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Welcome to the world of Cold or Ice Plunging. Oh, and it’s a wonderful place to be! Super excited to check out this Echelon Recovery Cold Plunge. It all started for me when I read a book (“What Doesn’t Kill Us” by Scott Carney – the author actually doesn’t live too far from me) about an eccentric Dutchman who could apparently control his body temperature while swimming in and under Arctic lakes. As a result, and several cold plunge devices later, here I am with the Echelon Recovery Cold Plunge. I was born in the Netherlands, so why not follow his path slightly to see where it leads me, right?
As a very active 50+ year old, boy, do I need that recovery part! Aging is awesome. With it comes wisdom and hindsight, but most of all it comes with aches, pains, and a creaky body. I have devoted quite a bit of time to this recovery phase which is now an integral part of my workout routine. I’d say the cold plunge ranks right up there as the most effective recovery and life altering tool out there. That’s for me at least, but I have “influenced” quite a few of my friends into at least giving this a try. A daily or even a weekly massage would be nice, but that’s just not in the cards.
I am super excited to taking this Echelon Recovery Cold Plunge for a spin or dip, so to speak. Follow my 2 month journey as my cold plunge game got an ice cold injection of ease and efficiency. There’s two reasons for that. One, I am an aging age grouper in my attempt to pursue a full Ironman and a Kona qualifying spot. I need to recover from my active swim, bike, run routine. Secondly, in the midst of testing and reviewing the Echelon, I got crushed by a Honda Pilot on a training ride. That took recovery to a whole new level on many fronts.
Amazingly in so many ways, I was the most fortunate being on the planet that morning. A big setback for sure, but rehabilitation includes my Echelon Recovery Cold Plunge in a very important way. The plunge (and recently acquired sauna) used in that daily routine make it so I am able to come back much quicker. As of the publishing date, I am about 3 weeks post accident, and have been able to think about my plan for a comeback.
My History Of Cold Plunge Progression
I got the $89 intro plastic blow-up cold plunge first, and guess what? It was awesome! For under $100, I got to dabble, experiment, overcome, and see what this world of cold plunging is all about. It ultimately got a slice in it from me trying to bust the frozen top 6 inches of ice with a rubber mallet. Onto the Animal Farm feeding trough. Definitely, a nice move up as it was unbreakable. A little different as I can stretch out more which is good for when I dunk my head towards the end of my plunge. Finally, I scored a good deal on a more official Barrel Plunge with steps for easy entry. Again, more upright, and very space efficient.
Two real problems with all three of these is: one, keeping my water temps cold enough to have the desired impact during the summer months. And two, there was no filtration system to keep water flowing through the filters for a cleaner plunge.
All this means and shows that I was committed to my cold plunge journey to explore more and better options. And yes, the Echelon Recovery Cold Plunge makes it into my world at a perfect time. I can realistically plunge outside from November through about May (@ 6 months) by utilizing mother nature. It’s the other 6 months where it gets tricky, and I have to bring my set-up into the small utility space in my basement. In the meantime, I have invested in a small basement freezer, and bought 10 large 2 Quart plastic containers. Certainly, a way to bring down the temps, but requires quite a bit of work each and every day.
Immediately upon assembly, we filled the tub. Too full at first, but we quickly scooped out enough to bring it down to the fill line. My daughter was the first beneficiary of some chilly temps. She braved it for a good 30 seconds, and called it good.
Technical Components And Features
- Cooling Performance: As low as 36°F / 2°C in 3-4 hours at room temperature
- Versatility: Indoor and outdoor ready
- Durability: Hard-wearing anodized steel casing
- Convenience: No ice required
- Self-Cleaning: Advanced filtration system
- Ease of Use: Set up quickly
- Designed and Engineered in the USA
Initial Set-Up Of The Echelon Recovery Cold Plunge
It’s funny, the delivery company called to set up a good time, and left me a message that they will be delivering my exercise bike in a few days. Echelon’s form in crosswinds when cycling in a peleton…. I suppose it was an honest mistake. In any case, two boxes showed up, and I have the perfect spot for my outdoor recovery zone.
As you can see, my yard space is really that narrow. It’s awesome in that my yard work is very limited, and we are surrounded by parks, trails, and open space. However, designing a small space is way more challenging than when there’s room for all the things. I think this cold plunge is the final piece of the puzzle in my outdoor “man-cave!” I am super excited!
The initial set up is really quite simple:
- Unpack
- Lay down the rubber mat
- Inflate the Tub
- Connect the Hoses
- Fill with Water
- Power On
- Jump in
Above you can see the hose connections and filters that make this Echelon Recovery Cold Plunge into a legit recovery tool in the arsenal. The set-up is really pretty easy, and the provided step by step directions are quite self-explanatory. The base pad is nice, helps protect the bottom, and creates a designated space for plunging.
