Summary
Ryan Moore, founder of Embody Contrast Studio in Kansas City, joins the Protein Bros to break down contrast therapy from both a personal and business perspective. He explains how the treatment combines infrared sauna with red light therapy and cold plunge at 50 degrees to reset the nervous system, boost norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin, and reduce inflammation. Ryan shares how he originally used contrast therapy for muscle recovery but shifted to doing it primarily for mental benefits after starting his business. He does it every morning to reset his mindset, noting the euphoric clarity that comes after a three-minute cold plunge. The episode covers practical protocols including the recommended 11-12 minutes per week in cold and 50-55 minutes per week in sauna, breath work techniques for managing the initial cold shock, and why infrared saunas are superior to traditional saunas for penetrating heat therapy.
Key Points
- Contrast therapy resets the nervous system through alternating infrared sauna (with red light) and cold plunge at 50 degrees
- Cold plunge produces a massive boost in norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin for elevated mood
- Optimal cold plunge temperature is 45-55 degrees; 50 is the sweet spot with no added benefit from going colder
- Recommended weekly dose: 11-12 minutes in cold, 50-55 minutes in sauna across two sessions
- Breath work is key to cold plunge success: deep breaths before entry, first 30 seconds are the hardest
- Infrared sauna penetrates skin up to 1.5 inches deep, heating from inside out at lower temps (130-140F vs 170F+ traditional)
- Ryan shifted from using contrast therapy for muscle recovery to primarily mental clarity and stress management
- Red light therapy stimulates mitochondria and ATP production for cell repair and skin health
Key Moments
Contrast therapy defined as hot-cold nervous system reset with specific neurotransmitter benefits
Ryan Moore breaks down contrast therapy as infrared sauna with red light for the hot source and cold plunge for the cold source, explaining the neurotransmitter cascade including norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin boosts plus inflammation reduction from blood vessel constriction.
"So the therapy treatment is hot, cold, hot source is infrared sauna with red light. Your cold source is a cold plunge. And so benefit wise, in terms of sauna, it's detox. So liver, kidneys, lymphatic system, opening up your blood flow, increasing circulation, kind of a cold plunge."
Mental benefits surpass physical recovery as primary reason for daily contrast therapy
Ryan describes how he shifted from using contrast therapy primarily for muscle recovery to doing it every morning for mental reset, noting that a three-minute cold plunge can completely rewire his mindset when business stress hits.
"That's incredible. And the experience that you've had from this firsthand, what kind of benefits has it had in your life? So in the beginning, my main focus was I needed this for muscle recovery, probably more than anything. I've actually shifted. I actually do it more for the mental aspect because starting the business is tough. And there have been days where I'm like, why did I do this? I'll go jump in the cold plunge for three minutes and forget I even ever had that thought."
Breath work technique for surviving the first 30 seconds of cold plunge
Ryan shares his practical cold plunge protocol, explaining that breath work is the hardest part, the first 30 seconds are a fight-or-flight battle with your brain, and the optimal temperature range is 45-55 degrees with 50 as the sweet spot.
"basically telling people that breath work is the hardest thing when doing a cold plunge. When you first get in, the body's initial response is fight or flight, and it wants to take your breath away. And that is completely normal. So what I tell people is take as deep a breath as you can. Mentally, it prepares you, slows heart rate down. So when you work your way in as fast as you can, at least heart submerged under the water, the first 30 seconds, your brain's going to fight you and tell you to get out."
Optimal weekly contrast therapy dose for beginners and regular users
Ryan lays out the specific weekly protocol: aim for 11-12 minutes in the cold and 50-55 minutes in the sauna per week, which typically works out to two 60-minute sessions for most people.
"one time, at least get started one time a week. But I would say the average person probably needs to do two sessions a week. So what you want to aim for is 11 to 12 minutes a week in the cold tub, 50 to 55 in the sauna."
Why infrared saunas work at lower temperatures than traditional saunas
Ryan explains the science behind infrared vs traditional saunas, noting that infrared heats from the inside out so it only needs 130-140 degrees vs 170+ for traditional, and that infrared kills bacteria and cleans itself, making it a cleaner experience.
"Well, I would tell people two different types of saunas. Try and go for the infrared. Most big gyms are going to have a traditional sauna, which has the ladle with the rocks and the water. It just heats the air around you. An infrared, the difference between that and why those are starting to take off is they heat you from the inside out. So it's a dry heat. They're usually a lot cleaner because they can clean it. The infrared basically kills all the bacteria and cleans itself. But from a..."
