Ice Bath Recovery: Benefits, Science, and Protocol

When it comes to recovery, most of us either entirely neglect it or do the absolute bare minimum, most times not even enough to fully recover. There are several options in terms of recovery: heat immersion, contrast therapy, stretching, myofascial release, steady-state cardio, cupping, and many others. One method which commonly serves as a staple for higher-level athletes is cold immersion using an ice bath. So how can an ice bath benefit your recovery, how does it work, and how do you do it?

Benefits

The main benefits of recovering with an ice bath include a decreased inflammation, more efficient reduction of metabolic waste, improved oxygen and nutrient delivery, improved immune system function, and reduced pain. All of these benefits work towards recovering damaged muscles and clearing metabolic waste from training and competition. Each effectively occurs from the same biological mechanism.

How It Works

When you sit in an ice bath, the cold temperature causes your blood vessels to constrict which reduces blood flow and in turn decreases inflammation in damaged muscles. In an attempt to warm up, your heart rate increases which pumps more nutrients and oxygen to aid in recovering damaged muscles.

Additionally, the cold temperature from the ice bath decreases pain receptor stimulation which relaxes your central nervous system and in turn activates the parasympathetic nervous system. This PNS activation enables your body to move out of fight-or-flight mode and into rest and recovery which produces the “feel good” effect most people experience after an ice bath. In effect, you feel less pain and experience a relaxed feeling.

Finally, when exiting the ice bath, your body warms up by dilating your blood vessels to transfer heat to your skin, arms, and legs. This blood vessel dilation, coupled with the reduced blood flow before, helps remove metabolic waste products from your muscles and blood, brings even more nutrients and oxygen to your damaged muscles, and improves immune system function by decreasing inflammation and effectively pumping your lymphatic system.

Protocol

To achieve these benefits, it is commonly suggested to sit in a tub with ice at a temperature between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 15 minutes. The first few minutes will be tough, continue to breath and allow your body to catch up to the temperature change.

After your next competition, give taking an ice bath a try and comment below how it went!