I have the .8 Horse power chiller. Echelon does have a stronger version in 1.0 HP option that can also heat up the tub to 104! Now that would be nice, but I’m just fine with my 36 degree Cold Plunge. Echelon advertises that it can bring the temperature down to 36 degrees in 3-4 hours when at room temperature.
I am continuously testing the capacity on this .8 hp chiller motor to see roughly how long it would take to cool my cold plunge. Too many variables to come up with a distinct chart for guidance as outside temperature, humidity, and water temperature all play a role. However, I had fun seeing a distinct drop over the hour or two that I would turn it on to a temperature that would give me a real mental challenge and body cool down. As we are now seeing 90 plus degree daily temperatures, it is becoming more and more challenging to bring the temperature below 50.
The Echelon Recovery Cold Plunge is designed with the idea in mind that it’s easy to set up and take down. Think of it as a more mobile on-the-go recovery tool. I can see a real benefit to that for anyone that may look to take theirs along on adventures, vacations, or for professional purposes. I, on the other hand, would really like to keep mine in my designated recovery zone. My yard is tiny, but efficient, and I now have a place to escape and find some alone time from the three lovely ladies in my family.
The Echelon Recovery Cold Plunge In Action
Initial observation from blowing up the lid and tub with the provided pump is that the material looks and feels just like a standup paddle board. The connections for blowing it up are exactly like a SUP I have. The hard-wearing anodized steel casing seems to be up to the task for outdoor use as it is a very strong material that can take a beating. In theory, the Echelon Recovery Cold Plunge shouldn’t see too much “real action” aside from transport, gentle use, and possibly the weather elements.
As mentioned, I am currently training for an ironman which focuses heavily on the three disciplines of swimming, biking, and running. They say that the fourth discipline is nutrition. I agree it’s very important in training and especially during the race. That said, I think the “Recovery” component plays such a vital role during training that without it, you can’t properly do the other 3. My routine (I’d say 4-5 times per week) includes stretching, core, body strength training, foam rollers, massage guns, salt baths, sauna, and most definitely a cold plunge.
And I want to stress that this is truly all in an effort, so I can go out and play on my bike, and put in those big weekly running miles. Which leads me to the conclusion that the recovery and body care routine really drive everything in my athletic and healthiness endeavors.
Mental training
I started a list of cold plunging benefits that I’ve got at-the-ready for anyone that happens to inquire. This is not my own personal list, but something that others may have seen as a benefit from cold plunging. For some, it is able to address some serious bodily or mental concerns.
- Lowers blood pressure
- Lowers heart rate
- Increases insulin sensitivity
- Reduces Inflammation
- Weight loss
- Helps with arthritis
- Fights anxiety
- Increases immunity
- Increased testosterone
- Improved vascular system
Those are all well and good, but here are my main reasons for doing the cold plunges
- Mental toughness is certainly a top contender. Who in their right mind would submerse themselves in a tub of frigid sometimes icy water. Not many, as I have discovered. More so, why would you stay in said water for an extended period of time. It takes the mind overriding the brain that this is totally something you can conquer. To that effect, you will see that with time, you can stay in there much longer than one would realize.
- Cold acclimatization has been an amazing by-product. I used to be cold all the time. I would shiver and have to layer up. Plus, I couldn’t stay outside all that long. My early morning bike rides January – April start at 5:00, and even with the right gear, it could get quite cold going 20-25 mph. Now, I still notice that it is cold, but it doesn’t bother me much anymore.
- Energy boost or increased testosterone is also a great component from all this. I get out, and feel like I just intravenously injected myself with a dose of double espressos. The term “feeling like a million bucks” is for real, because afterwards there are some real positive dopamine effects. And those can last quite a while.
- If it helps fight off sickness by providing an immunity boost, that’s ok with me as well.
- Sleeping better is another one of those things that I can’t prove completely, but I feel the rhythm has been good to allow me the get a better nights rest.
- And lastly, the heat and cold combo that aid with muscle and joint recovery. Kind of an old school remedy for treating the body, and this is taking that next level.
Aside from the book that I mentioned before that got me started, here is a podcast you can also listen to for helpful insight. It’s got its moments, but the topic and interviewee, a Danish Dr. Susanna Soberg, gives good reasoning and studies supporting the many benefits of a cold plunge routine. Check out the Huberman Podcast
Besides lots of good stories, details, etc., I came away with the fact that anything under 50 degrees Fahrenheit will provide all the benefits listed above. Also, the fact that duration of each individual session does not matter all that much. It is mentioned that 11 minutes per week total is a good amount of time to shoot for. I think 50 is just about my top temperature limit. Over time, I have been able to handle the colder temperatures which in turn means that I don’t need to do these longer plunges.
