If you’re a fitness enthusiast, chances are you’ve seen some of your favorite athletes immerse themselves in a tub of ice following an intense training session. Those who have embraced this therapy praise it for its powerful, transformative effects on their physical well-being.
As a result, more and more athletes worldwide are jumping on the trend and hoping to reap the same benefits.
If you’ve been curious to try as well, it may help to know why they’re doing it and if there are any risks to ensure you’re making an informed decision.
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Why Ice Plunge Therapy Is Popular Among Athletes
So, are there solid reasons why athletes are taking an ice plunge after a workout, or is it just a trendy thing to be seen by their fans?
Here’s a quick summary of some of the benefits athletes say they get from the therapy.
1. It Enhances Muscle Recovery
Cold plunges are widely utilized by athletes to recover faster. Intense exercise causes micro-tears in muscle tissue, leading to delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Cold plunge therapy helps by constricting blood vessel diameter, eliminating lactic acid, and reducing inflammation.
Muscle recovery at such a fast rate post-workout enables you to exert yourself more and better. By decreasing muscle fatigue, cold water therapy makes workouts effective and less painful. But it should be utilized properly to meet your sporting objectives.
If the purpose is strength and muscle building, plunge pre-training and provide a 6–8-hour interval after training before plunging once more. Inflammation after strength training is necessary for building muscle and taking it away too early will interfere with gains.
For endurance activities such as running, cycling, triathlons, swimming, or contact sports, plunging directly after training serves to lower inflammation and faster recovery.
2. It Helps Prevent Injury and Enhances Healing
In addition to muscle rehabilitation, plunging is a great instrument in injury prevention. By reducing swelling and inflammation, it prevents the formation of long-term conditions like tendinitis and overuse strain.
With minor sprains and strains, the therapy enhances healing by improving blood circulation after the body is warmed up following a plunge. This renders it an essential practice for sportsmen who continuously overstrain and must constantly have maximum output.
3. It Boosts Mental Stamina
Sports achievement is not merely a function of physical strength. Psychological resilience is also essential. Cold plunging is a deliberate stress that toughens your mind to stay calm and composed in adversity.
The shock of cold water forces you to focus on controlled breathing, which toughens you to handle discomfort and build psychological resilience. Over time, this improves composure and focus during games and long training sessions.
Athletes who use cold therapy for focus often report better stress management and an increased ability to handle the mental demands of their sport. A cold plunge can also dramatically improve your physical and mental state if you’re dealing with stress from work or life, struggling with sleep, or feeling overstimulated or jet-lagged.
4. It Boosts Athletic Performance
Cold therapy also enhances sporting performance. Elite sportsmen, including marathon runners and pro footballers, use cold plunges to maximize endurance.
Cold therapy enhances energy by enhancing blood flow and oxygen to fatigued muscle tissue, enabling you to sustain performance levels for longer. Regular ice baths can give you a competitive edge, making them a great option pre- and post-workout.
5. It Enhances Sleep Quality
Athletes require more sleep than the general populace to recover best. Elite athletes are urged to get at least nine hours of sleep every night because it is as crucial as diet and training. Cold water treatment calms the nervous system, relaxing the body and facilitating it from the energetic state of training to deep, rejuvenating sleep.
Better sleep means faster repair of the muscles, better mental functioning, and stable mood, all contributing to peak athletic performance. Cold therapy can also be an effective technique for individuals who have insomnia or restless nights, so you can wake up refreshed and ready to roll.
Ice Plunge Therapy Risks and Side Effects
You’re probably already sold on the benefits and can’t wait to try an ice bath after your next workout.
The primary risk only applies to individuals with preexisting cardiovascular diseases. Immersing in ice not only causes a decrease in core temperature but also leads to constriction of blood vessels, which reduces blood flow in the body. When this happens, it places you at a higher risk of stroke and cardiac arrest.
Submerging yourself for too long in the ice tab may also lead to hypothermia, which is life-threatening if you don’t seek immediate medical attention. People who suffer from Type I and Type II diabetes also need to be wary of ice plunge therapy since they both reduce one’s ability to maintain core temperatures in extreme conditions.
How to Do Ice Plunge Therapy Safely
If you don’t have diabetes or cardiovascular health issues, and you’re willing to try cold plunge therapy, there are a few safety precautions to keep in mind. These include:
- Maintain safe temperatures: The Ideal temperature should be between 10–15° Celsius or 50–59° Fahrenheit.
- Don’t stay in too long: As a general rule of thumb, you should spend a maximum of 10 to 15 minutes in an ice tub.
- Expose your body gradually: While you reap the most benefits by immersing your entire body, getting into the tub from your feet to your chest gradually instead of all at once to give your body time to adjust to the temperature changes slowly.
- Do it immediately after a workout: You shouldn’t wait too long after your workout to do the therapy since the healing and inflammatory response may have already begun. It’s best to do it as soon as you finish the workout.
Wrapping Up
There isn’t enough research to verify the benefits of ice plunge therapy. However, many athletes report speedy recovery and other benefits discussed herein that make the treatment worthwhile. If you’re ready to take the plunge, follow the safety precautions and listen to your body.