May 1, 2018
With ten pale, blue fingers, I white-knuckled the steering wheel of my Toyota RAV4 and strained to remember how to turn on the engine. After staring blankly through the windshield at the parking lots for several minutes – teeth chattering and brain slowly coming back to life – I leaned to the right, fumbled for the keys that lay on the passenger seat, then cursed as my large intestine contracted and filled my soggy Speedo with a liquid bowel evacuation.
Just ten minutes earlier, I’d dragged my sorry ass out of the frigid Spokane river and stumbled like a drunk, waterlogged sea otter up across the pavement back to my Toyota. See, after studying up on the benefits of cold thermogenesis and practicing cold showers and ice baths for several weeks, I figured I’d level up a notch and try a true cold water swim in the middle of March, when chunks of ice still floated down the Spokane river near my home. But rather than simply dipping in and out of the safe edges of the water, like a true, hard-charging overachiever I’d donned nary a shred of clothing and attempted to swim upstream for a good twenty minutes. And now, as my body fought to restore its normal temperature after my foolhardy attempt at a health hack, I was paying the price.
Thing is…
…a long, frigid, lose-control-of-your-bowels ice water swim is not necessary (and very much ill-advised) to take full advantage of the benefits of cold thermogenesis, which include not only a restoration of blood-brain barrier health, but increased cell longevity, a robust immune system, rapid fat loss in the absence of exercise and many of the other benefits I’ve discussed in the plethora of cold thermogenesis articles and podcasts I've released.
Instead, one simple option is to use Ray Cronise’s “Shiver System” technique – a relatively brief five minute cold shower at the beginning and/or end of the day that involves simply alternating from 20 seconds of cold water to 10 seconds of hot water ten times through. When Ray spoke at my “Become Superhuman” live event in Spokane, Washington, he shocked the crowd with before-after photos of clients who had decimated over twenty pounds of fat in a month with this technique alone. If this sounds boring or monotonous to you, you can always get a good underwater .mp3 player or learn some rollicking shower songs to move the time along.
Alternatively, you can use my fellow biohacker Luke Storey’s “Budget Freezer Hack”, my friend and music producer slightly more spendy Rick Rubin’s “Luxury Chiller System”, big wave surfer Laird Hamilton's above ground “Done-For-You Cold Tub”, or my own “Endless Cold Pool”. You'll discover each of these cold tub, thermogenesis setups in today's article, with full blueprints and instructions.
Enjoy the goosebumps.
Luke Storey’s Budget Freezer Hack:
Let's begin with my friend Luke Storey (I appeared on his website in the podcast “Biohacking The Ultimate Home“. Luke is a fellow biohacker, fashion guru, fringe wellness enthusiast and a curious and knowleadable guy. He was kind enough to give me the low-down on his entire budget-friendly $800 ice bath setup that uses a department store freezer.
For a ton o' folks, this will beat the hell out of spending $5K-35K for a pro sports or spa version of a fancy cold tub or cryotherapy chamber.
Step 1: Buy a 19.8 cubic feet Ice Bath Freezer. This size is big enough for two normally sized humans to sit in at once (barely), or plenty of room for one person with legs extended. The minimum size for me to extend my legs fully is 17.5 cubic feet (I’m 6’2). You can always go to a Sears, and jump in a few different size freezers to find the one you want (prepare to get some curious glances). I like the Frigidaire unit because it comes with casters, which makes it mobile and that can be very handy when it comes to emptying the water out to change it. You might want to consider throwing down and extra $150 for an extended warranty, especially since you’re not using the equipment as it was designed. That said, mine’s been going strong for over a year, with zero issues.
Step 2: Fill freezer all the way up to around 5-8 inches from the top with water, using a garden hose chlorine filter. Next, plug the freezer in and turn it up to max cold. Depending on your outside temperature, and the desired water temperature, it will take 36-72 hours for the water inside the freezer to become cold.
Step 3: Pour 1/2 cup of 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide into the water. This will prevent, or at least slow down bacteria growth. Use as often, and as much as needed, preferably each time you bathe. Do not use salt, as it will promote rust.