The Chiller
I like for the temperature to be in the 35-45 degree range. With the chiller, I suppose I can have whatever constant temperature I want, but I also want to be energy conscious. Hence, when I run it one day, and it gets down to below 40, I may not turn on the chiller the next day. It may be 44 degrees which will still work just fine. This is all outside temperature dependent of course.
Two consecutive days of 99, and a third at 93 degrees practically boiled my water temps to 73. Not exactly ideal cold plunge temperatures. I was ready to throw in the towel, and bring it inside into the basement. I will not run my chiller non-stop to keep it at one temperature. It’s just not in me to waste power to keep the plunge at my preferred temperature 24/7. Nope, not gonna do it. As mentioned before, I’m just way too cheap for that. I did see a 75 daytime and 55 nighttime temperatures a few days later, so I decided to see if I could prolong my outdoor Zen zone.
75 outside, 61 water temp took about 4 hours to get down to 50 which is sufficient. In the morning, I turned it back on first thing in the AM to bring it down to 44 by the time I plunged post ride and run. The goal here is to still bring it down into the 30’s, but 40’s will suffice.
Honestly, I think I will bring the Echelon Recovery Cold Plunge inside for July, August, and September. I just don’t see the constant battle making much sense when the temperatures are 85 and above for weeks on end. Yes, it does get down into the lower 60’s at night, but that combo is not good enough to keep my temperatures below 50. Come fall, the more consistent lower temperatures will once again play a role in my ability to keep the plunge cold without continuously running the chiller.
The .8 HP motor is the baby brother to the 1.0 hp version. That said, if you can be patient and time the chiller run times with your plunges, you can certainly have a vary valued partner. A good week of 90 degree temperatures has me rethinking the hp difference. What would a more powerful chiller look like? It may be a future upgrade. Plus, my wife would like the 104 degrees heat option.
Tricks Of The Trade
A few tricks I have come up with over time to help me in this cold plunge journey. First of all, I started keeping my socks on, because my toes were getting so cold that I felt like I was getting frostbite. I have some sort of nerve damage to one of my toes from a marathon almost ten years ago. It turns out that that toe made it quite painful to stay in the plunge for starters. The long recovery of having this frost bite feeling made me rethink what I needed to do. Obviously, this is still a cold foot and sock, but the layering provides enough of a barrier for me to continue doing this. A win in my book.
The brain triggers all sorts of things to tell you its cold, and the ten toe and finger digits speak volumes to the brain that this is not normal. It’s way too cold, and you should do something about it. As in, get out you fool!
Secondly, the fingers and their nerve tingling effect on the brain made me keep my hands out when there was ice floating in the tub or when it’s below 45 or so. Again, this is for the same reason as the toes. On the flipside, when the tub temperatures are a bit on the high side for me. Something above 50 degrees is what I would consider a temperature that’s too high. What I would do, is put my fingers in which immediately sends shock waves to the brain that this is a really cold tub. Funny how that works.
An Item To Keep An Eye On
When I first emptied my tub to refresh the water, I did notice a few spots where what I would presume is some glue coming loose. I do think there is a hard seam right behind it, and it is definitely not leaking. That said, the next time I empty and clean the water, or bring it inside, I will look closely again.
The Echelon Recovery Cold Plunge: By The Numbers
The above is a bit of a glimpse into my daily plunges. The date is first which shows a pretty consistent routine with numerous times a double plunge day. One would be first thing in the morning after a workout, and the second would be a cold/hot evening session with the sauna. The second number is a running total for the year to keep me motivated to reach my goal of 208 for the year. That’s an average of 4 per week. Thirdly, is the duration of the plunge which as you can tell is not super long. I have found out that the benefits of doing it even for 1:00 are fantastic. And lastly, the final number is the temperature as displayed on my chiller.
As you can see 6/14 was the day of my accident, and I did not skip a beat to keep doing this to aid in my recovery.
The funny thing that this journey has given me is that I now look for opportunities to go plunging out in the wild. The mountain lakes and streams of Colorado keep a pretty cold temperature even in the middle of summer. Hence, my family now knows to give me a quick pit stop as we are going places for a quick plunge. So refreshing.
Final Take On The Echelon Recovery Cold Plunge
- It’s all mental to overcome the ridiculous craziness of jumping into a cold tub or icy bath.
- I will still try to find things to do to delay getting into the icy water. That said, now my mind does prevail.
- Energy gain is awesome
- Wanting to jump into frigid lakes, oceans, and streams is a fun by product.
- I’m sure it helps with inflammation
- Helps the immune system to a point, and keeps me healthy and feeling better.