Canada’s Maxime Boudreault is one of the top strongmen in the world. His 2022 season may be considered underwhelming, given that he landed in the bronze position at his World’s Strongest Man (WSM) debut in 2021, but he still had a fair share of resume-worthy results. The pinnacle of his 2022 season came via his victory at the 2022 Canada’s Strongest Man (CSM) contest in late August.
While Boudreault did compete in the majority of premiere contests in 2022, there is a lot of room for him to improve in 2023, and part of that is improved recovery. On Nov. 16, 2022, Boudreault took to his YouTube channel to publish a video where he underwent cryotherapy — “performed using a cryogen, typically liquid nitrogen, to cool the targeted tissue to subzero temperatures.” (1)
Per the European Journal of Applied Physiology, “cryotherapy is utilized as a physical intervention in the treatment of injury and exercise recovery.” The primary benefit is “reduced pain following injury or soreness following exercise.” (2) Check it out below:
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Boudreault and his fiance, strongwoman Sam Belliveau, are first seen in the video in a physical therapist’s office. Belliveau received mobility work and a deep tissue massage on her right shoulder after feeling locked up from heavy overhead training. The therapist then applied pressure to her rotator cuff and rear delt to release tension.
Following the physical therapist visit, the duo traveled to Celcius, where they would undergo full-body cryotherapy. The technician voiced some big-name athletes who also use cryotherapy, including LeBron James, Floyd Mayweather, and Christiano Ronaldo.
Boudreault slid on his slippers and gloves before hopping into the chamber at -308 degrees Fahrenheit. They each spent three minutes in the chamber. Boudreault mentioned before entry that he finds cryotherapy more tolerable than an ice bath, despite how much colder the chamber is.
[Related: Žydrūnas Savickas Wins Masters 40+ World’s Strongest Man Title at the 2022 Official Strongman Games]
Boudreault is not currently scheduled to compete in another strongman contest in 2022. We’ll see if cryotherapy aids his recovery enough during the off-season to meaningfully improve his performance come the 2023 strongman season.
References
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Kwiecien, S. Y., & McHugh, M. P. (2021). The cold truth: the role of cryotherapy in the treatment of injury and recovery from exercise. European journal of applied physiology, 121(8), 2125–2142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-021-04683-8
Featured image: @max.boudreault23 on Instagram
