Is it possible to apply ice to muscles after training, for which athletes take ice baths

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When considering ways to restore the body, one cannot ignore the effect of temperature. We've previously looked at the benefits of a post-workout sauna to speed up recovery. The topic of the new article is an ice bath: what it is and how it affects recovery processes.

Why do athletes take ice baths?

Many athletes believe that an ice bath will help their muscles recover after strenuous physical testing. Therefore, every time after unusual physical elements or when working at the limit of their own capabilities, they sit in an ice bath for at least 8-10 minutes.

The state of soreness in the muscles may last from a day to two, manifested in their stiffness, swelling and pain. Not everyone understands why athletes take ice baths: for a long time, the opposite effect was considered correct - warming up the muscles. This is especially true for sports beginners who, after intense sports, take hot baths or rub their muscles with a warming ointment. But professional athletes have proven from their own experience that only an ice bath after training will help muscles recover and free the athlete from two days of soreness in the muscles.

What is the best shower to take after a workout?

The main rule of water treatments after sports is that you should be comfortable! Both cold and hot showers should not be torture. Only by choosing the optimal water temperature for yourself will you help your muscles relax and create optimal conditions for their recovery.

After standing under the warm streams for 3-5 minutes, you can experiment with alternating temperatures. Moreover, at first the contrast should be minimal. Increase the temperature range gradually, allowing the body to get used to it. After all, your task is to improve metabolism and blood circulation, and not to cause yourself unnecessary stress.

Please note: after training, the skin pores are enlarged. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the selection of cosmetics. Shower gels have the unpleasant property of covering the body with a protective film, but after the gym this can only cause itching and flaking. The best option is natural soap.

Rules for taking ice baths

It is very important to know not only why you take an ice bath, but also how to take an ice bath correctly. temperature , duration of administration, sequence of action after training - everything is important here. The basic rules for taking an ice bath include the following:

An ice bath is made as follows: cold water is poured into the bath, which is brought to the desired temperature by adding ice to it.

Cryotherapy

There is one thing that not all fans of the movement decide to do - total body cryotherapy: standing almost naked in a freezer at a temperature of -250 degrees for three minutes. I decided to try it.

I walked into the cylindrical freezer with my head sticking out from the top like a sausage on a hot dog. I was wearing socks, gloves and a swimsuit. When the technician turned the switch, it quickly became colder. She told me to slowly turn around so that the cold air could reach every part of my body. And so it happened.

It was really cold, but not as cold as diving into the ocean in winter. (Yes, I tried it. And yes, it sucks). I felt the soreness from yesterday's workout disappear, one of the benefits claimed by fans of total body cryotherapy. Perhaps I was just distracted by the cold.

Is an ice bath beneficial?

There is no clear answer to this question. Yes, if you look at sports professionals who used this method, we can talk about the effectiveness of the method. But from the point of view of the influence of low temperatures on the human body, there are both supporters and opponents of the method. The situation is aggravated by the lack of scientific research proving the effectiveness of the method.

Proponents of the method

Many people unconsciously apply a piece of cold ice to the site of a bruise or injury. And rightly so: cold slows down blood flow, preventing swelling or bruising. A slight analgesic effect from this procedure has also been proven.

What happens to an athlete’s body after grueling training? Yes, basically the same thing. His body receives invisible microtraumas and cracks, which in the future can provoke more serious disorders. Therefore, stopping the inflammatory process in time will not only help the muscles recover faster, but also prevent the development of unwanted diseases. Nobody talks about necessarily complete immersion. For athletes whose workload mainly falls on their legs, it is enough to immerse them in the cold.

What damage can low temperatures cause to the body?

Opponents of the method believe that applying ice once to the bruised area can bring relief. Regular immersion in ice water for a long period of time can negatively affect the body. Yes, slow blood flow fights inflammation. But at the same time, it reduces protein synthesis. As a result, the athlete has to train even harder.

In addition, especially for the first time, the body experiences a severe shock, which for an unprepared athlete or someone suffering from serious illnesses can result in problems with:

• heart;
• respiratory system;
• blood vessels

An ice bath can increase your heart rate, eventually leading to a heart attack, and increase your blood pressure. There is still no scientific justification for the effectiveness of the method. Therefore, many experts advise not to focus on this particular technique, but to combine it with massage and ordinary water procedures.

