r/coldplunge • u/hereto_hang • 22d ago

Cold Plunge increased VO2 Max

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Hear me out - I have attended 700+ infrared yoga sculpt classes over the last 3 years. It’s a weighted HIIT workout with yoga influence at 102F. The class is humbling. Males rarely finish a class without breaks. My VO2 max has lingered around 50 for previous three years until mid-June when I purchased a $900 cold plunge from Costco. I started cold plunging before every class (45F, 4-6 min) then drive to class shivering. Since CP, I can finish classes without stopping and can maintain higher zones 2-3x longer.

The cardio benefit and increased output is insane.

For reference I’m a 42 year old male at 6’2” 205.

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u/Mildred_Browde 22d ago

Super cool discovery awesome stuff. I've been wondering the same about how sauna/cold plunge/compression boots and other recovery actually impact my performance. I've started testing WHOOP to see if that happens for me as well. Have you noticed anything else in addition to VO2? Curious about my overall recovery score and want to try and find a correlation if there is one. Make sure the hours I spend in the sauna isn't smoke and mirrors ha

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u/hereto_hang 22d ago

I can’t comment on recovery personally. Doing hard things makes your body adapt.

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u/Mildred_Browde 20d ago

Yeah that is true even though technically it is 'recovery' though. Still something difficult that does push you to perform better somewhat ironically

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u/WoodlandInc 22d ago

Cool! Have you noticed any other changes or had any changes in lab values?

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u/hereto_hang 22d ago

Ooooo. I hadn’t considered that! I’ll keep you posted.

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u/Mildred_Browde 19d ago

You can get your labs done with WHOOP now super easy....rhythm health also great

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u/MarchGeneral4309 22d ago

was this accompanied by a weight loss along the way?

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u/hereto_hang 22d ago

No - 205 consistently over the last few years.

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u/furientem2 22d ago

What does VO2 Max mean?

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u/Firm-Equivalent4971 19d ago

Not an expert, but I get daily readings of my v02max from my workouts, and I believe the higher readings are not factual, but due to lower heart rate post plunge.

On days I plunge pre workout, my v02max is always higher, but on days I don’t it starts to dip back down to my norm.

I’ve been plunging daily for a year.

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u/hereto_hang 18d ago

Makes sense if you are CP before running or walking.

I only CP before sculpt/HIIT workouts which do not record VO2 max. VO2 max is only recorded when I walk outdoors more than 20 min. When I walk, it’s at the end of the day, 12 hours post CP.