The claimEvidence B · meta-analysis
An ice bath after training always helps
The evidence
Timing decides the trade: after a race or multi-event day, cold may return you to usable faster; immediately after lifting it blunts anabolic signalling and costs some long-term growth.
The mechanism, in brief
The key variable in cold-water immersion is not courage but timing. After an endurance race or on a day with several events, cold water may help you get back to a usable state faster. Straight after strength training, though, an ice bath may damp down the anabolic signals that make muscle grow and, over time, weaken…
Sources (2)
- Hohenauer, E., Taeymans, J., Baeyens, J. P., Clarys, P., & Clijsen, R. (2015). The effect of post-exercise cryotherapy on recovery characteristics: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE, 10(9), e0139028.
- Roberts, L. A., Raastad, T., Markworth, J. F., Figueiredo, V. C., Egner, I. M., Shield, A., Cameron-Smith, D., Coombes, J. S., & Peake, J. M. (2015). Post-exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long-term adaptations in muscle to strength training. The Journal of Physiology, 593(18), 4285-4301.