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After exercise and exercise various types sport, I definitely want to take a bath to wash off bad smell, relieve muscle pain and get rid of fatigue. How useful this is and what water temperature is preferable will be discussed in our article.

Any athlete feels fatigue and muscle pain after an intense workout. To cheer up and get maximum energy, you can take a cold shower. Provided that a person has enough good health and hardening experience, ice baths after training will not cause damage to the body. After training, a cold shower helps contract warmed muscles, thereby speeding up blood circulation. Soon a person feels a surge of strength, freshness and vigor. Cold water will also help cope with unpleasant muscle pain.

If the human body is not hardened and trained, a cool shower can only aggravate the current situation. Unhardened vessels relax under the influence of ice water, which makes the athlete feel sleepy and exhausted.

How to take a bath:

• Suitable temperature is 10 - 13 degrees.
• After you have trained, the encouraging manipulation is carried out no earlier than 20 to 30 minutes later.
• If cold water makes you uncomfortable, avoid the procedure.
• Carry out the procedure strictly in a sitting position. At the end of the procedure, completely soak your body in a cool shower.
• Do not pour ice water on your head, this can lead to colds.

Hot baths

After a grueling workout, soak in a hot bath - what could be more beautiful? Feelings of unreal muscle pain after training, this phenomenon is familiar to everyone who has been involved in bodybuilding or other physical activity. Many athletes wonder whether it is possible to take a hot shower? In bodybuilding, this method is often practiced for an analgesic effect. A bath after training will dilate blood vessels and relax the body, subject to certain rules:

1. Don't do too much hot water, the optimal water temperature is 39 – 41 degrees.
2. In order not to overload the heart, the time spent in the bathroom should not be more than 20 minutes.
3. Add to water sea ​​salt, penetrating the skin, it will soothe and anesthetize the muscles.
4. To avoid drowsiness and loss of strength, take water procedures while sitting.
5. If the process takes place in a shower stall, monitor your health so that the steam from the water does not choke you, open the doors slightly.

If hot water temperatures make you sleepy, and you don’t like a cold shower, you can take the optimal position - take a contrast shower after training.

Cold and hot shower

Many experts believe that it is considered the most useful after training. Firstly, it will enhance the training effect, especially if your goal is to lose weight. Heated body under the influence different temperatures promotes fat burning. If your goal is to gain muscle mass, avoid taking cold exercises, as they significantly slow down muscle hypertrophy. If you have a full body, a contrast shower after training will help you avoid possible sagging skin.

Illustration copyright Getty Images

Athletes are often told that post-match ice baths are incredibly beneficial for their muscles. And they are ready to believe it. The reviewer decided to evaluate the benefits of immersion in ice water after a strenuous workout.

After every match, whether it ends in victory or defeat, British number one tennis player Andy Murray goes through the same sequence of actions.

He showers, has a snack and drinks some water, then goes for a massage and finally takes an ice bath. For eight minutes he lies in water with ice, the temperature of which is 8-10 ° C.

And he's not the only athlete who uses ice baths to recover after competition or after a tough workout.

To condition her muscles, heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill climbed into a wheelie bin filled with ice water (see photo below).

Looking at the success of these and other athletes using similar methods, one might assume that ice baths are effective, however scientific evidence There is not much evidence yet that this rather painful procedure is beneficial.

Proponents of this procedure believe that immersing the body in a very cold water promotes recovery after exercise by lowering temperature, slowing blood flow and eliminating inflammation in muscle tissue.

Many of us, having pulled a muscle, have noticed that the pain and swelling go away if we apply a bag of frozen vegetables to the damaged area.

In one study, participants were asked to place one foot in a ice water, and leave the other one just like that. In cold water the swelling was noticeably reduced.

For most of us, pain relief won't hurt at all, but for professional athletes or recreational enthusiasts looking to build muscle, these types of inflammation-fighting strategies can be counterproductive.

It is known that immersion in cold water slows blood flow, and this can lead to a slowdown in muscle protein synthesis, a process that helps muscle tissue repair after injury or high load.

For athletes high level whose goal is to become as strong as possible, it is better to avoid this

So, for example, for weight lifting training to bear fruit, a certain degree of inflammation is simply necessary for the muscles to recover, so it is not worth deliberately reducing it.

However, inflammation causes pain, and therefore we often try to get rid of it and the discomfort. However, there is evidence that it may interfere with recovery.

Studies using anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen have produced conflicting results. Some evidence suggests that reducing inflammation, while improving the patient's well-being, also slows down the recovery process.

