141: Beginner's Guide to Cold Immersion & Heat Therapy with Brian Mackenzie (Human Performance Specialist)

Figuring out which alternative therapies to fit into your already busy day, if any at all, can be overwhelming and confusing. Especially when marketing claims overexaggerate the benefits of alternative therapies and biohacking tools. 

 

That’s why I invited human performance specialist, Brian Mackenzie, back onto the show to help make sense of two strategies that are exploding in popularity: 

 

Cold immersion & heat therapy. 

 

While both benefit the human body, you only have a limited amount of time each day. 

 

So, which one should you pick, if any at all?

 

In today’s episode, Brian gives you the beginner’s guide to cold immersion and heat therapy, answers which therapy is superior for your body, and  reminds you that fundamental things like sleep and movement are always more important than weird biohacks. 

 

Brian also shares: 

 

• How both cold immersion & heat therapy benefit the body (and which one is superior if you’re crunched on time) 

• Why it’s easy to “dip your toes” into cold immersion & heat therapy without buying any external stuff 

• Why you should never use ice to heal an injury 

 

Other highlights from the show include: 

 

• Why a human performance specialist doesn’t recommend cold plunging to most people who already work out (2:34) 

• How ice actually inhibits the natural healing process, not accelerates it (this means that the RICE method to healing an injury is outdated too) (4:28) 

• How to start practicing cold immersion without buying a giant cold plunging tub or traveling anywhere other than your shower (14:22) 

• Why sleep quality is the anabolic steroid of non-anabolic steroid use (and how cold immersion helps with sleep more than any other benefit) (17:20) 

• What’s more beneficial to the human body: Cold immersion or heat therapy? A human performance specialist answers here (31:53) 

• The weird way heat therapy mimics altitude training inside your body (33:27) 

• The best time to hop in a sauna to get the maximum performance benefits for your body (37:09) 

• Why movement is the most effective medicine for the healing process (and here’s what that means in the context of rolling your ankle) (47:47) 

• Why the Marc Pro Electrical Muscle Stimulator plays a crucial role in recovering from a hip surgery (49:28) 

 

Listen now!

 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

 

Your breath is the best indicator of how well you handle stress. By handling your stress better, everything becomes easier and conquerable. If you want to improve your breathing, go to Brian’s website here: https://shiftadapt.com 

 

Sign up for Man Flow Yoga below: 

 

Tired of doing a form of yoga that causes more injuries than it helps prevent? The cold, hard truth is men need yoga specifically designed for them. Well, here's some good news: You can start your 7-day free trial to Man Flow Yoga by visiting https://shrtlnk.co/kP8M7