In recent years we have seen a growing trend of exercising at high temperatures, as in the case of hot-yoga. Many athletes feel better when they leave their training sessions with soaked shirts; perhaps because they relate it to a greater sense of achievement.
It seems that a new fad is emerging that is the exact opposite of being hot: cold workouts.
We tell you what they consist of, what their benefits are and if you have to take a heavy coat with you to avoid catching a cold.
What are cold workouts?
Without a doubt, what stands out about this type of training is the temperature. Normally they are established between 7 and 15º C. Although you can get that temperature in winter, in other seasons of the year you will have to look for spaces that offer this type of training.
Once you're at the right temperature, you can do pretty much any type of routine at a lower temperature, but it's true that some work better than others. For example, yoga and other activities that require flexibility aren't especially easy in the cold. Instead, high-intensity interval, cardio, and resistance training routines work well in a cold environment.
Regardless of your training, a low temperature makes your heating be much more important. In A study, published in Medical Science Monitor, it was shown that heat makes muscles and ligaments more flexible, so the risk of injury can be reduced (to a certain extent). However, when the temperature decreases, the body becomes more compact and is more prone to injury. You may even feel more stiff. So when we go to do cold training, warming up is key.
What benefits does it bring us?
You may be wondering why you would want to do cold workouts if all you want to do is stay in bed.
Helps keep your body cool
The longer you exercise (or the more intense it is), the more heat your body will produce. All of that heat must be dissipated for the muscles and internal organs to function properly.
As you train, your body sends more blood to the outer part of your skin as you warm up. There, your blood dissipates heat and cools, and then returns through the body and back to the heart, helping to keep your core temperature down. So if it's cold in the gym, the skin's surface will cool down and heat will dissipate more easily.
As you well know, sweat is another cooling mechanism in the body. When you train hard (or in a hot environment), your body generates sweat to help cool the body and prevent overheating.
When the sweat evaporates from the skin, you feel a cooling sensation. If you train at a low temperature, the sweat on your skin and clothes does not evaporate as quickly, and it will be the cold environment that helps to cool your body.
you can try harder
When your body doesn't feel like it's doing extra work (maintaining body temperature), it can focus energy on performing much better.
En A study, published in Plos One, it was found that the ideal temperature for training is cool but not cold, being perfect between 7 and 15º C. The researchers observed marathon runners and determined that the best performances occurred in that temperature range .
What are cold training classes like?
For now there are not many centers that adapt this type of discipline, although they will surely arrive. For now, the brrrn gym conducts this type of training in Manhattan. They currently offer three types of training:
- The coldest workout is set at 7ºC. It is a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout that includes battle ropes, bodyweight exercises, and resistance exercises.
- The second training is done at 12º C. He uses slideboards and sandbags.
- The third training is a different version of yoga at 15º C.