However, a review of the most rigorous of these studies found that a little inflammation is beneficial and that eliminating the inflammatory response is not the best option.

However, the question of what degree of inflammation is most acceptable and at what point in the recovery process does it produce greatest benefit, remains open.

It may also depend on age. People over 65 who took anti-inflammatory drugs during a 12-week training program increased their muscle mass more than those who took a placebo.

So, at least for older athletes, reducing inflammation made sense.

However, in younger people who are in better physical shape, it can lead to a slower muscle recovery process.

For those who don't train seriously, this may not be a big deal and they can afford to ease the pain, but high level athletes whose goal is to get as strong as possible may want to avoid this.

Similar processes can occur in the case of ice baths, but experiments with animals have shown that cold affects them better.

When ice was applied to the rats' muscles (under anesthetic), inflammation was reduced without slowing muscle tissue regeneration.

However, for people whose muscles are much larger in size, ice does not have the same effect.

It eliminates swelling and soreness, but a study in which participants studied for three months strength training and took ice baths, showed that their gains in muscle mass and strength were not as high.

Studies in which half the participants sit in an ice bath after exercise and the other half rest are very rare. However, the team of scientists from Australia, Norway and Japan who conducted the previous study recently published another paper.

In it, they contrasted ice baths not with rest, but with the calming series of exercises at the end of a workout that many athletes practice.

Nine active men performed lunges, squats and other exercises for 45 minutes. After training, they took ice baths for a week, sitting for 10 minutes in an inflatable pool with cold water waist-high.

Ice baths can be useful for quick recovery between matches within the same competition

They weren't allowed to shower for at least two hours after training, so they didn't warm up as quickly.

During another week, their post-workout regimen was more gentle: they slowly pedaled an exercise bike for the same 10 minutes.

The scientists took blood tests from the men at various points before and after exercise, and 2, 24 and 48 hours after. cold bath or exercise on an exercise bike, they had a biopsy of the thigh muscle.

The number of markers of response to inflammation and muscle tension increased after exercise, which was to be expected, but the ice bath had no effect on it. Cold water did not reduce inflammation.

This raises two questions: does an ice bath reduce inflammation (probably not), and whether it should be taken if it slows down muscle recovery.

Jonathan Peake of Queensland University of Technology, who led the study, wondered whether athletes should reconsider their strategies.

He admits that ice baths can be useful for quick recovery between matches within the same competition, but not if you want to strengthen your muscles long-term.

Finally, there is research showing that something unpleasant is not good for us. Usually only pleasant things harm us. Therefore, athletes probably will not be sad if they are told that they can forget about the ice procedure.

World-famous athletes widely practice ice therapy, why not try it too, especially if you also play sports. This practice is widely used by famous athletes, and it is quite possible that it will suit you too. Maybe someone has already tried ice baths several times, but did not notice significant improvements; most likely, the reason here lies in the wrong method of taking ice baths. If the correct technique is followed and the intake schedule is regular, ice baths have a very positive effect on the body’s recovery processes, contribute to a surge of strength and improve athletic performance.

For maximum effect, ice baths are best taken in hydro pools.

For many people, the phrase ice bath causes tremors and chills. And it's really cold. Not everyone enjoys a cold shower, but an ice bath after an intense workout or long run can work wonders. It has been proven that as a result of a long run or a series of short sprints, muscles receive a lot of microtrauma. These microtraumas are nothing more than micro-tears of muscle fibers, which is quite normal for track and field athletes. After an intense workout, a person feels muscle pain, and not each rupture separately, since a fiber rupture is a microtrauma that is invisible to a person.

The low temperature of the ice reduces muscle pain, helps with sprains and inflammation, and also prevents muscle tissue ruptures. Cold water stimulates the restoration of muscle cells and the healing of muscle fiber tears. Immersion in an ice bath relieves tension from aching muscles. In the process of running and training, almost all muscle groups are involved, so by completely immersing yourself in the bath, you influence not just one part of the body or muscle group, but the entire body as a whole. For example, if your legs hurt after working out, cold temperature will help restore the muscles of both limbs, quadriceps, Achilles tendons, and buttocks.

Ice bath at home

In order to take an ice bath at home, you don’t have to buy a fabulously expensive hydro pool - regular bath and a few packs of ice will be enough.