Step 4: Once the water has reached the desired temperature (mine is 39 degrees fahrenheit), plug the power cable of the freezer into a grounded 24-hour plug-in mechanical timer so that the freezer turns on approximately 2-4 hours per night, when it is not being used. You’ll have to find a sweet spot right where the water stays cold, but doesn’t freeze over. You can monitor your water temp to find the correct timer setting using a laser thermometer.
Step 5: Plug a breaker-safe grounding stake into any nearby ground (preferably wet), and drop the opposite end alligator clip into the tub. This will keep the water grounded, which confers additional health benefits. Furthermore, bodies of water are never ungrounded in nature, and I find ice baths to be much more calming when grounded. To prevent lightning strike electricity surges, make sure you use a grounding cable with a breaker.
Step 6: Depending on frequency of use, how sweaty you are, and how many users are getting into the water regularly, you will need to change the water in the tub every 1-2 weeks. You’ll know when it’s time to change it by the swampy smell that will occur once bacteria starts to grow. To change the water, simply pull the drain plug out on the bottom corner of the unit, empty all the water out, clean the tub, then refill it with filtered water. If you shower off sweat from workouts or saunas before getting into the bath, your water will last longer.
Step 7 (important!): Always unplug the power from the unit when you’re using it. It’s extremely unlikely that there is any danger is using the unit plugged in, but it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to mixing water and electricity. Trust me, you do not want to create a “toaster oven in the bathtub” effect.
Additional notes:
- If you ever see rust starting to form inside the tub on the seams, empty and dry the inside of the tub and apply clear silicone sealant to the affected seams to prevent future oxidation.
- To extend clean water life, keep a doormat next to the tub, so that users can wipe feet before entering.
- If you want a less ugly tub, consider building a wood encasement around the freezer. Alternatively, you could have the tub professionally painted at an auto body shop to blend into the color palette of the setting. Please note that if you do elect to build an encasement, your water will likely freeze much faster, and this will, of course, affect the settings of your outlet timer.
Here's a few pics of the complete setup:
Rick Rubin’s Chiller System:
Although perhaps more well known for his celebrity status in the music industry, producer Rick Rubin is quite the health enthusiast and biohacker himself, and having lounged in Rick’s beautiful, highly effective luxury chiller system in the backyard of his Kauai beach house, I can attest to the fact that this is indeed the “cadillac” of cold thermogenesis setups.
But unlike Luke Storey's budget freezer hack, you’ll likely need the services of a professional contractor or builder to tackle this project – and definitely need about 5-8K set aside for the total investment.
Step 1: Order a fancy Ofuro tub and chiller system from Northern Lights Hot Tubs. The best contact is Peter Moroz, who personally worked with Rick on this order: [email protected] or 1-800-759-8990, ext. #223. Below, you can see Rick’s exact order invoice for all parts necessary for this project.
Step 2: Place tub on a wood pallet and use the wooden staves and wood joists ordered from Northern Lights to place around tub exactly as shown below (all diagrams and photos are relatively self-explanatory).
Step 3: Using your existing water supply, fit the EcoPlus Chiller System with filtration feed into the tub as the primary water supply. In Rick’s setup, this Chiller System includes an ozonator to ensure the water stays clean without the use of chemical chlorine. Again, all diagrams, photos and invoice, along with a conversation with Peter from Northern Lights will give you everything you need to know, aside from the approximate cool 4.8K necessary to complete the actual order.
Laird Hamiltons “Done-For-You” Above Ground Cold Tub
Having spent time freezing my booty off in Laird Hamilton's Malibu cold pool setup and Kuaui cold pool setup, I've witnessed the big-wave surfer to be authentically and legitimately fond of all manner of cold bathing, including this relatively affordable Rubbermaid 150 gallon stock tank that he fills with ice from a commercial ice maker along with cold water, and a more “done-for-you” above ground cold tub from ColdTub.com, which will set you back just $11,900 according to this .pdf quote they sent me for their 1-person “cold pod” (if you get one, mention my name to get a similar quote). Alternatively, it is highly likely you could save some money and buy any of these inflatable hot tubs from Amazon, then just keep as cold as possible.
