Saw this on the forum and on t-mag itself, but without explanation, or maybe I drempt it… I dream lots of things these days. Anyway if a cold shower speeds up recovery after a good workout? what is the science behind it?
I know Ian King is a big fan of cooling off ASAP after training, but I don’t know of any studies. As Ian always says, apply what you know works and let the studies catch up to you. Ian apparently really thinks it helps with recovery.
I remember reading this “tip” about a quarter of a century ago. The idea being propagated then was that the cold water vasocontricted the skin, thus routing more blood into the deeper structures.
i’m not too sure about the exact showering ‘routine,’ but i think you’re supposed to alternate hot and cold for a minute to squeeze out lactic acid. of course, lactic acid isn’t necessarily bad… and who would ever want to ruin the blissful post-wo shower?
The japanese have bathing process I stole. Do the hot shower to rinse off, then switch it to cold right away and chill out. It’ll wake you up, and it’s refreshing at the least.
Hey Freebie,
I don’t know the exact science behind it, but along with the getting more blood to deeper structures, it acts similarily as ice in that it helps reduce inflammation, and promotes waste removal. I have found better results doing a contrast shower ( cold 2-3 mins hot 2-3 mins etc) repeated for 4 cycles and finish on cold. I didn’t have as good of success with straight cold water. If you do a lot of compound work Charles Stahley also recommends ice to the lower back. I do the showers after every workout and find it incredibly helpful for me.Peace, tmofa
I love cold showers. You guys are forgeting what happens to the thyroid when taking a cold shower right after training especially. Your thyroid freaks out and turns up the heat to survive resulting in a higher metabolism. I am often still sweating a half hour after a cold dip or cold shower. Arnie S. is a huge cold shower advocate.
Thermogenics and shock! Your body will jump your metabolism up to compensate for heat loss. I’ve read that sudden shock actually helps to release more hormones, specifically testosterone. Yes the old myth about a cold shower may make your nuts creep up into your throat but you will actually come out more horny! I suggest either extensive stretching or sitting in a hot tub immeadiatly post workout to alleviate soreness then jump into a cold shower or pool.
From an article on bodybuilding.co:
“Contrast Showers: Expose all areas of the body that were involved with the day’s training session. These showers are done by alternating bursts of hot and cold water. These temperatures are alternated for periods of two minutes and done as hot as tolerable and as cold as tolerable. This can be repeated four to six times. The reasoning behind these showers is the hot periods are for vaso-dilation (increased size of vessels) and cold is for vaso-constriction (decrease in size of vessels). The result is improved circulation in the trained areas.”
The cold reduces the metabolic rate of all the cells including muscle cells or fiber. This is why we put food in the refrigerator. After a great workout, because the inside of your muscle cells (Z lines between the sarcomers and etc) are all messed up to put cold ice or take a shower might help.