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Other/Mixed Training When Freezing: Post Yours

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
Of course you can do whatever you want but I'm just gonna say I don't think this is a good idea...

To elaborate, my thinking at the time (and I'm sure there are lots of flaws in the logic):

"I've done these at 175 kg in the dry, so taking off another 50 kg should significantly reduce the effort needed, giving me of an emergency buffer if things get slippery"

"I'll wear the weighlifting shoes because they're harder, sturdier, and generally more stable than my Vivo Barefoots or Chuck Taylors and the ankle lift will make it easier to on the forward knee flexion."

[what I didn't account for was how poor the WL shoes were for traction in slush....I didn't slip, but I had to place my steps very deliberately]
 
To elaborate, my thinking at the time (and I'm sure there are lots of flaws in the logic):

"I've done these at 175 kg in the dry, so taking off another 50 kg should significantly reduce the effort needed, giving me of an emergency buffer if things get slippery"

"I'll wear the weighlifting shoes because they're harder, sturdier, and generally more stable than my Vivo Barefoots or Chuck Taylors and the ankle lift will make it easier to on the forward knee flexion."

[what I didn't account for was how poor the WL shoes were for traction in slush....I didn't slip, but I had to place my steps very deliberately]
Yeah, not my 1st,2nd,or 3rd choice. How often do you get snow there?
 
There are so many problems that could arise from training when freezing: You can’t truly feel what you’re doing, so lots of room to get hurt. You think you’re not thirsty or have to pee.- way more important than it seems. You also start to loose true coherence, since the body moves the blood to vital organs and the brain shuts off certain responses.
I would never recommend training while freezing to most people, even though I know there are so many that do it now that it’s a fad. It’s also very dangerous.
I have extensive experience with this and truly hope it’s a fad that goes away. There are other ways to prove toughness.
 
There are so many problems that could arise from training when freezing: You can’t truly feel what you’re doing, so lots of room to get hurt. You think you’re not thirsty or have to pee.- way more important than it seems. You also start to loose true coherence, since the body moves the blood to vital organs and the brain shuts off certain responses.
I would never recommend training while freezing to most people, even though I know there are so many that do it now that it’s a fad. It’s also very dangerous.
I have extensive experience with this and truly hope it’s a fad that goes away. There are other ways to prove toughness.
I think you're confusing things here (unless you're trying to make a joke) - no one here is actually "freezing", just training when it's below 0 degrees celsius outside...
 
I think you're confusing things here (unless you're trying to make a joke) - no one here is actually "freezing", just training when it's below 0 degrees celsius outside...
There’s no joke. If one is training outside in freezing temps, frost nip and mild hypothermia can set in quick. If one is training, they’re probably doing so for at least 20-30 mins, most likely underdressed. In <0 weather the affects happen fast. An iron kettlebell below freezing temps can start frostbite symptoms pretty quick too.
Now if one is merely going outside in the freeze and doing one set of 10 swings to show how “hard” they are and then going back in and warming up, that’s different. But training in freezing temperatures isn’t the safest thing for the average person. Still not joking. I’ve had frostbite in all four limbs twice, and have had hypothermia several times, so I don’t joke.
 
There’s no joke. If one is training outside in freezing temps, frost nip and mild hypothermia can set in quick. If one is training, they’re probably doing so for at least 20-30 mins, most likely underdressed. In <0 weather the affects happen fast. An iron kettlebell below freezing temps can start frostbite symptoms pretty quick too.
Now if one is merely going outside in the freeze and doing one set of 10 swings to show how “hard” they are and then going back in and warming up, that’s different. But training in freezing temperatures isn’t the safest thing for the average person. Still not joking. I’ve had frostbite in all four limbs twice, and have had hypothermia several times, so I don’t joke.
I think you need to calm down. How do you shovel snow?
 
I think you need to calm down. How do you shovel snow?
Okay. I see we’re done here tough guy.
When I shovel snow I dress appropriately, with a winter coat, gloves, and boots. Non of which anyone wears in their freezing training pics/videos, or can/should you wear trying to properly swing a KB. Totally different. My response wasn’t to troll, but to impart lessons learned the hard way. Be my guest though, please learn. It sucks!
 
Okay. I see we’re done here tough guy.
When I shovel snow I dress appropriately, with a winter coat, gloves, and boots. Non of which anyone wears in their freezing training pics/videos, or can/should you wear trying to properly swing a KB. Totally different. My response wasn’t to troll, but to impart lessons learned the hard way. Be my guest though, please learn. It sucks!

Um....

I noted the clothes I was wearing in my posts.

Multiple layers, fleece, beanie, etc.

I was so warm, I was actually getting sweaty under the beanie, hence why I asked for a breathable one.
 
