Why Contrast Therapy Is the Most Underrated Part of Your Training Week

Written By Andre DiCioccio

Recovery · 4 min read

Most people think the work happens in the gym. At XO, we know it happens after.

If you've been training hard — whether that's Reformer Pilates, Hyrox prep, or a week of back-to-back HIIT sessions — the quality of your recovery directly determines how hard you can push next time. And nothing accelerates recovery quite like contrast therapy.

What Is Contrast Therapy?

Contrast therapy is the practice of alternating between cold and heat exposure — in our case, the ice bath (43°F / 6°C) and the hot plunge (100°F / 38°C). It's been used by elite athletes for decades, and the science behind it is straightforward: cold constricts blood vessels and reduces inflammation, heat dilates them and improves circulation. Alternating between the two creates a pumping effect on your vascular system, flushing metabolic waste and delivering oxygen-rich blood to fatigued muscle tissue.

The Protocol We Recommend

You don't need to be a professional athlete to do this right. After your class, give yourself 10–15 minutes in the wellness area:

  • Start with 2 minutes in the ice bath

  • Move to the hot plunge for 10 minutes

  • Finish with a final 90-second cold plunge

That's it. Simple, repeatable, and genuinely effective.

What You'll Notice

Most members tell us the same thing after their first few sessions: they sleep better, their legs feel fresher the next morning, and their soreness window shortens significantly. The mental side is just as real — there's something about getting in a 43°F bath that resets your nervous system in a way a foam roller simply can't.

Jimmy built the XO wellness zone with this in mind. "Training is sanity, not vanity," he says — and recovery is where you protect it.

Who Is It For?

Everyone. You don't need to be training for a Hyrox race or running 40km a week to benefit. If you're doing 3 classes a week and your body is talking to you, contrast therapy is worth making a habit. Members on the Unlimited plan have full wellness access — if you haven't used it yet, you're leaving results on the table.

Come in early, stay a little later, and let your body do its job.

XO Fitness & Wellness | 1027 S Main St, Centerville, OH 45458

Andre DiCioccio