September 17, 2012
As I write today's post, I have just finished my usual 5 minute morning cold shower, followed by 10 minutes of morning yoga in my chilly backyard – and I'm currently wearing a cool fat burner vest.
I may be no Wim Hof (the “Iceman”, who is pictured above and featured in videos like this), but this type of cold exposure has become a morning ritual for me, and I typically do it in a fasted state – trying to accumulate at least 45-60 minutes of “goose bumps” in the AM.
Compared to doing a rigorous morning workout in a fasted state, this kind of cold thermogenesis achieves a similar fat burning effect, but is less stressful on my body and joints than exercise – and let's face it: I can't exactly write this article while I'm riding a bike, but I certainly can while wearing an ice-packed vest.
And lately, my chilly adventures don't stop with morning cold exposure…
Later today, following my afternoon workout, I'll go shut down post-workout inflammation and rapidly cool my core by jumping in the nearby 56 degree Spokane river for a 15-20 minute soak while I catch up on my daily dose of NPR's “Science Friday” podcast.
So why do I expose my body to this kind of treatment, and what are the benefits? You're about to find out, see 3 things I've been using to enhance cold thermogenesis, and also get a glimpse into why the argument that “icing doesn't work” is complete bunk.
If you listened to my interview with Jack Kruse about cold thermogenesis, then you know that we discussed a host of benefits from frequent cold exposure done the right way, such as:
- Lowering body fat
- Increasing hormone levels
- Improving sexual performance and fertility
- Lowering blood sugar
- Cutting food cravings
- Improving adrenal function
- Fixing thyroid issues
- Enhancing immune function
- Improving deep sleep quality
- Increasing pain tolerance
- Reducing inflammation
So why does cold exposure achieve some of these benefits? Here how (and for you science nerds, I'm going to include a list of studies at the end of this post):
Some Benefits of Cold Exposure
BAT Activation
Brown adipose tissue, or BAT, is primarily found around your collar bones, sternum, neck, and upper back. It is a unique kind of fat that can generate heat by burning the regular white fat (adipose tissue) found on a your stomach, butt, hips, and legs.
Me wearing the http://www.CoolFatBurner.com vest to activate BAT while I work at the computer.
In most cases, you'd need to exercise or engage in caloric restriction to first burn glucose (blood sugar) and then move on to glycogen (stored liver and muscle sugar) before finally beginning to utilize fat as fuel source. But BAT can immediately and directly burn white fat.
Although BAT is found in all mammals, babies or individuals exposed to frequent bouts of cold temperature tend to have higher levels of brown fat to generate heat and help to keep them warm. And while exercise and fasting can also both increase BAT, they don't hold a candle to cold.
Before we move on from BAT, there's two important thing you should know:
1) via a process called “mitochondrial uncoupling”, cold exposure can also cause an metabolic upregulation and production of heat in not just fat, but also skeletal muscle…
2) just recently the journal Nature Medicine discovered that a protein called sarcolipin, that, similar to BAT, can burn storage fat to maintain temperature. But research on this protein is limited…
To get started with getting your BAT churning away storage fat, you can use something like the Cool Fat Burner vest (see right) to keep your primary BAT areas activated.
Adinopectin Activation
Adinopectin is a hormone released during cold exposure that breaks down fat and shuttles glucose into muscles (which can lower blood sugar). This not only has an anabolic, muscle repair effect, but can also enhance recovery. Interestingly, low adiponectin levels have been associated with obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Adinopectin chalks one point up for getting exposed to some cold post-workout (more on that later).
Enhanced Immune System
Cold therapy has been proven to enhance the immune system, primarily by increase levels of immune system cells that help fight disease and infection.
Specifically, cold exposure – likely due to it's ability to stimulate norepinephrine release – can induce leukocytosis and granulocytosis, an increase in natural killer cell count and activity, and a rise in circulating levels of interleukin-6, all of which can massively improve your immune system integrity.
