Health

Contrast Therapy Template

Alternating cold and warm phases — 1 minute cold, 3 minutes warm — for four cycles. Use the timings your clinician recommends.

2 rounds 4 sets 16 min total

More Health Customize

Ready

01:00

Space start or pause · S skip the lead-in · F fullscreen · R reset · Esc exit fullscreen

Rounds

1 Cold 01:00
2 Warm 03:00

Make it yours

Press start and this template runs as-is — nothing is saved and no account is needed. Customize it to change the rounds, and you get your own timer with its own shareable link.

Customize this timer Start from scratch

Other Health templates

Physical Therapy Session Template 18 min
Stretching & Mobility Template 10 min
20-20-20 Screen Break Template 2 hr 2 min
Balance Training Template 7 min
Walking Interval Template 35 min

About this timer

Alternating cold and warm phases — one minute cold, three minutes warm — for four cycles. Contrast therapy is widely used in sports recovery and post-injury rehabilitation, and the ratio here reflects the most common protocol. Timings vary considerably between practitioners and conditions, so treat these as a starting structure and use whatever your clinician has actually prescribed.

Best for

Post-training recovery
Managing swelling and stiffness under clinical guidance
Anyone who loses track of time in a cold plunge or shower

How to run the cycles

Cold phase — cold shower, ice bath or cold pack, one minute
Warm phase — warm shower, bath or heat pack, three minutes
Keep the temperature difference comfortable rather than extreme
Most protocols finish on cold if the goal is swelling and on warm if the goal is stiffness
Get out if you feel dizzy, numb or your skin goes white

Scaling it

Gentler: Two cycles instead of four, and narrow the temperature range.
Stronger: Six cycles, or extend the cold phase — but only if you have done this before and have no cardiovascular contraindications.

How the clock runs

One pass through this timer is 2 rounds and 4 min. The sequence repeats 4 times, so the whole session runs 16 min across 8 intervals. The intervals break down as 1 × 3 min and 1 × 1 min.

Round-by-round breakdown of the Contrast Therapy Template
#	Interval	Length	Elapsed
1	Cold	01:00	01:00
2	Warm	03:00	04:00

Questions about the Contrast Therapy Template

Should I finish on hot or cold?

Practice differs and depends on what you are treating. Ask whoever is managing your recovery rather than following a general rule.

Is contrast therapy safe for everyone?

No. Cold immersion in particular is not appropriate with certain cardiovascular conditions, circulatory disorders or reduced sensation. Check with a clinician before starting.