Tri Bourne hates the cold. He’s from Hawaii, you know? Should see him on the beach during pre-season workouts, when the temperature is a ghastly 60 degrees. The guy’s in sweatpants, a long sleeve shirt that’s covered by a sweatshirt, a beanie and, heaven forbid, a pair of gloves.
Tri Bourne loves the cold.
It’s a strange dichotomy, but one that many high-performing athletes and human beings have become well-acquainted with. The cold, via plunges such as Ice Barrel, is, as Bourne says in the video above, a “secret weapon.” Ever wonder how a 34-year-old with an autoimmune disease can play a season that stretches from March-November with nearly 20 tournaments on the schedule? The variables are many, but a leader among them is cold via the Ice Barrel.
Bourne and Travis Mewhirter feature voluntary cold water exposure every single day. When they’re home, it’s a five-minute dip in the Ice Barrel, our new favorite recovery tool that has made getting cold – in the best way possible – accessible and effective. Both hosts of SANDCAST stand 6-foot-4 or above (Bourne is 6-foot-5 with shoes on) yet can easily get up to their chins in an Ice Barrel.
It’s no wonder it’s the Official Cold Therapy Partner of the CrossFit Games, which feature the most in-shape – and therefore in-need-of-quick-recovery – athletes in the world.
Mewhirter began using cold water exposure as a part of his daily routine thanks in part to Andrew Huberman, the jacked neuroscientist with the massive podcast who has made science cool again. Huberman is a massive advocate of cold water exposure. On the mornings Mewhirter commentates at 3 or 4 or some other heinous hour, the only way he could effectively wake up and shock the brain fog out of his system was a plunge in the Ice Barrel.
But it wasn’t only the next-level awareness that Mewhirter loved – it was the boost in mood. Not only was he more awake and alert, he was also, to borrow a phrase from Kelly Reeves, jazzed. He performed better, both on the mic and on the court. It is no accident that this has been his most prolific year as a writer, commentator, podcaster and player, with career achievements in every field.
While the mental boost was what first got Mewhirter using the cold daily, the physical recovery was just an added bonus. Suddenly, five practices and five lifts per week were no longer such a slog. With inflammation down, heart rate variability skyrocketing, and pain down to a negligible level, Mewhirter had no issue at all playing six matches in CBVAs, or three in a day at the AVP Manhattan Beach Open.
The Ice Barrel, and the cold water within, was the secret weapon.
It’s helpful, too, that it’s sleek and compact, able to fit in a storage room at Bourne’s house that has since become his recovery room, as he walks out from his closet-sized sauna and directly into the Ice Barrel. For the environmental-friendly folk out there – we are among them – Ice Barrel’s are made up of 100 percent recycled material, and it’s non-toxic, free of BPAs, and comprised of medical-grade material.
It’s built for a lifetime, and we do recommend you use it for a lifetime.
You might hate being cold for five minutes, but for the remaining 1435 of the day?
You’ll love that you got cold.
If you’re looking for a better way to reset your body and mind and begin your cold therapy journey, try Ice Barrel and get $150 off your order.
Go to IceBarrel.com and use code SANDCAST. That’s IceBarrel.com and use code SANDCAST for $150 off your order.
Get Colder. Feel Better!
