Cold water after training feels like a fast route to recovery, and comfortable recovery and are not the same goal. A review pooling eight studies compared with cold water immersion straight afterwards against the same training without it. What did the comparison show?
Slightly less growth with the cold. The pooled picture pointed to smaller muscle growth in the groups that immersed, although the effect is not large. The was rated low, so this is no ban on a cold shower. It is a reason to ask what the goal is before making an ice bath a fixed ritual after lifting.
Cold intervention is popular because it may ease the sense of load after effort. The question in the review was different: what happens to muscle adaptation across weeks of resistance training.
The authors found eight relevant studies and combined their growth measures in a . The overall direction tilted in favor of training without immediate immersion in cold water.
One possible explanation is that cold alters the biological signals appearing after effort that help adaptation. The review does not prove that any single such mechanism accounts for the whole difference.
The studies are small and differ in exposure duration, in temperature and in the trainees. So the careful recommendation is to fit the timing of cold to the goal, rather than to declare that any exposure to cold water prevents muscle growth.
wat. If the goal is to grow muscle, routine cold immersion right after strength training is not an obvious choice.
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A method that helps the feeling of recovery may conflict with another goal the same trainee has.
How do we know?
A systematic review and meta-analysis of eight studies comparing change in muscle size across a period of resistance training.
What is still unknown
Few studies, differing protocols and low quality of evidence. It does not follow that every use of cold, at any time and for any purpose, is harmful.
Learn something?
Where to next
Why does mint feel cold in your mouth?cold
Does being cold burn more than being active?cold
Does an ice bath after training actually speed up recovery?recovery