Calculate the energy you produce during one of your ice baths

Will you fare better than Captain Givré? Enter your ice bath parameters and discover how much energy your non-shivering thermogenesis generates.

Inspired by the iconic Matrix movie, where Morpheus reveals to Neo that humans can be likened to batteries, I delved into a personal experiment to highlight the incredible energy-generating capacity of the human body. As a cold exposure expert, I engage in a daily ritual that not only tests the limits of human endurance but also serves as a striking demonstration of our internal power.

Imagine submerging yourself in a 200-liter tank of water at a chilling -6.3°C (20.66°F), standing still, only to elevate the temperature by 2.4°C (+36.32°F) using nothing but your body’s non-shivering thermogenesis capacity (the capacity to heat your body without using your muscle or any movements, only by using brown fat and other inner complexe body capacities). It sounds like a scene from a sci-fi movie, yet this is my reality.

1 Captain Givré's bath of 10min = 554Wh = 34min of a micro-wave in full power!

Est-ce que votre thermogénèse sans frisson est aussi efficace que celle de Captain Givré ?

Does your non-shivering thermogenesis is as effective as that of Captain Givré?

If you too are a cold enthusiast and a fan of ice baths, this page allows you to calculate the amount of energy you generate during your icy bath and compare your results to mine!

The goal is purely recreational.

Ego should be avoided in the practice of cold, and there is no competition regarding temperature or duration.

énergie générée par captain givré par la non shivering thermogenesis

Energy generated by Captain Givré during a 10-minute ice bath

On average, during my ice baths, the temperature of my chest-freezer increases by 2.4°C (+36.32°F). I immerse myself in 200 liters of salted water cooled to -6.3°C without gloves, caps, or slippers. I do not use a sauna before or after the bath.
On average, I generate:

  • 558.13 watt-hours (Wh)
  • equivalent to 480Kcal
  • equivalent to 3348.8W

To put this into perspective, the energy I produce could :

  • power a microwave running at full blast for over 33 minutes
  • power a flat TV screen for 5.6 hours
  • keep a laptop going for nearly an entire day!
  • illuminate a LED light bulb for 2.5 days!

It’s akin to burning the midnight oil, quite literally, but through biological means.

We generate a phenomenal amount of energy!

As Morpheus famously said in the renowned movie “Matrix”: the human body is akin to a battery and generates an astronomical amount of energy capable of powering numerous machines!

In a world constantly seeking sustainable and innovative energy sources, have we overlooked a source of energy that has always been with us? (our own bodies)

If this somewhat unconventional approach interests you, I invite you to read the associated LinkedIn article

Enter your bath data and estimate the energy generated by your body

To ensure the most accurate calculations possible, please avoid wearing gloves, slippers, or a cap. Also, refrain from having a sauna session before the bath, as it would skew the calculations (the heat transfer from your overheated skin would passively warm the bath).

The data we will need for our clever calculations are as follows:

  • Temperature before the bath: It is important to agitate the bathwater (by hand or preferably with an aquarium pump). The goal is for the temperature indicated on your thermometer to correspond to the temperature of the water at every point in the bath (not just at the surface).
  • Temperature at the end of the bath: Same prerequisites as for taking the temperature before the bath. You will need to agitate the bathwater to homogenize the temperature before taking the reading on your thermometer (if possible, digital).
  • Quantity of water in liters: Be careful not to make the common mistake of entering the capacity of your bathtub/freezer. You will need to enter the quantity of water used, not the capacity of the container. If you don’t know how to measure it, take a measuring tape, multiply the length/width/height in meters, and you will thus obtain the quantity in m3 (cubic meters). 1m3 = 1000l, you just have to multiply the result by 1000 to obtain the quantity of water in liters.
  • Duration of the bath in minutes: Very simple, time yourself to get the duration of your immersion.

For those who wish to obtain more details on the clever calculations used, I invite you to read the following article on LinkedIn (and by the way, to subscribe to the CaptainFrosty page).”





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    Don’t forget to mention @captaingivre ;)

    Energy generated by your ice bath

    For your ice bath with an initial temperature of XX°C and a final temperature of XX°C, immersed in XX liters of water for XX minutes, you generated:

    • XX watt-hours (Wh)

    To put this into perspective, the energy you produced could:

    • power a microwave oven operating at full power for XX,
    • operate a flat-screen television for XX,
    • keep a laptop running for XX,
    • light an LED bulb for XX,
    • operate a hairdryer for XX,
    • run a refrigerator for XX,
    • boil a kettle for XX.

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    Infographie captain givré