• Prepare a large number of ice, in cubes or in special bags. Optimal temperature such a bath should not exceed 15C. Ice can be made at home or bought at the store.
• Before exercising or running, fill the bathtub with enough water to completely submerge your lower body up to your waist. After returning from a workout or run, add ice to your water-filled bathtub.
• If you have a thermometer, measure the water temperature before diving.
• Do not plunge into cold water too suddenly; the body must get used to the low temperature.
• Don't stay in the bath for too long; ten minutes will be enough. By staying longer, say twenty minutes, you run the risk of severely damaging your muscles rather than restoring them.

The first few baths are the most difficult stage; over time, the body gets used to lower temperatures and no longer perceives an ice bath as a stress factor.

Tips and Cautions

During your appointment It's great to have something warm on hand, like a cup of tea or hot chocolate. Magazine or interesting book will allow you to pass the time and abstract yourself from the feeling of cold. After an ice bath, it is recommended to take warm shower or hot bath lasting from 30 minutes to an hour.

In conditions of extremely low temperatures, muscle tissue, and therefore the muscles themselves, contract.

It is possible that after immersing yourself in an ice bath, you will immediately want to jump out of it; experts advise you to gather your strength and not do this. As motivation, constantly think about the fact that you are enduring the cold in order to restore damaged muscles, and proper and quick recovery directly affects the endurance and level of your athletic achievements.

If possible, periodically check the water temperature with a thermometer. If you decide to take an ice bath, it is better that someone at home knows about it; it is unlikely that any of your relatives will want to join you, but for safety reasons this step is completely justified.

So you're ready to take an ice bath. Believe me, despite the extreme nature of this type of therapy, it will definitely help you achieve your goals. The experience of world-famous athletes is further proof of this. Runners and track and field athletes claim that ice baths help them quickly recover muscles, avoid injuries and show better results.

If you are planning on competing, ice baths will help you prepare your muscles and perform at their best. There is nothing for muscle recovery after an intense and long run. better than a bath filled with ice.

To speed up recovery. The topic of the new article is an ice bath: what it is and how it affects recovery processes.

General information

An ice bath is a large tank filled to the top with ice. This procedure most often means lowering the legs into a bucket/basin of water. room temperature which is filled with ice. Since the ice melts unevenly, the water temperature drops from 15 to 0 gradually, which reduces the risk of catching a cold.

According to research, using an ice bath:

• reduces the effect of lactic acid;
• quickly eliminates stagnant blood after pumping;
• strengthens the immune system;
• quickly tones the main muscle groups.

The question of why athletes take ice baths has become particularly relevant after the British athletics team was spotted at the last Olympic Games for this recreational procedure.

Interesting fact: the team itself did not achieve impressive results. This does not cast doubt on the benefits of taking an ice bath, but it does prove that its results cannot be compared with taking any doping.

How to take it correctly?

How to take an ice bath correctly so as not to harm your health and increase the effectiveness of the training process?

Follow simple rules:

1. The water should be at room temperature (15-20 degrees Celsius), tap water is suitable for this.
2. Without preliminary hardening, staying in an ice bath for more than 5-7 minutes is not recommended due to the risk of getting a cold. Even if you are seasoned, using a bath for more than 20 minutes is not advisable.
3. There should be a lot of ice - about 20-40% of the water weight. Prepare it in advance by pouring it into special forms and putting the water in the freezer.
4. It is better to immerse only muscle groups that worked during training in an ice bath, i.e. It is not located entirely, but only the legs/arms are immersed.
5. Before taking an ice bath, it is better to consult your doctor about the dangers of using it in your case.
6. You should take an ice bath no later than half an hour after training, while lactic acid is not yet so intensely affecting the recovery processes.

Placebo or benefit?

Why do professional athletes take ice baths? Is an ice bath really beneficial? Experts have not yet reached a consensus. On the one hand, coaches who practice using an ice bath believe that it actually increases athletes’ performance by 5-10%, which is important in competition conditions. On the other hand, opponents of using an ice bath point out that stress after training is already high, as a result of which the risk of getting sick when using this procedure increases significantly.

Let's take a closer look at both positions.

Harm to health

Despite the potential benefits of taking an ice bath, the harmful effects reduce the effectiveness of the technique.

What consequences are possible:

1. Heart problems. This is especially true for athletes over 35 years of age. An ice bath can cause muscle cramps, including the heart.
2. Cramps. Due to hypothermia, the muscles, instead of relaxing, enter a phase of constant tension - this is a protective reaction of the body, which, due to such contractions, increases the internal body temperature.
3. Cold. Training itself is stressful for the body, so additional stress in the form of hypothermia often results in colds.
4. Diseases of the genitourinary system. When immersed in a bath above waist level, there is a high risk of hypothermia of the reproductive organs.
5. Joint pain. For people suffering from joint pain, hypothermia of the extremities is contraindicated.
6. Increased pressure.

