Taking a cold plunge after a hard workout is one of the quickest and most effective ways to soothe post-workout muscle soreness.
Although cold water immersion therapy has been used for centuries, it’s been rediscovered and popularity has been rising. This is because many studies show that ice baths after workouts are beneficial (and muscle recovery is only one of the many cold plunge benefits). In this article, you will find links to relevant studies as well as an explanation of their findings.
In recent years, several concepts and products have been developed to make cryotherapy (cold water immersion) effective and safe. Ice Barrel, for example, is a cold therapy training tool that offers an easy way to bring ice baths to your wellness routine.
What is an ice bath?
Cold water immersion (CWI) is a form of cryotherapy that involves sitting in chilly water for up to ten minutes. Ideally, the body should be submerged as high as the neck or isolated to a specific part of the body.
To help first-time users become familiar with cold therapy, we have a great FAQ section where you’ll find guidelines for introducing yourself to ice baths. In the early stages, we recommend that you start with warmer/higher temperatures. As you continue to use Ice Barrel, you can drop the temperature a couple of degrees. Each time will be different, but you’ll be able to adapt quickly until you arrive at the recommended temperature.
While DIY setups (like bathtubs with ice) work, dedicated cold plunge barrels—like the Ice Barrels—offer a more effective, durable, and hygienic solution for consistent recovery.
The Science Behind Ice Baths for Muscle Recovery
One of the reasons CWI is very effective in dealing with pain is that exposing the body to cold temperatures causes blood vessels to constrict. Once this happens, recovery is improved and inflammation reduces because the flow of blood and other fluids have been altered.
When you step into an Ice Barrel filled with cold water at 15° Celsius, your blood vessels constrict, and they begin to dilate or open back up as soon as you step out. This process helps flush out post-workout metabolic waste.
Benefits of Ice Baths after Workouts
While an ice bath can have many amazing health benefits, there are several that are appealing specifically post-workout. Let’s take a look.
1. Muscle Recovery
Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is not just painful but can also negatively affect future competitions and workouts. This is why athletes look for the best and most effective remedies.
Muscle inflammation and swelling are areas that benefit from ice baths. DOMS is caused by muscle swelling resulting from heavy training, which is why you feel so sore and tired after working out. Cold water immersion therapy can help you recover quickly and make you feel a lot better during the process.
This benefit means ice baths can help with stiff, sore, and swollen muscles by reducing pain and improving recovery time. By speeding up your recovery time, you can get to your next workout faster and stronger.
Plus, an upright posture (like in an Ice Barrel) maximizes cold exposure to your core and legs. It also allows you to easily submerge as much of your body as you want—whether that’s up to your neck and shoulders or even dunking completely in the cold water.
2. It Reduces Inflammation
Reducing inflammation and aiding muscle recovery are like two faces of a coin. They’re quite similar, but inflammation is one of the reasons why cold water immersion therapy is so popular today.
There have been several case studies that suggest that ice baths help reduce muscle inflammation after a workout. Have you ever wondered why you’re advised to put ice on a swollen part of your body? This is a clear example of how ice can stop swelling or inflammation.
In this case, Ice Barrel takes cold water therapy to a new level. Here you wouldn’t be using a bag of frozen peas but taking a plunge into actual ice. This way, the effect is felt around your entire body and you’re able to recover quickly from heavy workouts. You’ll be ready for your next workout physically and mentally.
3. It Stimulates the Central Nervous System
Ice baths stimulate our parasympathetic nervous systems, stress response, and recovery process, all of which can create a natural high that boosts our mood and attitude. In addition, CWI can aid sleep which means your body feels less fatigued and users feel better. This could mean better reaction times and more explosiveness in future workouts for the user.
4. Boosts Metabolism
Immersing yourself in an Ice Barrel can help burn fat in a rather interesting way. Exposing the body to cold increases the brown adipose tissue in the body. Adipose tissue is responsible for converting energy into heat to keep the body warm.
5. Aids Mental Health
Cold water immersion therapy calms the body and improves alertness. An ice bath can work like a reset button for your brain. Doing it regularly has been known to help with mood swings and stress.
6. Cools the Body After Exercise
After a hard workout, your body temperature will be much higher than normal. Taking a cold plunge after exercise can help lower your body temperature quickly. However, when you exit the ice bath, take care to not shock your body by warming it too quickly again. Warm your body slowly.
7. Enhances Circulation
Through a process called vasodilation, the blood vessels in your body expand as your body warms up again after a cold plunge, and the wider blood vessels improve your overall blood circulation. The improved blood circulation helps improve your heart health, and reduces inflammation throughout the body.
Ice Baths for Different Kinds of Exercise
While ice baths can be beneficial after any type of workout, the specific benefits of taking a cold plunge after these forms of exercise might encourage you to brave the chill to maximize your benefits.
