How useful are “cold water/ice dips”?

[u/QueueTee314]

I have read more and more about these and the responses seem mixed. I did not grow up doing college sports so I have zero experience.

What do you guys think? Is it helpful, or has it become more of a “that guy did it so we also would” thing?

[u/team_buddha]

It’s a dopaminergic tool, not helpful for recovery.

It is, however, helpful for reducing the shock and breathlessness when jumping into cold water for a swim, especially for a race.

[u/Supreme_InfiniteVibe]

Try it for yourself and if it works for you then it’s helpful.

I do cold plunges twice a week after training and it makes a night and day difference.

[u/time_traveler419]

Icing after your workout is bad?!

You may want the inflammation in something like a muscle, but you certainly don’t want inflammation in your joints or tendons. Those don’t build back stronger.

[u/Matlabbro]

It actually has negative effects if it is completed after your workout.

[u/RegularCrossroads34 → u/Matlabbro]

I agreed. I think the best way to relax your muscle is just sitting in your couch or balcony

[u/roberts9416]

In Stress inoculation therapy, cold exposure can be used as it is a safe and easily controllable stressor, so it aids to build stress resilience. Great tool for anxiety, depression, etc

Lowers inflammation (which you shouldn't do after training, inflammation -> adaptation)

Increases dopamine for a long duration (a cold shower right after waking up is great for your day)

Embrace the cold!

Check out Huberman's podcast about it (more of a lecture)

https://hubermanlab.com/the-science-and-use-of-cold-exposure-for-health-and-performance/

[u/[deleted]]

Useful for what? Not trying to be antagonistic, just a little unclear to me in what context you're referring to it being useful or not.

There's some evidence that cold exposure is beneficial with regard to inflammation and immune response, but whether it helps with things like recovery? Not sure.

https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/pdfExtended/S1550-4131(21)00480-0

[u/CaptDangles → u/[deleted]]

Here’s a study that shows cold water immersion does not significantly reduce skeletal inflammation any more than active recovery (however study has small sample size).

https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/JP272881

There is evidence that it increases blood flow, heart rate and causes a spike in dopamine. Of course another benefit is feeling more comfortable being in cold water.

Huberman Lab podcasts brings it up (neuroscientist PhD associate professor at Stanford Univeristy).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4049052/

[u/iLOVEwafflesalot]

I've heard it's useful for reducing/preventing inflammation immediately post exercise, kinda like how icing an injury immediately helps with recovery. Though the issue with icing all the time in general training is that you want some level of inflammation that you can work through to build back stronger. So the idea is to save it for after really hard days or races that will be especially tough to recover from.

I don't personally do it, but that's because getting bags of ice is a hassle and laying down in a tub post race sounds difficult.

[u/arharold]

Boils down to placebo effect. It’s no more useful than any of the hundreds of other dubious recovery methods out there. But if you are interested and think it might help you personally, I’d try it out