Ice Bath Therapy: Speed up Recovery and Enhance Performance
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If you haven’t heard or just plain curious about Ice bath therapy, then you’re in the right place. World class athletes have adopted this practice, so begs the question, why shouldn’t you? Maybe you’ve tried it once or twice, and you didn’t see any changes at all. Well, are you sure you did it right? Ice bath recovery, when done properly and regularly, will speed up the recovery process of your body as well as improving your overall athletic performance. Ice bath therapy is ideally done in hydrotherapy pools for the best results.
Why should I take a bath with ice? It’s freezing!
Yes, it is chilling. Although most of us don’t like a cold shower, an ice bath right after an intense running session can actually do wonders for your body. It’s a fact that right after an intense activity, like a long run or a set of short sprints, your muscles experience microtrauma. These are small tears in the muscle fibers, which are perfectly normal for runners. You’re probably feeling some of it when your muscles hurt after an exhausting run, but you won’t feel every tear since they are, as the name implies, micro.
Because of the very low temperature, ice bath also becomes a great treatment for muscle soreness, strain, and inflammation. It also prevents the breakdown of muscle tissues. The cold water will stimulate muscle cells to start repairing the muscle tears.
As you immerse yourself in the ice bath, you’ll get relief from your sore muscles, let’s say your calves. The good thing about the ice bath is that your other leg muscles are also being treated in the process, like your hamstring, gluteus, and quadriceps. Thus, it gives your body optimal conditions for recovery.
How can I do it at home? I don’t have a hydrotherapy pool
You don’t have to be an owner of a five thousand dollar hydrotherapy pool for you to enjoy ice bath therapy. In fact, you’ll just need a bath tub, water, and a lot of ice packs. Here are the steps that you can take to conduct ice bath therapy at home:
- Prepare a lot of ice cubes or packs
Remember that your target temperature for an ice bath is from 12° to 15° Celsius. You can make your own if you have a decent freezer, or you can buy some at the nearest convenience store. - Fill the tub with cold water before you run
Put enough water to fill up to your waists so that the whole lower body can benefit from the therapy. - Right after your run, add ice
If you have a thermometer, you should measure how cold the tub is before going in. - Slowly step in the tub and prepare for the extremely cold water
Things to remember
- Don’t stay too long in the tub
Ten minutes should be more than enough time to stay in the tub. Stay for more than twenty and you’ll risk suffering from cold-induced muscle damage. - Your first few sessions will be the hardest
It would be a great idea if you would have something to keep you warm by your side, perhaps a cup of hot chocolate or tea. You might also want to find something to do while under ice bath therapy. You could bring a running book or a magazine with you. - Take a warm bath or shower around 30 minutes to an hour later
Muscles, along with the tissues, have a tendency to become stiff and tense in extreme cold. - There are times when you might want to jump out of the tub because you can’t handle the cold
I would suggest that you try your best to handle it. Keep yourself motivated by keeping in mind that this therapy will help your muscles recover, thus, possibly allowing you to have a better performance in your next run. - Extremely cold ice baths, colder than the advised temperature, could result to fainting
It’s always best to check the temperature from time to time. It’s also better if you let someone know that you’re in the tub with ice. Do this for safety reasons.
Now, you’re quite ready to take an ice bath. The therapy will surely help you reach your athletic goals, whatever they may be. Famous athletes will tell you that ice bath therapy works great. They believe that ice bath therapy gives them speedy recovery, and at the same time, helps in preventing injuries.
So what are you waiting for?
If you have a competition on schedule, you might want to consider taking ice baths to make sure you’re 100% ready for the big day. Quickly repair that muscle damage through regular ice baths after intense running.
Do you get in NAKED??? That would painful for a man hahaha, but no seriously??
You don’t need to be naked. Just hop in wearing whatever you wore for your run. Minus shoes and any athletic gear like pads.
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I did this in school, my friends were national running champions and they used a garbage can with water and a lot of ice, we usually went in up to thigh level so we used got our shorts wet but it’s also advantageous to get your hips and lower back submerged too
One day, I swear, I will be brave enough to try this!
I just hate the cold! What about in winter just sitting in the snow?
Is it good or okay to take a ice bath before a soccer game?
I play football and i do this after every game and it is amazing
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its been 2days since i played a soccer match i play midfield,and my hamstrings are killing me is it to late for an ice bath??
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Can I jump into a hot bath right after or must I wait 30-60 mins?
I use my hands to cup my manhood to keep it warm. Otherwise it’s pretty unbearable in that area… But this way you still can submerge your entire lower half.
Great article. I wear a speedo. I just hate it when my toes get numb. This is the best way to speed recovery.
I’m gonna play devil’s advocate here. According to recent research the true effectiveness of ice bath therapy is in question. In short, they have not been shown to lower the amount of creating kinase in the blood. CK is a marker that indicates muscle damage. In the typical ice bath study the subjects are not placebo controlled, which would be, at best, very difficult to achieve. Lastly, studies show that the inflammation associated with muscle soreness is a natural reaction of the body to adaptive stress, which is the point of training. That is how the body becomes stronger. Interrupting this process with an ice bath, while it maybe “feels” good, might actually negate the intended benefits of training.