The 3 things Tony Robbins uses to recover from super-intense workouts

You might not think of life coach and CEO whisperer Tony Robbins as an authority on fitness (diving into freezing cold water, though—yes). But he knows a little something about the body. In his decades-long career, the self-help mogul has worked one-on-one with world leaders, executives, celebrities, and professional athletes like Serena Williams and the Los Angeles Kings.

Not only that, while hosting seminars, Robbins stands on stage in front of thousands and does the strenuous work of leading his audience through several days of personal development. It’s a physical challenge that requires more than an ice bath to recover from.

Leading his audience through several days of personal development is a physical challenge that requires more than an ice bath to recover from.

Always one to share the secrets of his success, Robbins recently took to his podcast to talk about the recovery treatments that work for him. They might sound like they’re for pros only—and, real talk, they are on the pricey side—but Robbins assures that “you don’t have to be an athlete” to use them. “If you’re a person that’s experiencing pain, or if you’re a person that really just wants to maximize your energy,” you can also benefit from these treatments.

Keep scrolling to see the recovery tech Robbins loves.

Cryotherapy

Robbins reportedly will do upwards of 17 miles walking back and forth on stage over a seminar weekend. He not only has to stay in excellent shape, he also has to bounce back quickly so that he can move on to the next event. He relies on cryotherapy—where you hang out in a -250° F, liquid nitrogen-filled chamber for minutes at a time—for maintenance and recovery. Robbins thinks of the deep-freeze treatment as the high-tech, high-speed version of an ice pack. He says it takes him just three minutes to “literally feel completely rejuvenated,” he says. “It shifts your brain, it shifts your body, all at one time.”

Dynamic sequential compression

Those intense barre classes you’ve been taking might be leading to this painful side effect: lactic acid buildup, which leads to sore muscles. Robbins believes it’s important to get that “poison” out of the system. “If you don’t recover, you’re not going to perform in the future worth a damn,” he says.

Robbins uses the NormaTec compression system ($1,495 and up) to speed the recovery process after a workout. He even likes that he looks funny while he’s using it (it’s basically like a Thundershirt for humans that gives your muscles a pulsating massage).

Low-level laser therapy

Robbins’ seminars leave him prone to injury. “I’m jumping or leaping or someone jumps on the stage and tries to hug me,” he says. He was once feeling a great deal of pain and nothing eased it until he tried low-level laser therapy (LLLT), an experimental treatment that uses lasers or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on the surface of the body. The technique is used as a treatment for various health conditions ranging from stroke to back pain. If the idea of lying in a light-emitting bed gives you PTSD from your high school tanning salon memories (slash nightmares), you can rest assured that no orange-ness will result from Robbins’ recovery go-to.