Increased Cell Longevity
mTOR is a protein found in humans. Perhaps you've heard that worms, fruit flies and mice live longer when exposed to caloric restriction, and it is hypothesized that this is caused by downregulation of the mTOR pathway. Inhibition of the mTOR pathway can bring about cell autophagy, which is basically how your body cleans out metabolic “junk” within the cells – and this is the method via which cells may live longer and healthier lives.
Cold exposure has an effect on cellular longevity by similar mTOR pathways as caloric restriction and intermittent fasting. Basically, you can think of it as a combination of simultaneously increasing your cell's hardiness and health.
Higher Metabolism & Lower Blood Sugar
Cold exposure can cause blood glucose to be burned rapidly as fuel to assist in heating the body or stored in muscles to enhance recovery or performance – before that blood sugar can potentially be converted to fat via the liver. So while I'm not trying to give you an excuse to cheat on your diet and then use cold thermogenesis, it can come in handy should you slip up and eat too much ice cream.
When the metabolism of human BAT is studied using a combination of positron emission tomography (PET) combined with computed tomography (CT), glucose uptake has been observed to increase 12-fold in BAT by exposure to cold temperatures, along with a significant increase in metabolism and energy expenditure.
Getting the idea that cold exposure might be helpful? The benefits don't stop with what I've listed above, but I thought I'd at least give you a taste of just a few of the upsides to cold exposure.
So Should You Ice After A Workout?
In the meantime, however, despite all the benefits of cold exposure, when it comes to using cold or icing post-workout, there seems to be a sudden doubting of icing’s efficacy across the internet and in several magazines.
The argument goes something like this: when an injury occurs, your body creates inflammation as a healing response. So if inflammation is the body’s natural way to heal an injury, why would you want to block this inflammatory process with ice?
Although I have a more comprehensive response to this argument against ice, forthcoming in Lava Magazine, I'll give you 4 good reasons why, in addition to the cold thermogenesis benefits listed above, you actually should ice after a long or especially hard workout (and why I wear my tight, stretchy geeky pants post hard run or bike ride, filled with ice):
Click here to see why I wear stretchy pants filled with ice post-workout.
1. Ice does not completely reduce inflammation based swelling. But ice can prevent excessive swelling from occurring for a long period of time after the initial injury occurs. While some swelling certainly does important healing components such as white blood cells and other chemicals involved in the healing process to migrate into damaged tissues through increased vascular permeability, and also physically protects an injured area through decreasing it’s potential range of motion, there is no physiological reason to allow swelling to freely progress for hours or days after an injury occurs, especially if you're smart enough to have ice around.
In fact, prevention of excessive swelling is important because fluid that has escaped into the tissues from excessive swelling can create a low oxygen (hypoxic) environment that can lead to additional tissue damage and delay healing. In addition, swelling can cause distention in joint capsules and other tissues, and excitation of nervous system components called mechanoreceptors – which can increase pain. Ice simply reduces this effect by causing vasoconstriction (shrinks blood vessels) around the vasculature surrounding an injury.
2. The cold temperature of ice can slow down nerve conduction velocity and shut down the activation of your muscle spindles, making it a highly effective pain reliever and muscle relaxant. If a muscle is in less pain and is more relaxed, then mobilization and movement become a reality, and a return to functional training status can occur much more quickly, which can limit muscle atrophy or loss of fitness.
Another cool way to ice (or heat) – a Moji wrap. I keep one of these in the freezer too.
3. Ice also reduces metabolic activity in the tissues that you ice, making them better able to resist the damaging effects of the impending loss of oxygen from inflammatory swelling pressure. In other words, lower tissue temperatures from icing means less oxygen is required by your muscles to sustain their integrity.
4. Finally, as you learned in point 1, ice causes vasoconstriction, or shrinking of blood vessels. But unless you’re in extreme conditions where you must shuttle blood to your brain and vital organs to survive, your body will avoid tissue death by not allowing the body part you’re icing to cool excessively. Through a process called “reactive vasodilation” (also known as the Hunting reflex or Lewis reflex), your vessels, while being exposed to cold, create a negative pressure in the capillary system, which causes a pumping of inflammatory and metabolic byproducts out of an injured area, while allowing additional healing components such as macrophages and white blood cells to mobilize into the area. When combined with pressure and elevation, this “pumping” action of ice can be an extremely effective rehabilitation tool (and you can observe this in nature by simply jumping into a cold lake for about 20 minutes and watching your skin slowly turn red as reactive vasodilation occurs).
