New research suggests you may not need to invest in all that ice.
By Elizabeth Millard
Nov 24, 2020

chelsea training session
Darren WalshGetty Images
* According to new research in the journal Sports Medicine,
there’s no advantage to cold-water immersion (i.e. ice baths) with
aerobic exercise training, and it may have a detrimental effect on
resistance training adaptations, too.
* This is because ice water can delay muscle repair significantly,
because it inhibits muscle cell activity.
* Alternate methods—such as wearing a compression garment, doing
active recovery, and focusing on quality sleep—are better for
boosting recovery.
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Seeing an athlete in a bathtub full of ice water—complete with chunks
of ice floating on the surface—is fairly common in movies and
professional sports coverage, as a way to show how athletes lower
inflammation quickly to boost recovery. But do ice baths really
have legit benefits? According to recent research, the technique may be
more cinematic than effective.

A meta-analysis published in the journal Sports Medicine looked at
eight studies that had five common factors: controlled conditions,
performed on humans, associated with a training program, immersion
performed at 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit) or below, and
measurements taken both before and after immersion.

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Researchers found that a dip into super cold water wasn’t an advantage
with aerobic exercise training, as it had little effect on performance,
such as faster speed or more power.

They also noted it could have a detrimental effect on resistance
training adaptations. For instance, those who used cold-water immersion
saw a decrease in performance such as one-rep max amounts, strength
endurance, maximal isometric strength, and ballistic performance. That
means the amount you’re able to lift, how long you can hold a weight in
one position, and how well you can jump were all negatively affected by
an icy bath.
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In terms of why it’s a knock to strength training and has no effect on
aerobic activity, the main reason is related to modifications in
muscle repair and protein synthesis processes, according to the study’s
lead author, Alessandro Zagatto, Ph.D., associate professor in the
department of physical education at Sao Paulo State University in
Brazil. For example, he noted, past research has reported that
cold-water immersion can delay muscle repair significantly because it
inhibits muscle cell activity.
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If that’s the case, why do athletes seem to use it so often? Because it
does have a place in certain conditions, he added.

“In my opinion, athletes must avoid its use regularly,” he told
Bicycling. “However, it does have an important analgesic [pain
relieving] effect, so if you have competitions with several games or
events in a shorter time interval, where performance would be altered
by muscles soreness, it could be helpful.”

So, if you’re using it as a way to get better results on your next run,
you may want to try an alternative recovery method, he said, such as
wearing a compression garment, doing active recovery, and focusing on
quality sleep. But if you are going on back-to-back runs, some
crushed ice may help relieve sore muscles.

From: Bicycling US
Elizabeth Millard Elizabeth Millard is a freelance writer focusing
on health, wellness, fitness, and food.
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