Training to stay steady
A quieter reason to lift: to carry the weight of a normal week, for years.
Read article
All articles
Your first fourteen days of cold
You don’t need a plunge pool to start. A shower, a timer and two weeks are enough.
Before you turn the tap
Take your normal warm shower first. Then stand still for five slow breaths: in for four counts, out for six. On the last out-breath, turn the water to its coldest setting. Mains water is usually between 10 and 15°C, which is cold enough to do the job.
Week one
Days 1 and 2: fifteen seconds. Just get under the water and breathe out. Days 3 and 4: thirty seconds, letting the cold reach the back of your neck and chest before your face. Days 5 and 6: forty-five seconds, counting ten slow exhales. Day 7 is an easy day at thirty seconds. Notice how the first week felt.
Week two
Days 8 and 9: one minute. Keep your shoulders down and your jaw loose. Days 10 and 11: seventy-five seconds, standing still. Days 12 and 13: ninety seconds with your eyes open. Day 14 is your benchmark: two minutes, then five minutes sitting somewhere warm.
When it feels hard
Some days will be easy and some won’t. If you miss a day, repeat the previous step. If you feel dizzy, numb or unwell, turn the water warm and stop for the day. A short, daily habit does more than one heroic morning.
After day fourteen
Most people keep the cold finish to their shower. If you have a sauna or a hot bath nearby, Contrast is the natural next step: the same breathing, now in rounds of heat and cold.
Start with two weeks of cold showers
First Cold is the first program to open. Join the list and the first session arrives by email on launch day.