How You Can Learn More About Cold Exposure & Other Tricks
The fact is, sitting around on my computer while wearing a cool fat burner vest, wearing stretchy pants that combine pressure and ice, or keeping quick wraps in my freezer, are just a very few of the little things I do to enhance physical or mental performance.
So in my next live BenGreenfieldFitness Inner Circle webinar video, which is coming up in just 1.5 weeks, I'm literally going to whip out my camera and walk you through my office, kitchen, bedroom and garage – revealing every little thing I have lying around to help me bounce back faster, keep me mentally sharp or give me a shortcut to enhancing fitness – and answer your questions live along the way.
Here's a video that tells you about that cool opportunity (and by the way, getting into my Inner Circle costs one buck when you click here):
[leadplayer_vid id=”5057D6F5A786A”]
OK, so enough of that prancing around half-naked in my bicycle helmet. If you want into the Inner Circle for a buck, click here (and yes, I'm serious, inside the Inner Circle I am literally giving you my entire diet and personal workout program if you simply want to do my workouts and eat what I eat).
And finally, as promised, here's a list of studies for you to peruse if you'd like to study up more on the benefits of cold thermogenesis.
- Cold exposure increases adiponectin levels
- Adiponectin burns fat
- Cold exposure increases powerful anti-oxidant glutathione
- Adiponectin, obesity, insulin resistance, and fat-burning
- Adiponectin resistance in obesity
- Intermittent fasting likely produces new BAT
- BAT and food digestion
- Women and BAT levels
- Capsinoids increases BAT activity
- Sleep, light-cycles, melatonin and BAT in humans
- Cold exposure, blood glucose, and BAT in rats
- Glucose utilization, BAT, and intermittent fasting in rats
- Carb and fat burning ratios vary during shivering
- Cold exposure and longevity in mice
- Cold exposure boosts the immune system
- Low adiponectin related to inflammatory heart disease
- BAT burns glucose and boosts metabolism in humans
- BAT therapy to combat obesity
- BAT burns fat in the blood stream
- BAT, glucose, insulin, and cold stimulus
- BAT activity in humans inversely correlate to obesity
- BAT-disabled mice become obese
- Rising environmental temperatures linked to obesity?
- Brown Fat (BAT) detected in subjects after cold exposure
- Age, gender, insulin sensitivity, and other factors in BAT activity
- Exercise in humans and mice can create new BAT (backup)
- BAT in various age groups
- Exercise increases adiponectin levels in obese men
- Cold therapy, but not ephedrine, activate BAT
- BAT, thermogenesis, and bone density
- The sympathetic nervous system and fat-burning during cold exposure
- Skeletal muscle uncoupling after thermal loading
- Adiponectin as a treatment for obesity and heart disease
- Adiponectin, fasting, and circadian rhythms
If you have questions, comments or feedback on burning more fat with cold thermogenesis, or anything else, just leave them below this post.
Who’d of thunk it?! This is one of science proves the obvious things. If you are freezing, you are burning calories to stay warm. Just makes sense. But you laid out all of the facts nicely:)
If I am trying to activate my brown fat to lose weight – Would the chest vest or gut buster be a better choice?
How cold is cold enough? I have been spending 30 minutes in the ocean every morning for the last 5 days after fasting for 16 hours or so. Last meal of the day at 5 pm and I am in the water the next morning around 7 am. But the water is only about 73 degrees Fahrenheit. (24 centigrade). I live the effect. Feels great. But I wonder if it is cold enough to do any good.
Hello just wanted to give you a brief heads up
and let you know a few of the images aren’t loading properly.
I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different web browsers and both
show the same outcome.
I go to the cyrosauna every week and feel great because of it. I worry however, that as thin older lady who does not want to lose subcutaneous fat under the skin – is cyrotherapy damaging my fat cells? I don’t want saggy skin that results from dermal fat loss with aging or cold?? Please let me know if cyrosauna sessions are safe for my fat!