There’s no joke. If one is training outside in freezing temps, frost nip and mild hypothermia can set in quick. If one is training, they’re probably doing so for at least 20-30 mins, most likely underdressed. In <0 weather the affects happen fast. An iron kettlebell below freezing temps can start frostbite symptoms pretty quick too.
Now if one is merely going outside in the freeze and doing one set of 10 swings to show how “hard” they are and then going back in and warming up, that’s different. But training in freezing temperatures isn’t the safest thing for the average person. Still not joking. I’ve had frostbite in all four limbs twice, and have had hypothermia several times, so I don’t joke.
I train in below-freezing conditions probably six months out of the year. This is more out of necessity than "hardness," and I think that mentality effects how one approaches it. Although I enjoy the additional dimension of training in my garage, I do things at a comfortable limit - dress warmly, shed layers as I warm up. I probably end up "under dressed" but I'm in a garage and not out on the mountain side.

Bringing kettlebells and barbells inside the night before is definitely recommended as metal gets colder than water. Wearing gloves in between sets is another thing, as is putting on a coat in between sets. Long sets (e.g. 3 minute sets of snatches) become more difficult simply due to exposure. All can be trained around though.

Frost bite doesn't often occur anywhere near freezing. I like this graph as a reference/guide:
1670792743276.png

But this one is my favorite reference:
1670792792702.png

There is also a difference between people who are very used to cold weather and people that are not - people ice fish out here on the lake (they drive their big trucks out on the ice), they ski, they hunt, they backpack (even in hammocks!) ... A lot of people are very used to outdoor living and activity in very cold weather. Things happen, and can happen quickly, but education and preparedness help ameliorate the risks.

Edit to add another helpful reference:

1670793964169.png
 
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There’s no joke. If one is training outside in freezing temps, frost nip and mild hypothermia can set in quick. If one is training, they’re probably doing so for at least 20-30 mins, most likely underdressed. In <0 weather the affects happen fast. An iron kettlebell below freezing temps can start frostbite symptoms pretty quick too.
Now if one is merely going outside in the freeze and doing one set of 10 swings to show how “hard” they are and then going back in and warming up, that’s different. But training in freezing temperatures isn’t the safest thing for the average person. Still not joking. I’ve had frostbite in all four limbs twice, and have had hypothermia several times, so I don’t joke.
Joe, I think you may be overreacting here. Plenty of people acclimate to cold weather. My own experience with exercising in the cold is that being overdressed is just as bad as being underdressed, and I've come to try to dress so that I feel cold for the first 5 or 10 minutes of anything active and outdoors in freezing temperatures.

NB: While I haven't had frostbite, I've had hypothermia. It was on a regular out-and-back bike ride we used to take in a small group here in the winter at 6:30 AM a few days a week. It was uphill on the way out, and on the way back it was easy enough to get yourself cold if you didn't have enough clothes on. It was pretty scary - I was in some sort of mental fog for a few hours after I got home. My wife said she thought about taking me to the ER but decided to see if it got better, and it did, but it was pretty scary nonetheless. Windchill on a downhill bike ride can be a real thing.

-S-
 
Okay. I see we’re done here tough guy.

When I shovel snow I dress appropriately, with a winter coat, gloves, and boots. Non of which anyone wears in their freezing training pics/videos, or can/should you wear trying to properly swing a KB. Totally different. My response wasn’t to troll, but to impart lessons learned the hard way. Be my guest though, please learn. It sucks!
Here in the midwest, it gets very cold in the winter at times, and very hot in the summer. You learn young to respond to climate accordingly. I thought your posts were a bit over the top, but of course training and training wear has to be tailored appropriate to your surroundings (temperature included) - I hope everyone's aware of that, but maybe not.
 
Here in the midwest, it gets very cold in the winter at times, and very hot in the summer. You learn young to respond to climate accordingly. I thought your posts were a bit over the top, but of course training and training wear has to be tailored appropriate to your surroundings (temperature included) - I hope everyone's aware of that, but maybe not.
Point taken. As the Scandinavians say: there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.
 
Joe, I think you may be overreacting here. Plenty of people acclimate to cold weather. My own experience with exercising in the cold is that being overdressed is just as bad as being underdressed, and I've come to try to dress so that I feel cold for the first 5 or 10 minutes of anything active and outdoors in freezing temperatures.

NB: While I haven't had frostbite, I've had hypothermia. It was on a regular out-and-back bike ride we used to take in a small group here in the winter at 6:30 AM a few days a week. It was uphill on the way out, and on the way back it was easy enough to get yourself cold if you didn't have enough clothes on. It was pretty scary - I was in some sort of mental fog for a few hours after I got home. My wife said she thought about taking me to the ER but decided to see if it got better, and it did, but it was pretty scary nonetheless. Windchill on a downhill bike ride can be a real thing.

-S-
Probably a bit. I get overly passionate about this topic as I see so many useless injuries in my line of work, from people trying to be “hard.” That’s clearly not a blanket thing.

That windchill must be intense. I see the bikers at the bar after coming down the mountains here, and they look like they need that grappa.
 
Well… speaking from the perspective of a guy who has spent at lot of time doing ‘hard’ things in +40C all the way down to -40C and who once spent 3 months in the hospital from frostbite and the subsequent loss of 2 toes…

there is often times a very fine line between bada$$ and dumba$$

There are risks in anything we do. Understanding those risks, and really accepting the consequences are highly individual…

(I could post the pics… but they are probably a little too graphic for this site)
 
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