We all know that when your hands get cold they seem unable to do even the simplest things. A Tough Mudder course will push this to the max, as once you’ve plunged into the ice bath of Arctic Enema and got out, the next obstacle is going to be a challenge. Developing grip strength and wrist stability is a great training focus but if you plan to use these qualities in temperatures anything below perfect, you’re going to have to learn how to overcome the discomfort of cold. Enter the practice of Cold Hands.
This comes down to both mental toughness and training your hands to work when they are in a cold place. The cold hands activity is designed to help on both fronts and level up your ability to perform under testing conditions. Improving grip strength is vital for success on the Tough Mudder obstacles.
The benefits of practising Cold Hands:
- Builds mental strength.
- Simulates rough conditions to help you train through them.
- Teaches your body to respond to a specific stimulus and perform better.
How to set up the Cold Hands practice:
- Fill a large bowl or bucket with cold water.
- Scoop ice into the bowl/bucket (start with less, you can always add more).
- Take a deep breath and plunge your hands into the bowl, try to stay relaxed.
- Keep your hands submerged for 15-20 seconds.
- Take your hands out and grab a tennis ball (or a towel) in each hand and squeeze the ball hard for 15-20 seconds.
- Take a rest of 10-15 seconds.
- Repeat the plunge, squeeze and recover process for five to six sets.
It is important that you don’t leave your hands submerged in ice water for longer than 30 to 40 seconds per plunge. If you’re looking for a progression why not increase the amount of time you are squeezing the objects for.
Now for the final level up, take this activity into the real world. Visit a park with your cold hands bucket and after the plunge, rep out 5 to 10 pull-ups, then rest and repeat. Once you’ve got to grips (pun intended) with the pull- up, start to use other exercises that will challenge your grip strength under arctic conditions:
Cold hands is a great activity to develop mental strength and improve performance in hard conditions. The benefits to this kind of training are far more than physical, these types of abilities are what separate gym-goers from practical fitness badasses!
Ready to put your new skills to the test? Book your ticket today, here are all our upcoming events.
