Guest Post From Coach Mike Mahon, CSCS, Professional Basketball Performance Consultant
Dear aspiring basketball players and coaches,
Are you looking for an edge this season?
The type of edge that will keep your players fresh all season long?
The type of edge that will help your team reach elite level status without breaking the bank?
Awesome – because that’s exactly what I’m going to cover in my In-Season X-Factor series here at Thrive3. Best of all these strategies will help youth basketball players all the way up to the professional ranks and you can use them whether you’re a coach or a player for maximum in-season success right away.
Now before I let the cat out of the bag of what today’s first In-Season X-Factor actually is, I want you to know that what I share with you today only works if you do it so as you read today’s article I highly encourage you to block out any distraction and pay close attention to everything I’m about to share today because it’s extremely valuable, O.K.?
Now that were both on the same page, let’s get you the edge…
Introducing In-Season X-Factor #1: ‘Cold Immersion Training’
So what’s ‘Cold Immersion Training’ anyway Coach Mike?
Good question – ‘Cold Immersion Training’ is an elite level recovery technique used by college and professional athletes specifically to dramatically decrease muscle soreness, help the nervous system recover faster, help the cardiovascular system recover faster, eliminate waste metabolites from muscles by actively dilating and constricting vessels, decreasing joint pain, and shortening recovery time.
Pretty awesome, right?
Now that you know what ‘Cold Immersion Training’ is you probably have some questions about it.
Keep on reading my friend, because I got you covered…
What do I need to perform ‘Cold Immersion Training’?
Here’s a quick checklist of what you’ll need to successfully perform cold immersion training.
- Cold Immersion Unit: There are higher priced cold immersion units that you can purchase. Truthfully though a standard tub, inflatable pool, or even a large trash can will work wonders for you.
- Booties: Booties are a type of water shoe made out of wetsuit material that you can wear during your ‘Cold Immersion Training’ sessions. I can tell you from personal experience that most water shoes will work just fine and you don’t have to break the bank with this.
- Ice: If you are a single person, 5-6 lbs of ice should be sufficient.
- Water: Fill your cold immersion unit with cold water so that you can soak in your cold immersion unit from the waste down.
- Cold Immersion Unit Temperature Thermometer: Any thermometer that you would use in a swimming pool will work. For best results, be sure to keep the water between 54-60 degrees Fahrenheit.
How long do I need to perform ‘Cold Immersion Training’ for?
‘Cold Immersion Training’ should be performed between 6-10 minutes. Nothing more, nothing less.
When do I need to perform ‘Cold Immersion Training’?
For best results, perform ‘Cold Immersion Training’ immediately after an intense game, practice or workout.
What if I’m still sore when I wake up the next day?
If you’re still soar when you wake up the next day, perform another ‘Cold Immersion Training’ session immediately in the morning when you wake up.
What do I do when my time is up?
Take a hot shower, put on some warm clothes immediately, eat, and get some rest.
🙂
Congratulations my friend! If you made it this far in today’s article it tells me that you’re serious about helping your team/self get the winning edge. The truth is this winning edge will only work for you if you implement it. It’s good enough for elite level ballers like LeBron James, and it’s 100% good enough for your team/self.
With that in mind, use this In-season X-Factor to your advantage and stay one step ahead of your competition, O.K.?
Your future self will thank you for it!
Dedicated to your basketball success,
Coach Mike Mahon, CSCS , Professional Basketball Performance Consultant