Therapy at the Frontier: The Benefits of a Wellness Plan

I only met Padraig twice, but I remember him well. A storyteller through and through, every ailment he had was one that “could kill a rhinoceros.” The first time I met him was at a wedding, where he described his hangover in those exact terms.

Which is how I can say, with absolute certainty, that cryotherapy works.

I’m lucky in my work—I get to call some incredibly talented people my colleagues, and many of them, my friends. The culture at Gym 1801 is something rare. Instructors at the top of their game, leadership that empowers rather than micromanages, and a facility that sets the bar for wellness. It’s a high-performance environment, but more than that, it’s collaborative, forward-thinking, and deeply invested in results.

With access to world-class coaches specializing in yoga, animal flow, jiu jitsu, and strength training, I’ve explored tools outside of traditional fitness—specifically cryotherapy and red-light therapy.

Cryotherapy: The Deep Freeze That Works

At first glance, a cryotherapy chamber looks like something out of a sci-fi movie—a stand-up freezer you willingly step inside while someone times you for anywhere from two to three and a half minutes at temperatures as low as -175°F.

As a former lumberjack, I’m no stranger to discomfort. I’ve worked in harsh conditions, I’ve trained through injuries, and I tend to stay calm under pressure. But stepping into that chamber for the first time? That tested me. As the door sealed shut, it felt like a leap into the unknown.

At the time, I had a calf strain that—if you asked Padraig—would have been bad enough to take down a rhinoceros. I was training smart, modifying as needed, but I needed a true recovery edge.

I’ve worn a heart rate monitor for 30 years to track my training intensity, so I wasn’t going in blind. Over the course of several weeks, I tracked my response to cryotherapy. I compared the numbers. I measured my recovery against past injuries.

The results were undeniable.

Cryotherapy cut my recovery time dramatically and had a direct impact on my ability to return to full training. I progressed quickly from short, cautious sessions to the longest, coldest sessions possible. My breathing, once shallow and instinctively locked in fight-or-flight mode, slowed. My body adapted. I even felt paradoxically warm in the chamber.

I had also recently lost my father, and I found myself in the right place at the right time—surrounded by good people, exploring new recovery methods, and open to possibility. The physical numbers confirmed what I already felt: I was getting stronger, moving more weight, recovering faster, and getting better every session.

The Rowing Machine Never Lies

I call the rowing machine the lie detector. Your numbers don’t lie—if you’re inconsistent, if your endurance is lagging, if your recovery isn’t keeping up, it shows. Since adding cryotherapy into my routine, I’ve been pulling better numbers consistently.

Beyond recovery, I noticed something even more valuable: I could train harder, more frequently, and with less fatigue. That’s the real win.

Priming the Body: Heat for Performance

Cryotherapy isn’t the only tool I’ve been testing. Heat exposure—through sauna sessions and red-light therapy—has become a key part of my pre-training routine.

Priming the body with heat before training has made a measurable impact on my performance:

• Higher metabolic rate before, during, and after training
• Faster activation of the central nervous system for better explosiveness
• Greater tolerance for high-intensity work without early fatigue
• Increased heart rate resilience, allowing me to push harder for longer
• Faster recovery between sets, intervals, and sessions
• More energy throughout the day

I track everything. On days I use red-light therapy before training, my metabolic heart rate is 8-10 beats per minute higher. That means I’m burning more calories even after I leave the gym. And when I wake up the next morning? Lower resting heart rate, better recovery, and more energy to go again.

What This Means for You

When it comes to fitness, I experiment, but I don’t buy into trends. I test. I track. I compare. And I can say this with confidence: Cryotherapy and red-light therapy are legitimate tools that improve recovery and performance.

If you have access to these recovery options, use them.

Keep an open mind. Test what works for you. Experiment with different approaches and track your own results. Your training doesn’t end when you leave the gym—it’s an ongoing process, and recovery is part of that process.

At Gym 1801, we take performance seriously. We push limits, but we also take the science of recovery just as seriously as the training itself.

If you’re looking to optimize your recovery, ask us how to integrate these tools into your training.

Welcome to the frontier of wellness.

Wez Parkes
Lumberjack, Trainer
Gym 1801