Here is a good copy and paste on Contrast Showers. I personally have never had much success trying these. Fuck all that cold water shit...
Contrast methods
Seven years ago, I had a chance to spend some time with Dr. Mel Siff at his ranch in Colorado. He shared with me some secrets on advanced recovery techniques. Here are a few tidbits on contrast methods that I think you’ll find interesting:
Always start with hot and end with cold (unless you plan to go to sleep afterwards, in which case you should end with heat).
The duration of each stimulus is 1–5 minutes, but here’s the kicker. Apparently, the body will adapt to the duration so you must vary it each time.
The body should be almost completely submerged (Dr. Siff had an 8-foot deep Jacuzzi) and motion is desirable (particularly in the cold environment, e.g. swim).
The temperature must be appropriate (hot should be very hot, i.e. up to 110 degrees F, and cold should be cold, i.e. as low as 60 degrees F).
Repeat the process 3–4 times.
According to Siff, “it is not simply the temperature of a given modality, but also the level of difference between hot and cold temperatures, and the time spent at each temperature that determines how one should use contrast methods.” He claimed that this strategy worked very well with Russian lifters, and he also used it quite successfully with his American athletes.
Believe me, it does work quite well. After performing countless sets of Olympic lifts, I had the pleasure to experience Siff’s lovely contrast bathing method with EliteFTS founder, Dave Tate. Picture Tate and I jumping from an 8-foot deep Jacuzzi (there were handle bars on the side to hold you up—this allowed for complete submersion as well as decompression of the spine) that was set at 110º F (yes you read that right) to a 62º F swimming pool where we did a few laps (in the winter, Siff used to get his athletes to roll in the snow!). Talk about contrast! And this was all done after midnight. Needless to say, we slept like babies that night!
Dr. Siff is no longer with us, but his methods live on. Today, contrast showers have become a Sunday ritual for me.
For contrast showers, Charlie Francis recommends three minutes as hot as you can stand followed by one minute as cold as you can stand repeated three times for the best results. This is performed once or twice per day. It is important to cover the whole body though, including the head. Although in the past, Siff has pointed out that showers with shower heads located only above the body do not adequately heat up or cool down the lower parts of the body, not all of us own a deep Jacuzzi and pool so a shower will have to do.
This practice will make a big difference in your recovery. Trust me! The key is the level of difference between hot and cold temperatures as well as varying the time spent at each temperature. And for the most part, you should end with cold. From The Bodybuilding Truth, here’s a method that author, Nelson Montana, claims will naturally increase testosterone.
It comes from one of the forefathers of modern bodybuilding, Angelo Siciliani, better known as Charles Atlas. Did you know that the excessive heat from a hot shower can lower your sperm count? In fact, the Aztec Indians used this as a form of birth control (don’t ask). Anyway, Charlie recommends finishing off your shower with cold water. Allow the cold water to flow from the solar plexus onto the genitals. The belief was that these areas contain the highest concentration of nerve endings. Therefore, the cold would stimulate the nerves, which in turn strengthened the entire nervous system. “Stimulate” is certainly the operative word here. I can attest to its effect because I've been doing this for some time now. It takes a little getting used to, but it sure is an eye opener!
Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
.jpg "Research Chemical Sciences")
.png "Research Chemical Sciences")