Note: the risk of these effects increases with violation temperature regime, or prolonged exposure to an ice bath.

Brief summary

For different types sports and different loads have developed their own variations of taking an ice bath. Let's look at all the available data in the table.

Conclusion

Why do athletes take ice baths if the procedure is potentially harmful? In competitions it is important to achieve maximum results. Absolutely everything is used for this available funds, ranging from massage to placebo. If an ice bath can improve an athlete’s performance by at least 5-7%, this can be a decisive indicator in obtaining the coveted victory. Therefore, despite possible harm, the ice bath is so popular among Olympic athletes.

Remember the main points regarding the ice bath after exercise:

1. High risk of catching a cold. This is due to the fact that the body is in a state of extreme stress after training (competition).
2. If immersed incorrectly or insufficiently hardened, serious health problems are likely.
3. The effectiveness of ice baths has not been scientifically proven.
4. The procedure will not increase the productivity of the training cycle, it will only reduce side effects, such as sore throat, lactic acid retention, etc.

Taking into account the above, the editors would not recommend the use of ice baths for non-professional athletes.

Many people know this way to get rid of muscle pain after exercise as an ice bath. Professional athletes resort to it quite often. But we still have questions: is this method suitable for us, and how safe is it?

Word to science
Runner's World magazine wrote back in 2008: Ice baths were named one of the most effective ways compensate for the damage caused during training. Immersion in cold water suppresses inflammation and heat in the muscles, as cold temperatures constrict blood cells and reduce metabolic activity.

Just recently, scientists examined the results of more than 17 studies and found that ice bathing reduced muscle soreness by 20% compared to doing nothing. This method is also found to be slightly more effective than elastic bands and stockings, as well as light running.

However, the method also has critics. The main doubt is that ice baths can lead to increased heart rate and, as a consequence, to heart attack.

Therefore, it is worth knowing how to take ice baths correctly so that you only get the benefits of this method, and not its disadvantages.

Ice baths: how to take them correctly?
After intense or unusual physical exercise, after training that pushes one’s own capabilities, muscle soreness usually occurs. This condition is called “soreness” (another term is DOMS). It usually lasts from 24 to 48 hours. Main symptoms: muscle stiffness, swelling, muscle soreness, decreased strength.

This occurs due to mechanical damage in the muscle fibers, which leads to pain and inflammation. Many people mistakenly believe that warming muscles can relieve pain, and take hot baths. But athletes practice ice baths, or ice baths, to combat pain. Photos of American gymnasts from the US team at the London Olympics, where they took ice baths after difficult starts, trying to recover faster, went viral on Twitter.

For professional athletes, baths are prepared by specialists, but we can take advantage of their experience and make an ice bath at home.

Ice bath rules:
- Water temperature for an ice bath is 10-15 degrees Celsius.
- You can stay in the ice bath for five minutes. Much depends on your condition and reaction; some make such baths longer, up to 20 minutes.
- The easiest way to do an ice bath is to pour cold water into the bath tap water and add ice from the freezer.
- It is best to take an ice bath no later than half an hour after training.
- The ice bath is not taken on the whole body, that is, you should not immerse yourself completely. The safest thing is an ice bath on your feet, below the waist is possible, and very rarely you should dive up to your chest (full immersion only after consulting a doctor!).

Useful criticism
In order not to harm your health, it is worth listening to the critics of ice baths. Firstly, there are a number of experts who cannot find scientific confirmation the effect of ice baths. They believe that it's all about the so-called placebo effect.

Other doctors say that you shouldn't rely entirely on an ice bath to relieve pain. It is necessary to combine several methods of pain relief: water procedures, massage, stretching.

It is worth considering the strict warnings from almost all doctors: Not everyone can benefit from an ice bath. The shock effect on the body that immersion in cold water produces should not be underestimated. Ice baths can affect the heart blood vessels, respiratory system. An ice bath can greatly increase your blood pressure and heart rate.

Even athletes do not use ice baths regularly, only during periods of very heavy loads. The long-term effects of ice baths have not been studied, so don't get carried away. Remember that during our Russian holiday of Epiphany, when believers swim in an ice hole, an ambulance is always on duty nearby to help unprepared people with a weak heart and high pressure. Be careful!

Examples:
http://www.sovsport.ru/news/text-item/584075
Spartak players took ice baths after training

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida

and a little more