Using Whole Body Cryotherapy for Sports Conditioning

By now you’ve probably heard a lot of things about the chill in a cryochamber, and using Whole Body Cryotherapy for sports conditioning. You may wonder how it is that a cold chamber can get you ready to win a gold medal. Well, think about getting ready to climb Mount Everest! Have you ever climbed a mountain? I did, for 6 hours. I went uphill in the snow and let me tell you I wasn’t ready!

The Scientific Facts

In his study “THE EFFECTS OF WHOLE-BODY CRYOTHERAPY EXPOSURE IN SPORT: APPLICATIONS FOR RECOVERY AND PERFORMANCE”, Dr. Christophe Hausswirth, PhD, explains the benefits of using whole body cryotherapy for sports conditioning.

He describes the physiological effects of WBC in a chain of events, so to speak, that start with the thermal shock. This lowers the body temperature causing a vasoconstriction and stimulation of cold receptors. This promotes blood redistribution to the core, increasing muscular blood flow and oxygenation and elimination of metabolic by-products. In other words, it sets the body on survival mode. This results in a decrease of muscle pain after strenuous activity and an increase in the healing process of micro lesions, hence, better recovery and faster come back.

How Will Whole Body Cryotherapy Prepare You?

If you are getting ready to climb Mount Everest, or the Aconcagua (let’s be more realistic), whole body cryotherapy will train your body to be more resilient to strenuous activity such as climbing and lower temperatures such as the ones found in the snowy Andes.
And because you are smart, you are not planning to ascend a mountain, or hike for hours or run for miles (whichever intense event has your preference) without training for it. As such, you are following a disciplined regimen of fitness sessions, more than likely more rigorous than the occasional hop on the treadmill. Nutrition, hydration, recovery and rest are part of the program. So a visit to the cryosauna before you train will pump up your energy; a quick chill after training will take care of muscle soreness and fatigue, detoxify your body and ready you for a good night’s sleep, even though you have so many things to think about.

Whatever your goal is, Whole Body Cryotherapy will push the limits of what your body can sustain, and with your own input in discipline and practicing what you love, you’ll be able to achieve new highs!

Need to get ready for a physically demanding event?