Hello Ben!
Thank you so much for an article on the subject with real information!! Ive done so many searches looking for info but not a lot came up! Seems like a lot of doctors are trying to shut this down probably afraid they will lose money. Ive been using bags of ice (from the stores) and wrap it in a town and lay it on each area of fat for an hour. It is a messy (wet) routine but this is day two and i feel amazing! What are the odds of me losing weight though?
Kristen, you can't target particular spots of fat with cold, the idea is to activate your BAT, which is done by making your entire body cold. If you do it properly, it's been proven to burn fat. Check some of the studies I've linked to for more information.
What about cool sculpting with the guy buster. Doesn’t that target spot reduction killing off fat cells?
Prⲟperly like Mommy stated, once we love one another and love thee world that Jеsuys dieed for, that?s a form of
worship. After we take into consideration God and listen to the sermon or in Sunddaʏ Faculty,
that?s а means of wоrshipping as a resuⅼt of were stuⅾying how nice GoԀ is and He likｅѕ that.
Or when we sit round and inform each other ѡhat the best tһings about God are.
You understand how muchh youu lіke haring ijdividuals say
how sensible or cute you boys are? Well God likes after we speak collectivelly about
hoѡ great hee is.? Daddy answered.
Ben- What if we bought a 100 gal Stainless Steel trough and filled it with ice and soaked in it after workouts? I work out in the am and could jump in for 5-10 minutes before I get ready for work and then my husband works out in the afternoon and he could come home and do a 5-10 minutes soak then. Okay to take a warm shower afterwards for the purpose of shaving etc.? Will those short soaks once a day provide benefits if we do it consistently 4-5 days a week? Do they need to be longer? Okay for mine to be in the am and his to be in the pm? Thanks for the reply if possible!!!! (BTW- keep up the awesome work! We follow you and are loving the science based solution to our fitness needs as we seek to learn and improve daily!
I do a cold soak once a week. I would stay away from immediately warming yourself up afterwards. Learn more here https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/podcast/biohacki… and check out my podcast with Wim Hof for tons more info https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/podcast/biohacki…
My son is 13 and i was lookong for some info for him to read or research about the right of passage and to help prepare him for camping out by himself to becoming a man. Any info would be great.
Thanks,
Ben Cooper
Check out this podcast: https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/podcast/vision-q… Lots of great resources on the shownotes page too.
I have a good friend suffering from Raynaud’s syndrome.
He lives in Sweden and if temperatures are below 5 his hands get totally stiff and blue. Last year he got some electrical gloves and he is delighted with them.
But according to your experience I guess that the short term gain results in a longer term worsening of his problems.
He is 72 years old. What are your thoughts, what would you do in his place??
Number 12 Luna M above has posted a similar question.
We have honestly covered this on a bunch of different podcasts, if you do a search at <a href="https://bengreenfieldfitness.com” target=”_blank”>bengreenfieldfitness.com you will find all of them. Hope that helps!
Your Wim Hoff video link is broken!
Fixed – thank you!
I went for an easier alternative for quick fat loss which is the blue fat freeze system and it helped me lose 3 inches around my waist in 2 months
Just wondering how many calories burned in a 10-15 minute cold shower?
No clue, but this may give some insight: https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/2014/12/day-life…
Do you still wear this regularly, why or why not?
Yep, especially in the summer. It AND the cool gut burner.
I have a few questions. Hope you can help.
1.Does cold Thermogenesis work for everyone? I’ve heard that the more overweight a person is, the less likely they are to have any active BAT, which makes me worry that this wouldn’t work for me.
I have a lot of weight to lose. I’ve lost a lot on my own, but I’ve been yo-yoing for a while now, and can’t seem to break this plateau. I’m beyond frustrated.
2.Is there are maximum amount of time per day, that it is safe to wear an ice pack vest?
3.What areas of the body are best to expose to the cold? I’ve heard that it’s between the shoulder blades, for BAT activation. But are there other areas that are equally helpful?
I appreciate any help you can give, and apologize if I’m asking questions that you’ve already answered.
