Jump to:
- Are ice baths good for you?
- Do ice baths speed up recovery?
- Which is better for recovery, a hot bath or an ice bath?
- When are hot baths good for runners?
- When should you have an ice bath then?
- How long should you take an ice bath for?
Even though elite athletes have been using ice baths to boost recovery for years, there’s surprisingly not a lot of scientific evidence around either heat or ice application. So are ice baths actually good for runners? Can they help prevent injuries? Or should you just opt for a hot bubble bath instead?
Are ice baths good for you?
Ice baths, also known as cold water immersion (CWI) essentially involves immersing yourself in cold water, typically at temperatures between 10°C to 15°C for around 10-15 minutes.
Cold water therapy has been shown to help improve mental health, speed muscle recovery after strenuous activity, reduce muscle soreness, improve circulation, increase physical performance, strengthen immunity, protect brain function, increase metabolism, and help manage pain says Laura Fullerton, CEO and founder of Monk. ‘Whether you’re into cold water swimming, ice baths or just turning the shower to cold for a couple of minutes, you can reap the benefits.’
Do ice baths speed up recovery?
‘Ice baths can be a great tool to speed up recovery, especially after high-intensity exercise or endurance training as it supports muscle power, perceived recovery, and decreased muscle soreness,’ says Fullerton.
Which is better for recovery, a hot bath or an ice bath?
‘Firstly, the physiological effects of hot baths and ice baths differ,’ says Olympian Jo Pavey. ‘A hard run creates micro-tears in the muscles that cause an inflammatory response, leading to pain and swelling. Ice baths are thought to limit this reaction by constricting blood vessels, which could, in turn, reduce the onset of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). So they are the best choice directly after a hard run.’
Fullerton agrees: ‘Ice baths have shown several advantages over warm baths when it comes to recovery, particularly for runners. Research published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in 2012 found that cold water immersion can reduce muscle soreness by 20% compared to passive recovery, due to the cold’s ability to minimise tissue breakdown and promote faster recovery.
‘Warm baths, on the other hand, can promote relaxation and help soothe stiff joints, but they don’t provide the same degree of muscle recovery benefits. Therefore, if a runner’s primary goal is to reduce muscle soreness and expedite recovery post-workout, then ice baths would be the superior option.’
When are hot baths good for runners?
Hot baths, on the other hand, promote blood flow to the muscles by dilating blood vessels, which may aid in the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the muscles, explains Pavey, ‘which is not what you want immediately after exercise’.
However, in the days that follow, when any acute pain has receded, ‘a hot bath is best to help increase circulation, which aids healing,’ she adds.
Soaking in a hot bath can also help relax tense muscles, reduce muscle spasms, calm the nervous system and reduce stress and help improve sleep quality.
When should you have an ice bath then?
The timing of when to take an ice bath can play a crucial role in maximising its recovery benefits for runners.
Most research suggests that ice baths should be taken soon after intense exercise. For instance, a study published in the Journal of Athletic Training in 2017 found that immediate cold water immersion after exercise could effectively reduce muscle inflammation and promote recovery.
‘However, ice baths can limit some of the gains in hypertrophy if done in the four hours or so after training,’ says Fullerton. ‘If the goal is purely to build muscle, it’s better to wait four hours until after training, but if your goal is purely high performance or recovery (as with most athletes) then shortly after exercise is best.’
Pavey agrees, suggesting the best time to have an ice bath is when quick recovery is crucial, ‘such as after your last hard session before a race.’
How long should you take an ice bath for?
Some people can tolerate the cold better than others – so there’s no hard and fast, one size fits all rule here. ‘That’s why I launched Monk,’ says Fullerton, ‘it’s the world’s first smart ice bath and cold water therapy app, that teaches you how to do it safely and effectively.’
Her advice? ‘Start at a warmish temperature (between 10-15°C), and aim for two minutes. Monk’s Acclimatisation Programme will start users at 10°C, and guide them through each plunge over a number of weeks, as they slowly and safely go down to 3°C.’
The bottom line
Although more research into the efficacy of ice and hot baths is needed to fully understand the optimal timing, duration, and temperature, if you think taking the plunge will work and you feel better for trying it, then why not incorporate it into your training plan?
As Dr Alan Ruddock, senior lecturer of the Physiology of Sport and Exercise at Sheffield Hallam University, explains: ‘The major issues that hinder our understanding are; the method of either heating or cooling, the type of exercise undertaken before the intervention was applied (ie strength or endurance), tests used to evaluate the intervention, quantification of individual responses, and importantly for all recovery studies is the how well the researchers dealt with placebo effects and/or blinding of the intervention.’
A recent Systematic Review on the Effects of Cold-Water Immersion compared cold-water immersion with other forms of recovery – such as; active recovery, warm water immersion, cryotherapy and massage. ‘If we look at the figures (forest plots) we can see substantial differences in the mean differences between treatments and wide confidence intervals, which makes it difficult to make solid interpretations of the data,’ says Dr Ruddock.
The authors of the meta-analysis summarised their findings in this sentence: ‘The majority of findings favoured CWI compared with other recovery modalities, but few results reached statistical significance.’
So this is why it’s important to take an individualised approach to recovery, says Dr Ruddock. ‘Most of the conclusions from recovery studies are based around perceptions of recovery (for example, muscle soreness) rather than objective evidence, so if you like cold water and you think it’s going to make you feel better after hard training, then go for it. If you like the heat, try it; but think like a scientist and try to gather some data.’
People with certain medical conditions or those who are very sensitive to cold should exercise caution or avoid ice baths altogether. If you’re considering using ice baths as part of your recovery routine, consult with a medical professional or qualified coach to ensure that it’s safe for you.
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