to build your own home gym is to use a modular design by adding pieces of gym equipment over time so that you can start very small and end up with an amazing home gym over a period of time.

I’ve built mine over several year (you can view it below).

Where to start?

First we need to find what a good exercise program looks like for longevity. According to Dr. Peter Attia (my go-to longevity expert), “A well-crafted exercise program [designed for longevity] should be geared towards strength, muscle mass and respiratory fitness”

The way I prioritize home gym needs and recommendations are as follows:

Functional training
Strength training & muscle building
Cardio (HIIT & endurance)
Balance & stability work
Recovery & mobility

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How to Enhance the Benefits of Cold Thermogenesis

February 22, 2021 by Troy Delaney 2 Comments

Before I get into the details, I recommend joining my Fire & Ice Contrast Therapy (Hot-Cold) facebook group.

There is an ancient Japanese practice called misogi that helps you reestablish a harmonious relationship with yourself and everything around you. The approach that is best known is through exposing the body to ice-cold water. A person typically immerses him or herself in a lake, waterfall or the sea. After performing misogi properly, you enter sumikiri – a state of pure clarity of body and mind. It is said that in this condition, your heart is as bright and clear as a cloudless sky, untainted by obstructive thoughts or worldly concerns.

Cold plunging is my misogi and I feel a sense of sumikiri every time I do it.

A Cold Thermogenesis Refresher

Cold water therapy — whether it’s a quick swim in an icy lake, a post-workout ice bath, or a brisk shower — can benefit your health in several ways.

Research has shown it can help you:

cut down on muscle soreness
cool down after a sweaty workout
get into a better mood (I know it does for me!)
aid your immune system
boost your metabolism and calorie burning
increase insulin sensitivity and help control blood glucose levels

It can even convert belly fat into metabolically active brown adipose tissue (BAT), which will increase your fat-burning capacity. More on this in a minute.

Some advocates say it can also decrease inflammation, improve your sleep and recovery, sharpen your mental focus and potentially fight certain types of disease as well as promote overall longevity. But more research needs to be done to determine if these benefits are supported by science.

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How to Properly Clean a Chest Freezer Cold Plunge, Step-by-Step

September 23, 2020 by Troy Delaney 19 Comments

I discuss how I built my chest freezer ice plunge in a previous article and one of the most frequent questions I get is, “How do I keep it clean?”

Properly maintaining a chest freezer is really important to not only extend the life of your freezer but also to keep the water sanitized, especially if you’re dipping your head under.

To maintain clean water you have to make sure to filter and sanitize the water on a continuous basis.

Filtering removes debris. You can use an aquarium filter like the Marineland Magnum Filter and an Evob Skimmer net. I run the filter 24/7.
Sanitization kills bacteria. Sanitization methods includes adding hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and Epsom salt to the water and using an ozone generator. UPDATE: I have now added an ozone generator. More on that here.

Taking care of those two methods and showering prior to getting in (especially if you’re sweaty) is important for extending the life of the water.

But it’s also important to do a through cleaning on a reoccurring basis. I empty and clean my tank every 3-4 months.

Here’s what you’ll need and how to do it.

Hack Your Sauna Experience for Increased Benefits

September 22, 2020 by Troy Delaney Leave a Comment

I’m constantly looking for ways to maximize the time I spend doing something, including my sauna time. Through extensive research, I have found ways to improve the sauna experience and increase the benefits you get from it (because there are a lot).

I’ve broken down the hacks into Pre-Sauna (before you get in the sauna), Intra-Sauna (while you’re spending time in the sauna), Post-Sauna (what to do after your sauna session) and a few upgrades you can do if you have a Jacuzzi Clearlight sauna.

Keep in mind, this is just what I do. I would love to hear from you in the comments below.