You need to read this: https://www.t-nation.com/training/cold-temps-for-…
Thank you, Sir.
I sincerely appreciate the recommendation.
That was a very informative article.
I am from Canada where it gets dam cold here on the prairies where I regularly shovel snow at -20 degrees for up to 45 minutes wearing only gym shorts, gloves and boots. Started this a year ago and have lost 20 lbs. The neighbors think I am crazy but cold thermogenesis works!
This is very interesting. It’s still technically winter where I’m at, so is there any benefit to just sitting outside at night for an hour while it’s 50 degree’s (F), or should I try to be in some kind of water?
5 minute cold shower will get the job done more quickly!
Would you say the cold fat burner works just as well as a cold shower/bath? I live in a place where I have to conserve water.
Yes, it does if you leave it on for 40 to 60 minutes.
Hello Ben
Great article
I decided to buy a cold vest and i was wondering. Which one do you (or anyone who has tried them both) recommend?
The “chest” vest? or the “cool gut buster” which covers the abs area?
Thanks
Depends on what you're wanting to do. I would do the gut buster specifically for weight loss.
Ben, what are your genuine thoughts on cold thermogensis and adrenal fatigue/hpa axis dysregulation. Kruse seems to recommend it as a front line strategy whilst many others warn against it… confusing.
Cheers
Josh
We talked all about this in https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/343 !
That was a great episode, Ben. I really enjoyed it.
However, you didn’t actually address cold Thermogensis for someone with adrenal fatigue. Do people who are already compromised benefit in the same way as the healthy Wim Hofs of this world?
PS Your cohost, Rachel, seems to have settled in nicely.
We address this in podcast episode 343 when we talk about autonomic nervous system.
Hopefully you read this as the thread is rather old. Long story short, I am at the point with CT that I sit in a tub rather than using a vest since it also helps with my leg recovery. This gets rather pricey, and time consuming, filling and emptying a tub and buying and sometimes trying to store ice. I know there are professional cold tubs available for $5000+. Have you heard of anyone constructing a homemade or know of an affordable version? I thought about a stock tub with a pump and chiller hooked up but I'm not much of a DIY engineer and would need some sort of plans to make it work. This would save me from cleaning, draining, and making ice trips to the store. I searched without any luck.
I cannot say that I have seen this done before! It would be pretty easy to get an aluminum tub and do it though. I'd check Craigslist for a commercial ice maker and tub, and you could probably pull it off.
What about your belly fat? Any way to burn that?
This would be a good place to start – https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/2012/09/episo… also do a search for Belly Fat on the website, it comes up a lot ;)
Ben I listen to your pod casts and I’m now addicted so thanks for that. My question is; you seem to really believe in looking at our ancestors for answers. Using cold thermogenesis to help burn fat sounds great, but is there a point where your body will start to store fat to try to help keep you warm? The same way a caveman might? Thanks for your time!
Well, that would naturally happen if you were to increase your caloric intake as a response to the metabolic boost from fat burning. If you avoid overeating and you will be fine.
I’ve been doing research on cold thermogenesis for about a month now.
What I find so confusing is what to eat.
You hear all the top dogs say eat a ketogenic diet, some say eat whatever you want and and don’t have to Excersize. When I look at the ketogenic diet it seems very strict. Listening to doctor phinny it sounds like one slip up and it takes 4 weeks to reset. All of this stuff is very interesting but how can you shift through the BS. Plus none of theses gurus seem like there in great shape. If this is the best diet out there why do they all walk around looking soft and out of shape. Can you help?
I love working out, have a body fat % of about 10-12. But it seems like that’s where I’m supposed to stay.
What do athaltes eat while doing the CT and lose body fat as well as maintain or gain lean muscle?
I think this presentation might point you in the right direction in many ways! https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/2013/10/fat-l…
Hello Ben,
Cool article ;)
I suspect this may be more of a medical question, but I'm wondering if you know whether cold thermogenesis can be made to work for people with Raynaud's phenomenon? I love the idea, and have tried the cold shower/baths and jaunts in the cold, but my fingers (and just my fingers) inevitably lose circulation and go blue, so I'm thinking it can't be good for them, even though the rest of my body feels amazing (… afterwards). I haven't found much in the way of CT literature about this, but I'm sure this issue is relatively common. Also, if I am taking cold baths instead of showers, is there anything that could be added to the water for additional benefits, in your opinion?