Endurance Training
Since ice baths can help with muscle recovery, taking a cold plunge after a workout is especially helpful for athletes focused on endurance training.
The faster recovery time, lowered inflammation, and improved circulation that accompanies an ice bath helps lessen total muscle damage after endurance training.
Plus, enduring a cold plunge helps strengthen your mind, giving you the strength to persevere both in the ice barrel, and during your sport or activity.
Sprint Exercises
Similar to the benefits of endurance training, taking an ice bath after sprint exercises can help with sore muscles and tension throughout your legs. Plus, the upright position afforded by our ice barrels maximizes your cold exposure specifically to your core and legs. This helps target the inflammation, soreness, and muscle tension that is particularly strong in the legs after sprinting workouts.
Strength Training
If sore muscles after a hard day of strength training hinders your future progress, ice bath therapy can make a difference. Cold plunging after strength training can reduce swelling and help prevent tissue breakdown from overexerting the muscles.
Additionally, after an ice bath, the benefits continue as your body warms back up and your muscles begin to relax as vasodilation occurs throughout the body, improving your circulation.
How to Take an Ice Bath for Muscle Recovery
An easy-to-use guide, a timer, and a supervisor (optional but recommended) are all you need to enjoy the benefits of ice baths after workouts.
As a beginner, you should prepare your body by taking progressively colder baths. You prepare your barrel with tap water and then add cold water and ice until it reaches the desired temperature.
Temperature Range
To be safe, we recommend that you keep the temperature at an optimal 15° Celsius (60° Fahrenheit). Colder has been shown to have fewer benefits.
Duration
Staying longer than the recommended time in an ice bath does not provide additional benefits. In fact, soaking for more than 15 minutes in an ice bath could lead to unwanted issues like shock and hypothermia. Therefore, we recommend bathing for up to 10 minutes and absolutely no more than 15 minutes.
Here is a link with answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Ice Barrel and cold water immersion therapy.
Frequency
While the frequency of an ice bath may vary from person to person depending on your lifestyle, workout habits, and ultimate goals, we recommend starting slow as a beginner (once or twice a week) and working your way up to a routine that suits your body and needs.
Post- and Pre-Ice Bath Care
Be sure to drink plenty of water before taking a cold plunge to help your body regulate its temperature while you are in the ice bath. Additionally, some light stretching will help your body improve circulation before hopping into the cold.
After an ice bath, it is crucial to not shock your body with an immediate and strong temperature shift. Warm your body up slowly with warm clothes, a hot beverage, and/or easy but dynamic stretches to help get your blood flowing and warm your body up again.
Choosing the Right Ice Bath Setup for Muscle Recovery
For some, simply taking a cold shower after a workout is enough for muscle recovery. However, this and other DIY methods such as a bathtub full of ice are not only unhygienic, but don’t really do much to improve your muscle recovery or maximize your health benefits.
A cold shower doesn’t get as cold as an ice bath would, and in a bathtub full of ice, it can be difficult to fully submerge, hindering your ability to evenly plunge. For those serious about recovery, investing in a purpose-built tool like our Ice Barrels ensures:
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Effective recovery: Our Ice Barrels have an upright design, making it as easy as possible for you to maximize your benefits. This design allows you to have the most natural position for full and total submersion.
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Durability: Each Ice Barrel comes with a lifetime warranty, and the thick, impact- and puncture-resistant walls are designed with longevity in mind.
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Safety: Our Ice Barrels are crafted from nontoxic, medical-grade, BPA-free materials. The non-porous design also means the material won’t absorb oils or other contaminants from your skin with each plunge.
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Convenience: The compact and lightweight design allows you to place your Ice Barrel in any environment that suits your needs, from a yard to a gym, from a garage to an apartment balcony. When not full of water, the Ice Barrel is only about 55 pounds, so you can easily move it to a new spot whenever you need to.
Place your order today or contact us for more information about our product.
FAQ
What are the risks or concerns for ice bathing?
If not done properly, you risk hypothermia and exposure from spending too long in the ice bath. Longer time spent cold plunging does not equal more health benefits, so we highly recommend sticking to the 10-15 minute limit during your ice bath. Too much ice bathing can also lead to cardiovascular stress, and sometimes hinder muscle growth.
Who should avoid ice baths?
You should always speak to your doctor or primary care provider before starting cold therapy, but particularly for individuals with preexisting cardiovascular conditions, individuals younger than 16 or older than 65 or those with preexisting health conditions.
What are the alternatives to an ice bath?
DIY methods such as a cold shower can simulate an ice bath, although may not give you the same benefits as an upright ice bath might. Contrast water therapy, which alternates hot and cold water on the body, cryotherapy, which exposes the body to cold in full body chambers or via ice packs, and other active recovery techniques such as a light jog, swim, or stretching are all also possible ways to improve your muscle recovery.
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