cold bath

decepticon
decepticon Posts: 8
edited June 2009 in Training, fitness and health
just done my first 100miler this weekend in 5:05 which i was well pleased with.
was expecting to experience aching legs to day but all seems fine.
i had a 20min cold bath 2hr after finishing as i saw on tv that olympic athletes do this to reduce muscle inflamation and hence aching. is this a common procedure for others and does it really benefit my legs?
cheers
neil

Comments

  • navt
    navt Posts: 374
    Thanks for the tip. I will be doing the same in 3 weeks time!
  • toolonglegs
    toolonglegs Posts: 18
    I do it as well...immediately after a hard ride.Seems to help recovery...certainly can't hurt..well in Summer anyway!.
  • chrisw12
    chrisw12 Posts: 1,246
    Why oh why?

    You've just suffered more than the average man for 5 hours (well done by the way), then you reward yourself with a cold bath!

    Cyclists (athletes) are either stupid or masochists.

    I just don't see the logic PERSONALLY.


    and yes I have tried it, I jumped in the sea and thought what's the point, 'I'm bloody freezing here. I've cycled 100 miles and now I'm bloody freezing all because some spoty faced oink with a sports science degree, conducted an experiment and concluded that being cold would speed up the recovery process' :)
  • Bhima
    Bhima Posts: 2,145
    There's a few threads on here about it.

    The idea is to get blood flowing round the legs, which is done more effectively by getting in/out of the bath every few minutes, instead of staying in for the whole 20 minutes.
  • robmanic1
    robmanic1 Posts: 2,150
    I do it after a run, it's supposed to dilate the blood vessels in your muscles which helps flush the blood from them along with the lactic acid that builds up, this blood is then replaced by fresh blood, hence preventing stiffness. That's what I read anyhew, and it does seem to work.
    Pictures are better than words because some words are big and hard to understand.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/34335188@N07/3336802663/
  • freehub
    freehub Posts: 4,257
    Can you get a similar effect having a cold shower? Not using the bath here it's really manky!!!

    I like cold showers though!
  • robmanic1
    robmanic1 Posts: 2,150
    freehub wrote:
    Can you get a similar effect having a cold shower? Not using the bath here it's really manky!!!

    I like cold showers though!

    Yes, if you can direct the shower head at your legs, I can't see any reason why that wouldn't work.

    It is bloody unpleasant though and makes your widget resemble a small rodent.
    Pictures are better than words because some words are big and hard to understand.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/34335188@N07/3336802663/
  • GyatsoLa
    GyatsoLa Posts: 667
    I assume the benefit is from preventing the swelling that can occur with heavy use of your muscle tissue, preventing further damage (the same reason you cold pack a strained joint). I thought the lactic acid thing was a myth.

    the odd thing is, several sources I've read recommend hot baths instead, to help muscles to relax. I did it after a 200 km ride on sunday (I was suffering in particular on my neck as I've an old whiplash injury). Worked well for me and much nicer than a cold bath!

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