Cheers :)
There is inconsistency among CT'ers on whether to do this on an empty stomach (Russian scientists) or after a high fat or high protein meal (Jack Kruse). Anyone care to weigh in or provide more information? Thanks!
The prospect of a second hand store offering discounted apparel is brighter than ever before in troubled economic times.
* Ask your family, friends and peers to help spread the word.
And that was when an elegant blonde from Germany crossed my path’.
Recently I started walking with just some light clothing outside. 15-30 minutes per day plus 15 minutes of yoga poses outside in the chilly morning. Besides the terrified looks I'm constantly getting from people, the other change I noticed is that I feel more tired and need more sleep. Can this extra cold cause this? (The amount of walking didn't change, I just take my jacket off while walking for the same distance.)
Yes, this can happen, but is usually indicate of stuff like underlying thyroid issues. I would recommend you have that tested!Ben
hey man question do you just need the ice packs against your body to burn fat? Do you need to be sitting in a cold room as well?Can you get away with just cooling off the upper body to get the effect that you are looking for. Or do you need a actively light shivering?
These are all great questions, and they actually show you all this stuff at <a href="http://www.coolfatburner.comhttp://www.coolfatburner.com<br />Ben
im a 15 year old girl, 5 5 , about 150 lbs. I’m active in dance for 5 hours a week and chlnreeadieg for 8 hours a week. I have been struggling to lose weight for about 2 years. I know im not fat, but i have a lot of room to lose. i have tried weight watchers and since i have such a busy life with school and more different activities, i cant seem to stay on track. i have changed my diet that consits of whole wheat grains opposed to white, only egg whites opposed to the whole etc. i feel if i really work on my diet the weight will come off quicker. I have fairly large thighs, which is where all my weight goes to, i know i cant spot reduce but is there anyway that is effective to slim down (NOT BULK UP) my legs? and my big legs is genetic so it wont just come off like regular people. i was thinking if i run about 35 min on a treadmill with no incline they will slim down in about a month. also i have noticed i started gaining my weight in my lower stomach and i have a pouch if i run, what else can i do for my lower abs? i do 400 crunches a night at dance and that helps my upper abs but i need something that wont take too long and doesnt require any machines, to specifccally tone that area. (as well as lose the fat) like i have tried reverse crunches but i have trouble doing them by knowing if i do it right so i need something better. thanks so much!
I would skip the whole grains, all kind of grains, and eat the whole eggs. Avoid processed foods and industrial vegetable seed oils, and keep sugars to a minimum. Then just make sure you are eating enough natural protein and good fats and vegetables. This should help and it is not complicated.
Hi Ben!
Have you done any research on auto urine therapy?
Misty
Auto urine therapy? I have not. I do not relish that thought of drinking my own urine, though. Call it into a podcast through, or ask it using the button the right…
Can running in colder temps (upper 40s) be of any benefit if you keep clothes to a minimal and definitely get cold during the run? I realize the body is heating up so it may negate any benefits. I have been trying to still run in the early mornings with only shorts and short sleeves thinking being cold might be beneficial. Thoughts?
Thermal loading expert Ray Cronise — who Ben has interviewed in the past — talks of exercising outside in the winter. I think he tends to advise light exercise, just enough to "get the blood flowing," so as to increase vasodilation and blood and heat flow… which will then be vented out. Being in a cold environment, that will create a thermal load (and corresponding calorie deficit). Ray is known for his "shiver walks" (I'm thinking Ferriss mentions that in the "4 Hour Body.")
Hi Ben, I ordered two ice-packed vest, or The Cool Fat Burner. It has to be the worst product I have seen for a long time. The ice bags are water based, not gel based. So they are rigid when frozon. The vest is made with such cheep material, poor design and lousy workmanship that it seems to break up anytime. I think one would be better off to buy this: http://www.amazon.com/Elasto-Neck-Back-Combo-fibr… + this: http://www.amazon.com/Chattnooga-Colpac-Cold-Ther…
What do you think?
