Ice baths?

BBiceps

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Anyone use ice bath for recovery? I do ice bath here and there after hard sessions or if I’m really sore, I have done both with and without a warm shower after, I feel a lot better with a hot shower after but read it might take away some of the recovery effects.

What is you guys experience?
 

Iwilleattuna

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I take cold showers every time I show , but I think it's more for discipline. However, I notice I feel much better. I'll usually jump in when it's freezing cold(MAX). I wet my hair and scalp, too. Then, change it to hot. The whole point is giving your body stress which in turn, helps you handle daily life much more efficiently. Wim Hof Method

Would like to start incorporating ICE baths, probably have a myriad of benefits. I can definitely see how they would give you the benefits of cold therapy x100.
 

BBiceps

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I take cold showers every time I show , but I think it's more for discipline. However, I notice I feel much better. I'll usually jump in when it's freezing cold(MAX). I wet my hair and scalp, too. Then, change it to hot. The whole point is giving your body stress which in turn, helps you handle daily life much more efficiently. Wim Hof Method

Would like to start incorporating ICE baths, probably have a myriad of benefits. I can definitely see how they would give you the benefits of cold therapy x100.
yeah I shower cold as well and if I shower warm I finish with cold, it’s refreshing and wakes you up.
 

Jeremyk1

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I think I’ve heard ice baths alone are pretty overrated for recovery, they only help reduce inflammation which can of course reduce pain. That said, I’ve heard contrast showers are effective for improving recovery. Basically you’d want to do 1 minute as cold as possible alternating with 5 minutes as hot as possible. I heard a story about an old Russian weightlifting coach having his guys sit in a hot tub and go roll around in the snow in between. I haven’t watched the videos, but there’s a pretty good YouTube channel called High Intensity Health, and I know he’s done at least a couple about ice baths. He has a name for it that I can’t think of. Cold submersion or something. Might be worth checking out.
 

Resolve10

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Keep in mind I am unsure how similar a cold shower actually is to cold water immersion as it is seen in the literature (idk if a shower is "cold enough" or would cause similar adaptions).

That said I wouldn't make it a constant kind of thing. Maybe during competitive season or if you need recovery for performance again soon in the short term.

In the long term it seems possible it may inhibit the actual processes we want to help us improve: Post-exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long-term adaptations in muscle to strength training.
 

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