If you’re not a sports fan or hardcore athlete, the only cold baths you may be familiar with are when you’ve caught a glimpse of football players showering their coach near the end of a winning game, with a ‘Gatorade shower.’ Very chilling indeed. But what makes my teeth chatter even more is something most athletes willingly take part in themselves, following intense practice or workouts — and that’s an ice bath.
Cold water immersion therapy has been a mainstay in locker rooms of just about every sport you can name. From ball players to weight lifters, the belief is that after intense physical training, it’s best to cool the body and muscles down quickly to prevent damage from inflammation and offset the chance of sore, achy muscles following workouts.
Until very recently, after a long hard run, I practiced a milder version of this by taking a cold shower (no ice, mind you!). But it looks like I may have been setting myself back more than helping as some new research has revealed at The University of Queensland in Australia.
Researchers found that cold water therapy, including icing muscles, may provide short term benefits against inflammation. But if you want to coax more strength and mass into your muscle fibers, you should avoid the cold and warm down instead.
The problem with icing your muscles, say the researchers, is that it inhibits the action of what are called “satellite” cells, which serve as muscle stem cells, and are crucial to building new, stronger muscle fibers. This may occur because putting cold packs on muscles, or sinking into a chilly ice bath, restricts blood flow to muscle tissue.
“We found that cold water immersion after training substantially attenuated, or reduced, long-term gains in muscle mass and strength,” says researcher Llion Roberts.
The three-month study found that athletes who warmed down after workouts developed significantly more strength and muscle size than those who used ice to ease their muscles.
A body is a body, so whether you exercise with the tenacity of a pro football player, or enjoy an hour of aerobics a few times a week — avoid the ice baths and cold showers following your workout. Do something like gentle peddling on an exercise bike, or a relaxed walk to cool down. That way you’ll keep the strength and muscle you gained from your workout and will have it to build with again and again.
