Many use either ice bath immersion for a period of 5–10 min (sometimes reported up to 20 min) or alternating therapy between the ice bath plunge and tepid water immersion, each lasting 1–5 min. With intense exercise, there will be some microtrauma and tears in the muscle fibers affected.
Are ice baths good for you? Done properly, ice baths for recovery may be worth trying. There have been some positive benefits reported in using ice baths after endurance activities. However, ice baths may decrease your gains in strength and muscle growth.
After an ice bath, your body temperature rises, and blood flow returns to your tissues. Ice baths may help improve alertness, reduce pain, and decrease inflammation. As a result, they may offer health benefits like reduced muscle soreness, pain relief, and improved mood. However, the research is very limited.
Effective Ice Bath Techniques for Athletes
Football players typically soak in water temperatures ranging from 50 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 to 20 minutes.
Start With Short Durations
When first starting, staying in an ice bath for no more than 10 minutes at a time is recommended. This short duration helps your body acclimate to the cold temperature. As your body becomes more accustomed to the cold, you can gradually increase the time spent in the ice bath.
While cold plunging has numerous benefits, staying submerged for too long can introduce potential risks. Prolonged exposure to colder temperatures may lead to hypothermia, where the body loses heat faster than it can produce, resulting in symptoms like shivering, confusion, and fatigue.
Cold water immersion can significantly lower cortisol levels, a hormone that inhibits testosterone production when elevated. By reducing cortisol, cold plunge therapy may create an environment more favorable for testosterone production.
When the body is then exposed to warmth, it speeds up blood flow in the affected areas, promoting faster recovery. Balancing this process is crucial to obtaining the full benefits of the ice bath. With that in mind, it is generally recommended to wait at least 2 hours before taking a warm shower or bath.
Safe starting range: 50 to 59 F (10 to 15 C) is a common range for beginners or those new to cold water immersion. Advanced range: For more experienced individuals, temperatures as low as 39 to 50 F (4 to 10 C) are often used.
A post-workout cold plunge is ideal for recovery, reducing soreness, and managing inflammation, making it especially beneficial after intense exercise.
In fact, studies have shown that using an ice bath every day for 30 days can promote a variety of health benefits. However, this is not something that's for everyone, and the stress such an activity puts on the body can build up over time.
After a cold plunge, dry off and warm up by getting dressed in dry clothes. You can sip a warm beverage and move to a heated area. But don't head straight for a sauna or hot tub, because the extreme heat could cause too much stress on your body.
“An ice bath can cause reduction in blood flow to the extremities in peripheral vascular disease; increase in blood pressure in those with high blood pressure and increased risk of hypothermia in patients with impaired ability to regulate body temperature — as may be the case with poorly-controlled diabetes,” said Dr ...
Ice baths can be an especially effective way to burn fat outside of the gym. When you're exposed to cold conditions, your body activates a special type of fat, known as brown fat, to help you stay warm.
The Takeaway
For now, a cold plunge before a workout is best for exercising in hot temperatures but could limit exercise performance if your muscles get too cold. A cold plunge after a workout can offer some recovery benefits but could limit strength gains over time.
His ice bath routine involves filling up a bathtub with cold water and adding a few bags of ice to bring the temperature down to around 50°F (10°C). Rogan then submerges himself in the ice bath for 10-20 minutes. Joe also uses his cold plunge pro by Sun Home at his home for daily ice baths.
For an ice bath, the water should be around 10-15 degrees Celsius (around 50-60 Fahrenheit). This usually takes around 10 minutes to achieve if using a 3:1 water-to-ice ratio, or instantly if it is just ice in the tub. When it's set, it's time to ease yourself in and let the 'healing' water do its thing.
Slowly Begin the Warm-up Process: Drying Off and Covering Up
To prevent this, take your time to dry off thoroughly and wear warm, comfortable clothing immediately after the ice bath. Wrapping yourself in a cozy towel or robe and wearing dry socks can help retain body heat and initiate a gentle warming process.
While stepping into an ice cold bath might be a shock to the system, the melatonin output that follows has an amazing calming effect. Time your ice bath less than 20 minutes prior to your bedtime for the best results and the deepest possible sleep.
Wear clothing during your Ice Bath experience: Make sure, again, that you don a pair of shorts and a t-shirt if possible to protect your largest major organ: your skin! Set your clock: Remember- 15 minutes is the maximum amount of recommended time… And if you're a newcomer like myself, I'd start off with 5 minutes.
Sleeping naked can increase the production of testosterone. The male hormone testosterone is secreted during the night. If a male wears tight underwear, this can increase the body temperature, and there will be a disruption in the production of testosterone. This can also affect the quality of sleep.
Gains after strength exercise
The three review studies (2020, 2021, and 2022) agree that regular ice baths after strength training sessions actually reduce the gains made from those sessions.
Milk Products. An excellent source of foods that raise testosterone, milk products can offer you vital nutrients like calcium and vitamin D. However if you are lactose intolerant or vegan, plant milk is suitable to meet your daily nutritional requirements.