Cold plunge or Ice Baths have been trendy for decades.
We’re told 5-10 min in an ice bath (of torture) will boost recovery and strength, improve circulation, reduce muscle soreness, and smash inflammation. It turns out all 4 of these claims are myths. What’s more, the doctor (Dr. Gabe Mirkin) who started it all (popularized ice in the 1970’s) has been saying “I was wrong about ice” for a decade.
Myth #1: Ice baths will improve recovery and strength. The idea is that cold reduces inflammation, and since inflammation has been demonized for decades then something positive must happen.
Fact: the opposite is true. The research on cold plunges (or ice baths) after a workout are clear: they don’t work. They slow strength gains and slow muscle growth.
The reason why ice harms recovery is basic physiology: recovery, healing and strength gains all begin with inflammation. Healing, recovery and adaptation have 3 phases. Phase 1: inflammation, Phase 2: proliferation, and Phase 3: remodeling. If we retard phase 1 then healing or recovery takes longer and/or is less complete.
Myth #2: cold plunges improve circulation.
Fact: The opposite is true. Cold constricts (closes) blood vessels, and heat dilates (expands) blood vessels. If you define “improved circulation” as your body being able to deliver blood better/easier, then it is clear that cold plunges can do no such thing.
Bringing this back to #1 (recovery): healing and recovery depend on blood flow to get rid of waste and damaged cells, and anything that restricts circulation will slow healing and recovery. The ice will make you feel better temporarily, but that comfort is not free.
Myth #3: reduce muscle soreness. Ice does temporarily numb us, so, an ice bath will numb your muscles for 10-30 minutes.
Fact: 10-30 min isn’t really “success.” A very short break in muscle soreness that requires filling a tub with ice, 10 min of suffering, drying off and changing clothes hardly seems worth it. A 10-20 min walk would take less time, be equally effective, last longer, boost your step count, and doesn’t require a change of clothes. (I guess my message is “walk it off.” LOL.)
Myth #4: ice baths reduce inflammation. A 5-10 min ice bath will do a little something to reduce inflammation for about 5-10 min. However, you should not spend more than 15 min in an ice bath, so the effects are short lived, and it addresses the wrong type of inflammation.
Fact: misleading. Inflammation is a bit like cholesterol in that there is both good and bad versions of both.
· Good inflammation is the acute kind, and bad is chronic inflammation. Acute (good) inflammation is what your body uses to fight all infections, heal wounds, repair anything, and to recover from workouts.
· Bad inflammation is chronic, low level inflammation that seems to be related to a misbehaving immune system, some drugs, inactivity and overeating.
Ice primarily reduces good (acute) inflammation, whereas going for a walk would help reduce your soreness now and make a dent in chronic inflammation as well.
Does Ice Have Any Benefits?
It makes water taste better, which can help you drink enough, which is my favorite use; and also these 2:
Benefit #1: ice baths give you a jolt of energy. The one thing that ice baths or cold plunges are effective for is giving you a jolt. Submerging your body into painfully cold water is similar to coffee (or other caffeinated beverages) in triggering a surge of “go!” chemicals like adrenaline and noradrenaline. Meaning a cold plunge might get you going on a morning when you are dragging, but so would a cup of coffee and you don’t have to dry off.
Benefit #2: cold can kill fat cells. Ice baths don’t kill fat cells, but you can use cold to kill some fat cells in some spots. Cryolypolysis – killing fat cells with low temperatures is effective in some spots. It works because fat cells are more sensitive to drops in temperature than skin cells. If you can get the time and temperature just right – cold enough to kill the fat, but not harm your skin, then you can kill some fat cells.
Cryolypolysis only works for fat under the skin, and only in certain places – stomach, love handles, and legs. However, there is a risk of “paradoxical adipose hyperplasia” (PAH), which is when the fat cells in the treated spot multiply and grow. It’s rare, less than 1%, but something to weigh because the growth needs to be surgically removed.
Bottom Line
Save the ice for your beverages, and try walking for soreness and recovery because it’s far more effective and beneficial than ice baths will ever be. Added bonus for walking is you don’t have to get naked.