Health
6K 0 19.02.2018 (last revised: 24.01.2019)
Considering the ways to restore the body, one cannot ignore the temperature effect. We have previously looked at the benefits of a post-workout sauna for accelerating recovery. The topic of the new article is an ice bath: what it is and how it affects recovery processes.
General information
An ice bath is a large reservoir filled to the brim with ice. This procedure most often means lowering the legs into a bucket / basin of room temperature water, which is filled with ice. Because the ice does not melt evenly, the water temperature drops from 15 to 0 gradually, which reduces the risk of catching a cold.
According to research, using an ice bath:
- reduces the effect of lactic acid;
- quickly relieves blood stagnant after pumping;
- strengthens the immune system;
- quickly brings the main muscle groups into tone.
The question of why athletes take an ice bath has become especially relevant after the British athletics team was spotted at the last Olympic Games for this recreational procedure.
Interesting fact: the team itself did not achieve impressive results. This does not call into question the benefits of taking an ice bath, but it proves that its result cannot be compared with taking any kind of doping.
How to take it right?
How to take an ice bath correctly so as not to harm your health and increase the effectiveness of the training process?
Follow these simple rules:
- The water should be at room temperature (15-20 degrees Celsius); tap water is suitable for this.
- It is not recommended to stay in an ice bath for more than 5-7 minutes without preliminary hardening because of the risk of getting a cold. Even if you are hardened, it is not advisable to use the bath for more than 20 minutes.
- There should be a lot of ice - about 20-40% of the water mass. Prepare it in advance by pouring it into special molds and placing water in the freezer.
- It is better to immerse in an ice bath only muscle groups that worked during training, i.e. not entirely, but immerse only legs / arms.
- Before taking an ice bath, it is best to consult your doctor about the dangers of use in your case.
- It is necessary to take a bath with ice no later than half an hour after training, while lactic acid still does not so intensively affect the recovery processes.
Placebo or Benefit?
Why do professional athletes take an ice bath? Is an ice bath really useful? The experts have not yet come to a consensus. On the one hand, ice bath coaches believe that it actually increases the performance of athletes by 5-10%, which is important in a competitive environment. On the other hand, opponents of using an ice bath point out that the stress after training is already great, as a result of which the risk of getting sick when using this procedure increases significantly.
Let's consider both positions in more detail.
| Behind | Vs |
| Ice bath removes lactic acid from muscles | Under the influence of cold, the acid only denatures, which relieves pain, but does not remove the substance from the body. |
| An ice bath can temporarily improve an athlete's performance | In fact, the thermal effect only provokes an adrenaline rush, which really improves the results for a while, but with constant use, the body gets used to the cold, which reduces the effectiveness of the bath. |
| Ice bath tones muscles | Cold can cause muscle cramps. |
| Ice bath speeds up post-workout recovery | The development of pain in the joints is possible, which will not allow training even in the case of complete muscle recovery. |
Harm to health
Despite the potential benefits of taking an ice bath, the harmful effects negate the effectiveness of the technique.
What consequences are possible:
- Heart problems. Especially true for athletes over 35 years old. An ice bath can cause muscle cramps, including the heart.
- Convulsions. Due to hypothermia, the muscles, instead of relaxing, enter the phase of constant tension - this is a protective reaction of the body, which, due to such contractions, raises the internal body temperature.
- Cold. Training in itself is stressful for the body, so the additional load in the form of hypothermia often ends up with colds.
- Diseases of the genitourinary system. When immersed in the bath above waist level, there is a high risk of hypothermia of the reproductive organs.
- Joint pain. For people suffering from joint pain, hypothermia of the extremities is contraindicated.
- Increased pressure.
Note: the risk of these effects increases when the temperature regime is violated, or when you spend a long time in an ice bath.
Brief summary
For different sports and different loads, their own variations of the ice bath have been developed. Consider all available data in the table.
| Muscle group | Load intensity | Diving features | Potential harm | Benefit |
| Legs | Any | You need to immerse only your legs ankle-deep, in rare cases - in the middle of the quadriceps. Water should be of moderate temperature –10-15 degrees Celsius. The percentage of ice in the liquid is not more than 25%. The duration of the procedure depends on your hardening. It is not recommended to spend more than 15 minutes. | The ability to catch a cold. In the case of joint problems - exacerbation of pain syndrome caused by sudden cooling. | Allows you to quickly get rid of accumulated lactic acid after cardio. |
| Total load | Low | The whole body is immersed up to the neck for a short period (up to 5 minutes). The amount of ice in the liquid is not more than 10%. Seasoned athletes can stay in the ice bath longer, but the effectiveness of such a procedure remains in doubt | Risk of colds. The risk of getting reproductive problems. The risk of contracting pneumonia. | Quickly tones the muscles and prepares them for heavier loads. Accelerates recovery. |
| Emergency recovery | Limiting | Immersion of the body up to the waist in ice water in small visits for 2-3 minutes every 10 minutes. The remaining time, the athlete is vigorously rubbed until completely warmed up. The percentage of ice in the water is not more than 40%. | Small chance of getting problems with the reproductive function of the body. The risk of getting a cold due to a weakened body. | Helps to quickly get rid of lactic acid, tone muscles and accelerate recovery. |
| Work in a circular | Medium intensity | Immersion of the legs in the middle of the quadriceps, the duration of the procedure is up to 12 minutes. The percentage of ice can be up to 30%. | Colds, pneumonia, exacerbation of pain in the joints. | Returns muscle tone, relieves stress-induced pain. |
| General hardening | Any | Full body immersion. Daily procedure - start from one minute, increasing the duration of the procedure by 20-30 seconds every day. | Risk of colds. The rest is safe. | Increases the body's resistance to cold and overload. |
| Recovery from competition | Limiting | Immersion of the legs + the muscle group involved in the load for 3-7 minutes, depending on the hardening of the body. | Colds - pneumonia - exacerbation of pain in the joints. | Allows you to quickly restore muscle performance. |
Conclusion
Why do athletes take ice baths if the procedure is potentially harmful? It is important to achieve maximum results in competitions. For this, absolutely all available means are used, from massage to placebo. If an ice bath is able to increase the athlete's performance by at least 5-7%, this can be a decisive indicator in obtaining the coveted victory. Therefore, despite the possible harm, the ice bath is so popular with Olympic athletes.
Here are some basic things to remember about a post-workout ice bath:
- High risk of catching a cold. This is due to the fact that the body is in a state of extreme stress after training (competition).
- Improper immersion or insufficient hardening can lead to serious health problems.
- The effectiveness of taking ice baths has not been scientifically proven.
- The procedure will not allow you to increase the productivity of the training cycle, it will only reduce side effects, such as dizziness, lactic acid retention, etc.
Considering the above, the editors would not recommend the use of ice baths for non-professional athletes.
