Extreme swimmer Lewis Pugh explains how he is able to swim in freezing water


Extreme endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh has been diving into some of the world's coldest bodies of water for the past 30 years, and on Twitter on Tuesday he revealed his secret: practice. Lots and lots of practice.
While most people would drown "in a short period of time" if they dove into water that was colder than 32 degrees, Pugh wrote that each of his swims "takes at least six months of very hard training." When preparing to swim in the Arctic, for example, he has to acclimate to swimming in water around 37 degrees.
Pugh added that once in the water "the pain is excruciating. I'll think of dozens of reasons to get out. So I try to focus on the ONE reason to keep on going. I can swim for about 20 minutes in water below [32 degrees], after which my stroke slows considerably. And my core body temperature drops. My hands can no longer grip the water. My coordination starts going. And my swimming stroke becomes ineffective."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But even after getting out of the water, Pugh isn't out of trouble. "My team rush me into a hot shower on the expedition ship," he wrote. "It takes at least 50 minutes in a hot shower to restore my core body temperature to normal again." Read the full thread here and watch Pugh talk about swimming at Mt. Everest here.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
May 31 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include how much to pay for a pardon, medical advice from a brain worm, and a simple solution to the national debt.
-
5 costly cartoons about the national debt
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on the USA's financial hole, rare bipartisan agreement, and Donald Trump and Mike Johnson.
-
Green goddess salad recipe
The Week Recommends Avocado can be the creamy star of the show in this fresh, sharp salad
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia