201. Sam Maxwell & Kyle Ponton: Does Cold Plunging Really Work? Here’s the Science!

The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka

Gary Brecka

Health & Fitness

4.8 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 16 September 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Two Atlanta entrepreneurs discovered something more valuable than any business strategy: a daily practice that builds unshakeable mental resilience while creating thriving communities nationwide. Kyle Ponton and Sam Maxwell share how their journey from DIY ice barrels to building Cold Life into a revolutionary wellness company reveals the power of customer-driven innovation and authentic product development. From Mark Wahlberg’s 4am routine to Coffee & Chill events transforming social wellness culture, see how cold plunging is creating alcohol-free communities focused on health, connection, and personal growth. COLD LIFE: THE ULTIMATE HUMAN PLUNGE: ⁠https://bit.ly/4eULUKp Join the Ultimate Human VIP community for Gary Brecka's proven wellness protocols!: https://bit.ly/4ai0Xwg Connect with Sam Maxwell & Kyle Ponton of The Cold Life Website: https://bit.ly/3IcsvK6 YouTube: https://bit.ly/465iQhz Instagram: https://bit.ly/4pGxEer TikTok: https://bit.ly/3K29r1K Facebook: https://bit.ly/3K4F3Ui X.com: https://bit.ly/47LsWFG LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3KoNbis Thank you to our partners H2TABS: “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4hMNdgg BODYHEALTH: “ULTIMATE20” FOR 20% OFF: http://bit.ly/4e5IjsV BAJA GOLD: "ULTIMATE10" FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/3WSBqUa EIGHT SLEEP: SAVE $350 ON THE POD 4 ULTRA WITH CODE “GARY”: https://bit.ly/3WkLd6E WHOOP: JOIN AND GET 1 FREE MONTH!: https://bit.ly/3VQ0nzW MASA CHIPS: 20% OFF FIRST ORDER: https://bit.ly/40LVY4y VANDY: “ULTIMATE20” FOR 20% OFF: https://bit.ly/49Qr7WE AION: “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4h6KHAD A-GAME: “ULTIMATE15” FOR 15% OFF: http://bit.ly/4kek1ij CARAWAY: “ULTIMATE” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/3Q1VmkC HEALF: 10% OFF YOUR ORDER: https://bit.ly/41HJg6S BIOPTIMIZERS: “ULTIMATE” FOR 15% OFF: https://bit.ly/4inFfd7 RHO NUTRITION: “ULTIMATE15” FOR 15% OFF: https://bit.ly/44fFza0 GOPUFF: GET YOUR FAVORITE SNACK!: https://bit.ly/4obIFDC GENETIC TEST: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Yg1Uk9 Watch the “Ultimate Human Podcast” every Tuesday & Thursday at 9AM EST: YouTube: https://bit.ly/3RPQYX8 Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3RQftU0 Connect with Gary Brecka Instagram: https://bit.ly/3RPpnFs TikTok: https://bit.ly/4coJ8fo X: https://bit.ly/3Opc8tf Facebook: https://bit.ly/464VA1H LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4hH7Ri2 Website: https://bit.ly/4eLDbdU Merch: https://bit.ly/4aBpOM1 Newsletter: https://bit.ly/47ejrws Ask Gary: https://bit.ly/3PEAJuG Timestamps: 00:00 Intro of Show 02:06 Starting the Cold Life Journey 13:17 Engineering behind the Cold Life 16:54 Debunking the Myths on Cold Plunging 20:01 Evidence-Backed Benefits of Cold Plunge 25:09 Mammalian Dive Reflex 26:25 Recommended Duration and Temperature of Cold Plunging 34:37 Community-Building through Cold-Plunge and Wellness Activities 38:24 Cold Exposure is Not Just a Trend 42:31 The Absence of Dopamine is the Presence of Addiction 46:37 Best Testimonials Received 49:39 Contrast Therapy Benefits The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka Podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The Content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	My favorite part about cold punching is that it changed my life completely. I was diagnosed with
0:05.0	severe ADHD when I was young. I was just Googling what can help me with an adderol addiction.
0:10.0	So when I found the cold therapy being able to substitute that, I was buying ice every single day.
0:14.8	I'm a walking testimonial of what we sell and what we created. I literally call it my drug of choice
0:19.8	because nothing makes me feel better for longer.
0:22.7	That aspect of getting out and just being so clear, people are realizing, man, there's so many
0:28.4	ways to feel really good without drugs and alcohol.
0:31.2	That's when we then connected on how much he believed in cold plunging.
0:34.7	He was like, dude, let's stop everything we're both doing right now,
0:37.5	put our brains together, and let's create our own product. Most people see comfort very aggressively.
0:43.0	They avoid any level of discomfort, not realizing that some level of discomfort can make you
0:47.4	stronger. There's really something to be said about pursuing the discomfort to where then when
0:52.0	stuff comes out to you, you just feel like you got it. I always say if your morning is hard, your day will be easy. Doing that very hard thing in the morning just sets me up for my day. I feel like cold exposure is one of those things that is going to still be mainstream 5,000 years for now. When you look at the intelligence, really break this down, you get into a cold punch. What is the body going to do in that situation?
1:13.9	One of the things that I found very interesting was, and I didn't really learn about this really
1:17.3	into this past year or two, is... Ultimate Human Podcast.
1:30.3	Hey guys, welcome back to the Ultimate Human podcast. I'm your host, human biologist, Gary Brecker, where we go down the road of everything anti-aging, biohacking, longevity, and everything in between.
1:42.2	Today's going to be a really special podcast because it's on
1:45.0	a broad topic that so many people are interested in and even more people are confused about.
1:50.2	So I'm really, really excited to run this podcast on cold plunging. And I've asked two of my
1:55.4	very good friends and partners to come to the podcast today. So welcome Sam and Kyle from Cold Life Cold Plungees.
2:02.5	Welcome to the podcast, guys.
2:03.8	Thanks for having us all in Gary.
	...

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