The effect of cold water on mental disorders

The most interesting research on the benefits of regular cold water procedures lies in the field of mental disorders. Cold water is known to activate the sympathetic nervous system, which turns on the body's readiness to act. This is a kind of physiological stress that requires the body to use all internal organs and systems to return to normal body temperature, which can be beneficial not only for the central nervous system, but also for the entire body as a whole.

Cold water treatments lead to an increase in the level of beta-endorphin and norepinephrine in the blood. Norepinephrine is one of the most important neurotransmitters (along with serotonin) that many of the existing antidepressants target (these drugs aim to increase the level of norepinephrine in brain cells). This hormone is also able to cross the brain blood barrier and increase cerebral blood flow.

In addition, constant hardening leads to an increase in the production of beta-endorphin - another neurotransmitter responsible for overall well-being - and a decrease in pain through opioid receptors.

To summarize, we can say without a doubt that dousing with cold water is good for health.

However, you should not, under the impression of the positive effects of hardening, run outside without shoes and walk barefoot in the snow or rush to the nearest ice hole - a gradual approach is needed here, as with any kind of training. Sudden changes in temperature are a physiological shock for the body, and you need to approach the issue wisely.

References: 1. The Effect of Cold Showering on Health and Work: A Randomized Controlled TrialGeert A. Buijze, Inger N. Sierevelt, Bas CJM van der Heijden, Marcel G. Dijkgraaf, Monique HW Frings-Dresen. 2. Scientific evidence-based effects of hydrotherapy on various systems of the body. A Mooventhan, L Nivethitha.

Ice bath and age

Which is better: an ice bath or anti-inflammatory drugs? After a twelve-week course of anti-inflammatory drugs, a group of athletes who took the pills noticed an increase in muscle mass.

We are, of course, talking about people over 65 years of age. Still, people in the older age category are more at risk of the negative effects of low temperatures on the body. A reasonable question arises: will they take risks and expose their body to temperature changes if the same effect, if not better, can be obtained from taking medications?

Young athletes are another matter: synthetic drugs, on the contrary, can slow down the recovery process, so taking ice baths may be justified for them as an alternative.

Relationship between load and ice bath

An ice bath, as well as taking medications, can have the desired effect only in a number of cases. The muscles of athletes who regularly engage in intensive training are already accustomed to such loads and have learned to recover on their own. Young athletes training at the amateur level can also cope quite well on their own. A bruise, sprain or severe muscle pain after a long break from exercise may be a reason to take an ice bath. But, on the other hand, it can be replaced by a regular cold compress.

It is advisable to resort to an ice bath only for those athletes whose muscles have experienced an unusual load, and there is absolutely no time for recovery due to, for example, competitions.

Food

So you've just torn apart your muscles, like a construction company removing walls from an old building to build new ones. Now you need the right “bricks” to build a strong and beautiful house. Therefore, you need the right products that contain all the substances necessary for construction. First of all, these are, of course, proteins. If you eat enough calories and protein, your muscles will grow faster. Therefore, after a workout, the ideal option would be a protein shake combined with simple carbohydrates, which help proteins reach their destination faster.

Can an ice bath be used as an emergency recovery method?

Due to the fact that many athletes began to use ice baths as a method of emergency recovery, it was decided to conduct a corresponding study. Over the course of two weeks, a Queensland University of Technology researcher and colleagues took blood for biomarkers and performed biopsies of the athletes' thigh muscles. Moreover, one of their groups restored their muscles with the help of an ice bath, and the second returned to normal with the help of regular rest.

The results of the study did not reveal any differences. Those. The ability of ice water to relieve inflammation has not been proven. Therefore, experts recommend not exposing your body to sudden temperature changes and recovering using other methods. And resort to ice water only in the most urgent cases, for example, if there is a new race ahead with unbearable pain in the legs.

You can read more about these studies in the source – BBC magazine.

Positive stress

For a long time I thought I liked doing stupid things. Like 5000 push-ups or 1000 pull-ups per day. Or he decided to train for a week like Nascar champion Jimmie Johnson. At least I thought I trained like J.J.

I now realize that I am part of the positive stress movement promoted by techies and everyday people.

Its proponents practice a combination of extreme diets, extreme temperatures and heavy exercise in the hope that they can work longer and better... and perhaps even live longer and better.