Ice baths

[DarkHorse500]

I'm all for anything to improve recovery..

But there seems to be varying opinions and points of view on icing and ice baths...especially recently..

Do you think it helps or hinders recovery/progress?

Let's be real here...ice baths aren't fun..I'm not going to be doing it for the hell of it

I remember doing it 5+ years ago after every heavy squat and deadlift session. Can't remember why I stopped. Can't remember if I felt it wasn't working or what

Thanks

[churley57]

There's a really good article by doctor mike Isratel from juggernaut, I think it's called "everything you need to know about recovery." I don't think there's any real science behind ice baths, but if you feel that they work then there's no reason why you shouldn't do them. The most important things for recovery though are sleep and food, so never skip out on sleep or a meal to do a cold bath.

[jonglo]

there is a reason to not do them. Inflammation is part of the healing process so hindering inflammation hinders recovery.
The only people who should be doing ice baths are athletes who need to reduce inflammation because they need to perform. So if you're in a sport where recovery times are short, e.g. a tennis tournament. Or you're in the final weeks of a fight camp, where technique training is a daily thing, and you've got aches and pains from a long arduous training camp or tournament, then ice baths are a way to allow you to continue to train or compete.
For everyone else, you should rest when you feel sore, you might feel better after ice but you that isn't because you've recovered faster.

[TomMutaffis]

I'm all for anything to improve recovery..

But there seems to be varying opinions and points of view on icing and ice baths...especially recently..

Do you think it helps or hinders recovery/progress?

Let's be real here...ice baths aren't fun..I'm not going to be doing it for the hell of it

I remember doing it 5+ years ago after every heavy squat and deadlift session. Can't remember why I stopped. Can't remember if I felt it wasn't working or what

Thanks

They seem to be effective, but how much they help may not make sense for you unless you have already checked all of the other boxes with regard to other factors that impact recovery (diet, sleep, effective training template, etc.).

[spark124]

They seem to be effective, but how much they help may not make sense for you unless you have already checked all of the other boxes with regard to other factors that impact recovery (diet, sleep, effective training template, etc.).

this i dont think ice baths are that necessary, rest and food will do your recover in time

[Cleveland33]

so I'm the only one that enjoys them?

Then again, I also prefer cold showers too. But I am actually considering buying a 169g stock tank since I don't fit in my tub.