Ask the Exercise Scientist

[gst528i]

Are cold baths worth taking for the benefit's in muscle recovery ..

[MuscleScience]

Are cold baths worth taking for the benefit's in muscle recovery ..

No,

In fact it could hamper recovery. When the body senses a change in core temperature it reacts by "shunting" blood away from the periphery to maintain internal temperature. Additionally the inflammatory process is essential for proper muscle recovery. This is pure speculation but it may be of some benefit to take a warm bath. The increase in blood flow to the muscles in theory would transport more nutrients to and waste products away from the muscle.

Lastly taking a could bath could have the effect of causing extra muscle stiffness, though it may help short term soreness. It will likely cause the muscle to become stiffer and possible more sore.

Thanks for the question.


Amendment:

I just read a few papers over Cyrotherapy or cold water immersion as its also known. One paper showed some mild improvement in recovery though it was modest and the participants did not show improvement in all areas of recovery.