First, thanks to Ben Greenfield for profiling the Cool Fat Burner. It's good to see someone on the cutting edge, getting the word out. I suspect in a few years, everyone will be incorporating some form of thermal loading into their personal approach to health and fitness.
To Longbow: then return it. I'll give you a 110% money-back guarantee, just as it says on the website (minus shipping, and assuming no damage to the device).
By the way, the vests were made by professional seamstresses and the material was left from what was used in specialized garments for professional firefighters in LA (irony that it was then used in the Cool Fat Burner). It was anything but cheap.
The gel packs are hybrid cold/gel packs. Why? So as to get maximum cold and last a long time, upwards of 2 hours. It would be easier, and more profitable, to make regular old generic 'gel packs' that only last for 20 minutes or so. (then offer to sell more just to get to the 2 hour mark)
I made the Cool Fat Burner first and foremost how I like to use it. As it is, you can take a session all the way to a shiver-level intensity if you desire, and maintain that for 2 hours.
Those chatanooga pads you linked, and others like them? We tested all those. They're lucky to hold cold for 30 minutes, and the cold is 'mild' at that.
Anyhow, if you're not pleased with it, or if you'd rather have regular gel packs that don't hold the cold for around 2 hours, you're welcome to return it for the guarantee.
Let me start by saying I purchased a Cool Fat Burner roughly a little over a month ago and I have had zero issues with it. I'm currently forward deployed overseas and use the thing on a nightly basis. Used in conjuction with working out and eating semi-healthy, I was able to drop nine pounds of fat in just under a month. Yes, the vest is constructed without bells and whistles and isn't the "prettiest" thing out there, but it works. Plain and simple. As a matter of fact, I quit before the gel packs do. You want something fashionalbe go to mall. You want something that helps get the job done, buy one of these things.
I have zero issues with mine and have the gel and hybrid packs. yes its annoying that the hybrid packs are heard but sometimes I warm up the gel packs more quickly.
Im addicted to it. love going to sleep cold after my session.
Longbow, I agree with Eric, and his response makes sense…the thing works…and that "rigidity" goes away after just a couple minutes of use…
I have actually found the exact opposite, regarding the cool fat burner. I wrote a short review of the CFB on my blog (http://intoxicatedonlife.com/2012/09/12/gettin-our-ct-on-with-the-cool-fat-burner/) and said as much! I think it's constructed great and haven't had any problems with the ice-bags (except when I didn't lay them flat in the freezer – user error!).
Also, wanted to say this is a great blog post! I really enjoyed reading it. I'm going to add it to my list of CT resources on my blog. Thanks for sharing your routine and the studies you've uncovered.
OK, cool. Thanks for the feedback, Luke.
Impressive stuff. I've known about the benefits of icing for a while now, but have yet to try it—my aversion to anything cold has stopped me. You bring up so many benefits though, it's time I give it a try.
Thanks for clearing this up Ben! It seems like proponents of no ice are glossing over much of the actual physiology of inflammation and benefits of decreasing it with ice. Great list of studies to look review too, thank you:-)
Ben, I live in Hope Idaho and am about to change physicians. I am a 57 year old male and have an annual physical, but would prefer someone who really understands the Christian holistic athelete. I have been seeing a Dr. in Spokane at Integrative Medicine for 10 years, but would like to take it up a notch. Any suggestions? Thanks, You are awesome.
I don't know anybody in hope, Jamie – but my personal physician is Dr. Todd Schlapfer in CDA, Idaho. He's been on this podcast before and is a really wonderful and caring guy. He's helped me and my family many times and he is very good. He's not an "athlete" specialist per se, but heck, he works with me! And then of course, you could do something like join the Inner Circle or do one-on-one consults with me when the advice you need becomes more specialized to athletic performance and less medical related. Hope that helps.
Try using blue fat freeze system instead of changing your physicians. It’s a very convenient way to lose fats and to stay in shape. It helped me lose 3 inches around my waist in 2 months.