Behold the videos below, one in which Laird describes his practice as “extreme thermal cycling”.
Summary & My Endless Cold Pool
Finally, what’s my own home cold thermogenesis technique?
After foregoing the painstaking process of swimming through ice chunks in the Spokane river, I wound up taking the admittedly elaborate and expensive step of hiring a crane to drop a 19-foot “Aquatic Fitness” endless swimming pool in my water-void backyard forest, then completely disabled the heater in the pool. In the cool, shady conditions of the Inland Northwest, the pool remains at a chilly enough temperature of 40-55 degrees Fahrenheit year round, and in the more warm seasons, I occasionally swing by the convenience store for a few big ol' bags of ice to toss in.
The added advantage of my setup? The ability to simultaneously freeze your butt off and swim laps. For us bone-chilling masochists, that's a match made in heaven. Here are a c0uple photos:
I hope this has been helpful. Feel free to leave links and/or descriptions of your own cold tub setup in the comments section below. Here's a few final goodies for you:
-My podcast with Rick Rubin: How To Lose 131 Pounds By Eating Meat: The Rick Rubin Podcast
-My podcast with Laird Hamilton: Anti-Aging, Homeschooling, Underwater Workouts, Pooping & More With Laird Hamilton & Gabby Reece
-My podcast with Luke Storey: Biohacking The Ultimate Home (my podcast with Luke Storey)
Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for me about these cold thermo setups? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!
I am curious to see, as I am exploring a dunk tank to jump in between sauna sessions. A. Why would you not add a waterproof UV light to the tank to kill any and all bacteria? You could run a small pump to circulate through the lid and past the light. B depending on the freezer, you can drill on the front or side to run a pipe for circulation. I would think a simple answer small pump to circulate would is a huge time-saving value for this purpose.
I build a chest freezer setup with an aquarium filter and ozone generator. I also have an InkBird controller which lets you dial in whatever temp you’d like, so it takes the effort out of trial and error of how long to run the freezer. My question is this, how long should you be in it?? Back when I had it at 45 degrees, I was in it up to 25 minutes. Usually 20. I lowered the temp to 33, and did 10 minutes. Both seemed to give me the same chills and shivering. I don’t want to overdo it, but I also don’t want to do it wrong. How long do you all stay in and at what temp?
I am facing difficulty in finding Ozonator in my area. Is there anything which I can make myself to replace it?
Where can one find an ozonator for this?
This has worked great for my setup.
JOBYNA Ozone Generator,… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TZD4SBW?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Hi!
How important is the breaker-safe grounding stake for the freezer? We are going to place it quite high in a building, and grounding it directly to the earth is going to be quite hard.
What will happen if we do not use it?
Question: Luke mentioned adding a 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide every time you bathe. I wanted to confirm… does that mean a 1/2 cup per cycle of entire water replacement, or every time you do an ice bath (using the same water)?
Thanks!
As always great article Ben. I also used the Rubbermade cattle feed tank for ice baths. It gets a bit expensive in the summers buying ice (I live in South Carolina) and why I’m going to get the freezer chest. If it helps others I’ve found that adding approximately a tablespoon of granulated chlorine and a fountain pump to circulate the water helps keep it clean for longer periods. Especially during hot and humid months. One question I had was could the chlorine be used with a Frigidaire freezer or would that increase the chances of rusting the inside? Or would you stick with the hydrogen peroxide.
I try to avoid additional chlorine exposure where I can. Check this out: http://bit.ly/2LYoRE2
To clarify on this…..what about bleach? Dakins solution has been used for a long time and is super safe. Used to treat all sorts of wounds… Could it be used in place of the H202 or is is the same as Chlorine?
Ben,
I’ve been wondering if you use chlorine in your Endless Pool, and if not, what do you do instead?
Thanks very much for all the content you share.
