Field Trip! The key to peak athlete performance? Recovery!
MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- Lebron James, Novak Djokovic and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Athletes who have reached the pinnacle of their sport, all with one thing in common: The use of state of the art recovery to stay at the top of their game.
In this week's 'Field Trip,' we ventured out to CryoEmpire in Midtown to experience first hand all the ways athletes recover in order to maintain peak performance. We jumped in the full body Cryotherapy machine, where i was exposed to -220F temps for 3 minutes! Yes, all of my extremities were covered for protection. Three minutes in the machine at those temps can burn up to 800 calories. Pretty crazy.
RELATED: 'Vampire Facial' at CryoEmpire.
After that, we hit up the Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber, which allows the body to get the oxygen it needs to improve energy levels and flushes out the lactic acid that causes muscle fatigue. After 30 minutes in that chamber, I had both of my legs wrapped in state-of-the-art leg compressors, which help increase circulation and push fluid out of the limbs. It's especially popular with runners and cyclists.
Has athlete recovery come a long way from even 5-10 years ago? No question. Lebron James spends $1.5 million per year on recovery for his body, using these types of techniques. Is it for everyone? Definitely not. We enjoyed ourselves, and it was definitely something I would try again.
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