Taking an icy dip for your health requires bravery and the power of the mind. Personally, I prefer a hot bath or a warm shower to a cold plunge, but I’ve seen the growing research on the benefits of cold therapy, including a protective effect against obesity, cardiovascular disease, and a range of metabolic conditions. Additional research suggests cold water immersion can reduce stress, improve mood, and potentially slow the progression of neurodegenerative conditions.
With all the positive benefits of cold plunges, I was surprised to hear about the recent research on how cold plunges impact muscle recovery and blood flow following a workout. Let’s take a look.
The study
In a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, researchers wanted to understand how the muscles responded to different recovery types after cold water immersion. The study involved 12 healthy, active adults who performed a resistance workout. The adults were split into two groups: Ice bath and passive recovery. The ice bath group immersed one leg in the icy water and the other in room-temperature water for 20 minutes after the resistance workout.
Participants took 45 grams of carbohydrates and 20 grams of amino acids following their selected recovery session. The researchers wanted to understand how efficiently their bodies used those aminos for rebuilding muscle.
The results
The researchers concluded ice baths restrict blood flow, which could hamper recovery if the muscles are cooled too soon following a workout. Using muscle biopsies, the researchers determined that cooling the muscles right after working out decreased blood flow by almost 70% and slashed amino acid delivery to those muscles by 30%. Interestingly, the researchers noted that overall nutrient transport slowed for over three hours.
The takeaway
It’s important to keep in mind that this study is small and only included 12 healthy males, which doesn’t reflect the broader population. Also, most health professionals and cold therapy advocates don’t recommend taking that icy dip for more than about 10 minutes at a time, and this study involved a 20-minute immersion.
We also can’t ignore and throw away the mounting research on the health benefits of cold water therapy. The Russians are on to something, and dipping into the iciness is a significant aspect of their culture; many Christian Russians plunge into freezing water on January 19th during the Orthodox Epiphany holiday.
More research is needed, but we don’t need to forget cold therapy altogether. Many cold dippers wait several hours or a day after a workout before descending into the iciness to avoid inhibiting long-term muscle growth and recovery. Some cold-water therapy advocates suggest avoiding ice baths right after a marathon, resistance training, or a high-intensity workout.
