Canelo Alvarez is renowned for his undeterred commitment, dedication, and intentional effort to improve his craft. The Mexican professional boxer, taking extreme measures to stay at the top of his game, recently revealed an unusual personal training technique, sparking shockwaves in the boxing world. He verifies that hard work in the gym isn’t the only tactic he employs — the current world champion also undergoes what he refers to as “cold plunge torture.” Jaime Munguia, another Mexican professional boxer, also tried this technique and called it “torture.”
Álvarez’s cold plunge technique is a training strategy to assist in recovery. During the experience, one soaks themselves in an ice bath, with the ‘plunge’ term referring to the sudden drop in body temperature. Cold-water immersion has increasingly become a popular recovery technique among athletes, but Alvarez takes it a step further, choosing freezing cold water, which explains the ‘torture’ that replica Munguia referenced.
Alvarez’s experience allows him to ignore the intense pain he feels when fully submerged. The training technique also serves to improve mental strength, demonstrating that it’s necessary to overcome any physical discomfort to perform at an optimal level. This mindset has undeniably contributed to Alvarez’s triumphant boxing career.
Lately, it’s not just Alvarez who’s implementing this unique technique. Jaime Munguia, a former WBO junior middleweight champion, is taking a leaf from Alvarez’s book and showing his commitment to improving his career. Although he’s at the beginning of his boxing journey, many experts claim that the 23-year-old has the potential to follow Alvarez’s lead.
Despite the promising career ahead, Munguia has struggled with the cold plunge technique. After his trial, he acknowledged the method’s benefits but told reporters that he wasn’t sure he’d be able to endure the ‘torture’ once more.
“I tried the bath as Canelo does, and it was pure torture. I don’t know if I’m going to keep doing it. It’s really tough, and it takes a lot of mental strength to get through,” said Munguia.
While Munguia finds Alvarez’s extreme recovery method intolerable, there’s no denying the potential benefits. The cold plunge is heralded for reducing muscle inflammation and soreness by narrowing the blood vessels. This allows blood rich in oxygen and other nutrients to flow back to the muscles once the body warms up, promoting faster recovery.
Alvarez’s cold plunge method showcases boxing’s evolution, highlighting how modern fighters are ready to take extra steps for recovery and conditioning. This approach, despite its ‘torturous’ reputation, has undeniably helped Alvarez stay ahead of the competition by speeding up recovery and preparing him mentally for what’s ahead.
Munguia’s trial was an interesting, albeit taxing, experiment, showing that not every method is meant for every boxer. As the Mexican boxer continues to carve a path in the boxing world, he might find other training methods more optimal for his unique training routines.
Canelo Alvarez’s cold plunge methodology is an intense example of the lengths elite athletes will go to maintain their competitive edge. It serves as a reminder to aspiring boxers and athletes worldwide that success is often grounded in continual development and a willingness to push beyond comfort zones. Munguia’s harrowing experiment offers interesting insights into the potentials and limitations of such intensive recovery therapies. This debate will surely continue in the sporting world, and it will be fascinating to see which other boxers will subject themselves to the ‘cold plunge torture’.
