Cold/ice bath after excercise

.blitz

While I realise the jury's still out on the benefits of cold water immersion after excercise, I just wondered if anyone has any experience of this recovery technique?

Paulie W

Not exactly scientific but I've jumped in the icy waters of a Scottish loch once or twice at the end of or mid-ride on a hot day and have felt better for it!

Surf-Matt

Eddie Izzard did this after every Marathon - looked minging but I think it helped.

I surf in cold water a lot - the cold makes you paddle harder to warm up. Not sure if that's beneficial though!

Thewaylander

no idea,

But if you want to impress the ladies, 33-4hours in the saddle followed by ice and cold water.. this is nothte method

jairaj

A friend of mine who does a lot of running points the shower head at his legs and puts the temperature on fully cold after exercise and swears this defiantly helps.

haven't tried it my self though.

Ho hum

Even if it does have benefits I think that I will skip on this practice as it does not appeal to me at all

asdfhjkl

Contrast showers are similar, and a much more attractive alternative. Basically alternate between very hot and very cold showers for about 30 seconds at a time. A lot of weightlifters swear by it.

The Northern Monkey

Used to do it after rugby training/matches..... it sucks.

However, it did seem to reduce the length/duration of sore muscles and I hardly ever got cramp

Radioactiveman

Hmm good for getting rid of a hangover, good for torturing enemies of the state, good for chilling large quantities of beer

On a more serious note it is meant to cause constriction of blood vessels ,then when you get out they open up filling more with blood to flush out lactic I think.

Splottboy

You got for it, matey !

Got me bath running now, candles lit, soft music on.

Can't see the room for steam...

Gilesw2010

used to do it after rugby training...

...possibly the reason I gave up!

Briggo

Gilesw2010 wrote:

used to do it after rugby training...

...possibly the reason I gave up!

Stop being a pussy.

I cold shower my legs after a hard ride, it certainly feels better once done and my legs never get that "tight" feeling anymore.

furby

Deffiently felt the positives aswell.

physiosteve

to reduce DOMS 10min @10-12degrees, ie RICE principle to soft tissue inj. Standing in 5ft water best due to increased hydrostatic pressure at bottom

to assist recovery 5min cold 3min hot 45-50deg x 3, times less critical try and see sum ppl like 3:3. ie vaso constriction followed by vasodilation increased bloodflow and thus removal of metabolic waste products. Seated best

NB:- Prior to hot race good evidence to support use to lower core temp & increase performance.
Otherwise a quick hand and foot dunk in cold water show to evoke a powerfull sympathetic nervous system response thought to b desireable in sport. 1 team in the world cup will do it prior to putting on their boots! but it aint us!!!

Buckled_Rims

I tried it years ago as a runner. I ran my cold water at 12 to 16 degrees C and was virtually unable to get into the water. When i got in I quickly got out! I eventually settled on a cold shower, but mostly woke me up rather then any muscle repair.

As physiosteve says, probably needs a tub 5 feet deep for hydrostatic pressure to work properly.

Swannster

The rugby club I play for have wheelie bins filled with cold water! As physiosteve says, its about reducing muscle inflammation.

If you're never tried one, DO IT! 3 minutes in, 3 minutes out and try not to worry about turning your genitals turning inside out (if you're male!).

Graham K

I do 15 mins lay in a cold water bath after a heavy leg gym session, it is truly awful and makes the wedding tackle go on holiday but if I dont do it then its agony walking the next couple of days.

Little Gap

I tried it after my last few runs on the bike and I'd say it definitely helps, I was quite shocked with the lack of burn I normally felt after the same length ride

omaha

jairaj wrote:

A friend of mine who does a lot of running points the shower head at his legs and puts the temperature on fully cold after exercise and swears this defiantly helps.

haven't tried it my self though.

It's what i do after my 10k / half marathon training runs, really helps with the sore tired legs>

ozperformance

Using cold water immersion is an essential part of my recovery. I feel sorer and less willing to do the next session without doing them. Many professional cycling teams use either straight cold water or hot/cold recovery. Check out the following clip from the HTC Columbia team. It is an interview with their team doctor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7pTw790pkU[/url]

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