Cold exposure is the most important part.

More than exercise, more than any supplement. I'm now convinced.

Why?

Because your body is ultimately healing itself.

How?

Using its own energy.

Where does the energy come from?

Mitochondria.

Whats the most powerful way to improve mitochondrial funtion?

Cold exposure.

Good point, & i Agree, not so much as Most important? I see all the pillars equally as important.the cold shower thing is just something that’s part of my daily, I’m not even conscious of it.. I’m in New York City so when it gets cold I plan on doing my sprints & plyometrics at the track shirtless..I’m all on that Wim Hof thing beyond breathing exercises and cold showers. When it gets cold im gonna get weird looks cause I’m wearing NO coat.

but doesn’t the other pieces also affect mitochondria in a positive way like your saying?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RickTheRuler

Good point, & i Agree, not so much as Most important? I see all the pillars equally as important.the cold shower thing is just something that’s part of my daily, I’m not even conscious of it.. I’m in New York City so when it gets cold I plan on doing my sprints & plyometrics at the track shirtless..I’m all on that Wim Hof thing beyond breathing exercises and cold showers. When it gets cold im gonna get weird looks cause I’m wearing NO coat.

but doesn’t the other pieces also affect mitochondria in a positive way like your saying?

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What Rick said ^. I wouldn't claim any one thing to be the "most important part" of recovery. I have received a ton of PMs from guys asking me for the most important thing I did. Although I always take the time to write a thoughtful and individualized response, my answer to that question is always the same…All of it, consistently, for as long as it takes. The diet, the supplementation, the exercise, the sleep habits, the stress management, the mental game, the cold & heat exposure, etc.. There is no one magic piece that allows you to fuck off on the others. It’s kind of like asking which is the most important leg on a chair. Sorry guys, I’m not going to give anyone an excuse to make a half-assed attempt at recovery. Why would you want to spend one more day in this shit than you have to? Take the framework already laid out for you, do your own research & due diligence, make the adjustments that are right for you (right for your recovery...not easier), develop your plan and stick with it. There is no fast-track. It’s hard as fuck, but at the same time, it’s so simple.

That said, I was inspired by Driven’s passion for freezing his nuts off in the name of mitochondrial health so the last few mornings I have filled my soaker tub with cold water and added a couple pitchers of ice (gets water temp around the mid-40s). It is cold as shit when you first get in, but it is amazing how quickly your body adjusts. I found that moving your arms & legs around a little to create water flow over the body keeps the chilly feeling going (and also helps keep your limbs from going completely numb). Once you hit the zone you could stay there for quite a while, but I am limiting it to ten minutes for now. Really gets the mental & physical juices flowing.

And Rick, I went for a walk around the neighborhood almost every morning the last two Chicago winters in a T-shirt (for the sun exposure…was not hip to cold exposure at the time). Yes, you will get some goofy looks

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Damn

What Rick said ^. I wouldn't claim any one thing to be the "most important part" of recovery. I have received a ton of PMs from guys asking me for the most important thing I did. Although I always take the time to write a thoughtful and individualized response, my answer to that question is always the same…All of it, consistently, for as long as it takes. The diet, the supplementation, the exercise, the sleep habits, the stress management, the mental game, the cold & heat exposure, etc.. There is no one magic piece that allows you to fuck off on the others. It’s kind of like asking which is the most important leg on a chair. Sorry guys, I’m not going to give anyone an excuse to make a half-assed attempt at recovery. Why would you want to spend one more day in this shit than you have to? Take the framework already laid out for you, do your own research & due diligence, make the adjustments that are right for you (right for your recovery...not easier), develop your plan and stick with it. There is no fast-track. It’s hard as fuck, but at the same time, it’s so simple.

That said, I was inspired by Driven’s passion for freezing his nuts off in the name of mitochondrial health so the last few mornings I have filled my soaker tub with cold water and added a couple pitchers of ice (gets water temp around the mid-40s). It is cold as shit when you first get in, but it is amazing how quickly your body adjusts. I found that moving your arms & legs around a little to create water flow over the body keeps the chilly feeling going (and also helps keep your limbs from going completely numb). Once you hit the zone you could stay there for quite a while, but I am limiting it to ten minutes for now. Really gets the mental & physical juices flowing.

And Rick, I went for a walk around the neighborhood almost every morning the last two Chicago winters in a T-shirt (for the sun exposure…was not hip to cold exposure at the time). Yes, you will get some goofy looks

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I say its the most important because I believe it and Andro are the two most important pieces, and cold is something that people here are likely to shy away from doing. I doubt theres anybody out there thats too lazy to workout, or take herbs, but sees my post and only does cold plunges to get better lol

Yep. Your body heats up the cold water thats around you when you stay still. Hence why you get more benefit from moving water. Also from my research you want to immerse yourself in the cold as long as it takes for you to get out and not have a massive onset of shivering. This is called afterdrop, and you want to avoid it.

After-drop is real – and how to deal with it
Afterdrop - Wikipedia

You have to find the sweetspot that lets you avoid this happening. I was definitely overdoing the CT by doing 15-20 minutes in 35 degrees. Right now 10 minutes is my happy medium where I still push myself, but dont get severe afterdrop. You want to gradually increase your time in the cold by a second or two per day as your tolerance increases.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Damn

What Rick said ^. I wouldn't claim any one thing to be the "most important part" of recovery. I have received a ton of PMs from guys asking me for the most important thing I did. Although I always take the time to write a thoughtful and individualized response, my answer to that question is always the same…All of it, consistently, for as long as it takes. The diet, the supplementation, the exercise, the sleep habits, the stress management, the mental game, the cold & heat exposure, etc.. There is no one magic piece that allows you to fuck off on the others. It’s kind of like asking which is the most important leg on a chair. Sorry guys, I’m not going to give anyone an excuse to make a half-assed attempt at recovery. Why would you want to spend one more day in this shit than you have to? Take the framework already laid out for you, do your own research & due diligence, make the adjustments that are right for you (right for your recovery...not easier), develop your plan and stick with it. There is no fast-track. It’s hard as fuck, but at the same time, it’s so simple.

That said, I was inspired by Driven’s passion for freezing his nuts off in the name of mitochondrial health so the last few mornings I have filled my soaker tub with cold water and added a couple pitchers of ice (gets water temp around the mid-40s). It is cold as shit when you first get in, but it is amazing how quickly your body adjusts. I found that moving your arms & legs around a little to create water flow over the body keeps the chilly feeling going (and also helps keep your limbs from going completely numb). Once you hit the zone you could stay there for quite a while, but I am limiting it to ten minutes for now. Really gets the mental & physical juices flowing.

And Rick, I went for a walk around the neighborhood almost every morning the last two Chicago winters in a T-shirt (for the sun exposure…was not hip to cold exposure at the time). Yes, you will get some goofy looks

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Agreed on all counts.

I do admire his passion for it though. I wouldn't say it's the most important, but I would say it is massively under-rated by most people and there is definitely more to it then first suspected. I say that this would increase your bodies over-all reaction to the protocol in general by becoming more responsive to everything....diet, herbs, exercise, etc.

I liked your chair analogy.