Cheers,
Emma
Check this out: http://bit.ly/2wf3dlG
Thanks!
Hello. My challenge is to find the right setup for both summer and winter. In winter here, we can get to -15, and so I need to warm my water and chill it in summer. Any clue what system I would use? I’m getting desperate.
You could just do one of the ice chests… It would work perfectly for the summer time (you can add ice if you want it cooler) For the winter time, it sounds like you could accomplish a good amount of cold thermo through a simple morning walk in the cold. But if you're wanting something that's all inclusive you'll probably be looking at something on the higher end like Rick Rubin's system.
Wonderful sharing. I have read out your many posts, all are wonderful. Thanks a lot for sharing your experience with us. keep sharing.
I started the “ice” in Malibu with the crew. Living in Detroit, I have experimented and have a pretty good cold climate system.
I bought a Rubbermaid 150 Gallon tub – I leave it outside and was draining it on really cold nights under 25 and refilling in the morning. Recently, I found if you add 3 or 4 large bags of epson salt – the water will freeze up but you can still break up the layer of ice with a hammer and jump in. It really works well. I still need a plan for the Summer and will consider a large ice machine or the freezer.
Lucci – [email protected]
I too have the 150 gallon rubbermaid cattle trough. I purchased an electric de-icer that sits in the trough and keeps the water from freezing. I live in Belle River Ontario which is about 40 Km away from Detroit. This system works great from Oct to May even with temps. at -15 Degrees celsius like tonight
What electric de icee did you get? I’m interested in using this on my setup
Greetings, Mike.
I’m in the Detroit area, too, and hear you regarding the challenge of dealing with summer and winter without spending a king’s ransom. I noticed the “cold water” in summer here was about 21C (70F), so it definitely needs ice to get down. Not much problem in the winter. Last I checked the cold water was 12.7C (about 54F), which is fine for my purposes anyway, being new to this, and evaporates from a hot bath to about 15C (59F), so I needn’t even run any more water to get a therapeutic bath. last winter the cold water from my tap got to about 6C (43F). I also add bentonite, a little vitamin C, and epsom salts to minimize the chlorine and fluoride, and grapefruit seed extract to further minimize biological growth for evaporating winter water.
I was thinking of getting a mini chest freezer, keeping it in the bathroom, and just making ice every day, and adding it to the bath to get it to the desired temperature, or at least something therapeutic, even if not ideal, during the summer.
what size tub do you recommend for someone for someone who is 6ft 195lbs? 100 or 150 gal?
Hi Ben,
Thanks for all of that terrific info shared above. I have been investigating the chest freezer cold plunge option. The inner lining of most chest freezers is aluminium and I am concerned that some of the aluminium might leach into the water. Aluminium exposure is not a good thing from what I understand. I am guessing that the amount that could leach into the water may be insignificant plus maybe hardly any of the aluminium would be absorbed through the skin anyway. Would love to hear your thoughts on this.
With the freezer hack. Would adding a small pump with a filter while adding 35% hydrogen peroxide every couple of weeks be easier than having to empty & fill the water every one to two weeks?
Or at least I wonder if an air pump oxygenating the water help max out the time between water changes. Which would be a cheaper alternative and help with sitting water and smell.
Hi Ben!
Quick question – the 1/2 cup of 35% FG hydrogen peroxide measurement – is that a ratio made for the cubic foot size of the chest freezer? Or would I be good to put the same amount in a 7 cu. ft. freezer? I got my freezer today and am stoked to set it up!
Thank you!
Yes, that is the ratio for the chest freezer… You could probably put a similar amount in that size freezer but may need to experiment.
You said in your article that you don’t have to fully submerger to get the fat burning benifits. Is there something that you gain or avoid by only going in waste deep?
Ideally, you should get full body, or at least up to your neck…or take a cold shower! A walk in the cold is good too.
Have you had issues with your plug leaking on your freezer?
