Cold Water Bath Improves Performance and Recovery
December 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment
One of the most exhilarating experiences is the invigorating effect of a cold bath after an extreme workout (completing a heavy bench press rep with the help of two fingers from a spotter). These are considered the two wonders of sports training.
The benefits of cold-water immersion
Researchers from the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra have declared the benefits of cold-water immersion. They calculated the effects of recovery strategies on sprint capacity and time trial performance during 5 continuous days of endurance cycling are: immersion in a fifty-nine degree water bath for about fourteen minutes; immersion in a 100.4 degree water for fourteen minutes; alternating between the hot water and cold water baths for approximately fourteen minutes; or rest for fourteen minutes.
The participants in the study repeated the trials 4 times with 9 days of rest between exercise stages so that they were open to the elements to each restorative technique. Cold-water immersion enhanced sprint performance by up to 2.2% and time trial performance by up to 1%, while alternating between hot and cold baths improved sprint performance by up to 1.4% and time trial performance by up to 1.7%. Alternatively, hot water immersion dropped performance by 3.7%.
This study has proved that cold water bath and contrast baths had very little improvement on muscle recovery and performance. Hot baths reduced both muscle recovery and performance.
Source: International Journal Sports Medicine, 29: 539-544, 2008