I didn't actually make one of these, but borrowed the instructions from Luke Storey. Please reread this: Step 7 (important!): Always unplug the power from the unit when you’re using it. It’s extremely unlikely that there is any danger is using the unit plugged in, but it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to mixing water and electricity. Trust me, you do not want to create a “toaster oven in the bathtub” effect.
Hi Ben,
I hope you’re well.
Thank you for this amazingly helpful blueprint on how to set-up a home ice bath freezer chest. I followed your instructions and have a wonderful home system that I now use on a daily basis (water kept at ~ 35 degrees F).
I have seen a lot of research online relating to cold immersion POST-exercise, but my question has to do with cold water immersion PRE-exercise…
In short, I am a hard-charger who wakes at 4:00am every morning to get in my daily CrossFit WOD, which I typically do in my home garage gym. Now that I have the freezer chest set-up, I typically wake at 4:00am and immediately go out on my back patio and take an ice bath around 4:10am, for up to 3 mins on WOD days and up to 5 mins on REST days. On WOD days, immediately after the ice bath, I quickly dress and then begin my mobility/warm-up for my daily workout back in my garage.
Do you have any insights into whether I am doing myself a benefit or if I’m potentially hurting myself (performance, immersion benefits, etc.) by doing my ice bath pre-WOD? I cannot find any good resources on this topic and would appreciate any insights you can share.
My thought process has always been to do the absolute HARDEST thing(s) (that have the best benefit for my livelihood/etc.) FIRST thing in the AM, when no one can steal the time from me. Submerging myself in ~ 35 degree F water, at 4:10am, every day, rain or shine, and then hitting a ~ 60 minute WOD is pretty darn hard and easily makes the balance of my day extremely easy, relative to that, so I would prefer to continue this approach. However, I am open-minded about changing my protocol and moving my ice baths to the evenings, after I get home from work and before bed, if this approach offers more benefits that my current protocol.
I would be very appreciative if you could offer your feedback and thoughts on this topic – thank you so much. I know you are very busy and your time is extremely important.
Steve
Actually pre-WOD is more likely to decrease your rating of perceived exertion and help, more than the blunting effect of post-WOD.
Hi Steve G,
After a series of wildlife encounters swimming in the San Francisco Bay I’m beginning to think that building my own cold tub may not be such a bad idea (plus it can save me ~60m in the morning)! I was thinking of giving “Luke Storey’s Budget Freezer Hack” a go and would welcome a conversation with you if you’d be open to sharing your experience?
If so kindly drop me a note at [email protected]
Thanks, Steven
Just a thought on the budget unit… as a refrigeration tech, I think for 39* water temp or so, setting the temp control to the warmest setting should be fine. Most freezers run 5* to -10*F, with a 10* differential. timer probably still necessary to keep water from being too cold.
Is cold thermogenesis contraindicated for someone who already has elevated Cortisol? Also, is there any benefit to doing this for insulin resistance? Thanks!
It can give you a slight increase in cortisol, yes. But it is more of a hormetic effect and not typically a big issue for cortisol to go up unless you have full blown adrenal fatigue. I personally believe the host of other physiological benefits outweigh any cons. Check out this article for some tips to help control blood sugar (cold thermogenesis is one): https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/article/biohacki…
Do you have any photos or videos of you swimming in the Spokane river? If you were swimming for 20 minutes in sub-5 degree Celsius water, you can do it again with official observers and perhaps qualify for an official Ice Kilometer or Ice Mile under the auspices of the International Ice Swimming Association – and join hundreds of others around the world who wear the prestigious Red Jacket of the International Ice Swimming Association.
No photos or videos but cool idea! (pun intended)
What is the ideal time (duration) for maximizing fat loss/health benefits? At what point (again, time duration) do you have to worry about the danger of hypothermia. I know everyone is different, and I know your not a doctor and don’t hold you responsible and all that legal liability stuff. Just looking for your opinion based on your experience and what you’ve seen from others.
Even just 20 – 30 seconds is documented to have benefits, but ideally you can overcome the "survival mode" and hang out for up to 3 minutes.
You really just need to practice, do a little bit, and it will get easier. Listen to your body. Everyone is different.