Taking ice baths in very cold or icy water is in fashion. More and more people, either for therapeutic purposes (cold therapy) or seeking better muscle recovery, are trying an experience that will help our body and organism to recover better and enjoy the anti-inflammatory and analgesic benefits of cold water.
To take a bath with very cold water you do not need complex facilities, just buy an ice bath, a machine that will cool the water (between 200 and 5000 liters) to a minimum of 0 degrees in a matter of a few hours.
Why do athletes take cold baths?
Whether you are an occasional or regular athlete, surely on occasion you have felt discomfort or some type of pain after training. Cold baths are becoming increasingly popular as a method to combat that pain, as well as to reduce recovery time and increase performance the next day.
Ice baths are the foundation of recovery routines for many elite sports teams and are trusted by most professional players. The idea behind cold and ice baths is this: when you exercise, small tears in the muscle fibers or microtrauma occur and the cold stimulates muscle activity, helping not only to repair the damage, but also to strengthen muscle.
The dip muscle in cold water the blood vessels constrict and waste products are removed, such as lactic acid of the tissue. This decreases metabolic activity, swelling, and tissue breakdown, resulting in less pain the next day. Lowering core body temperature also stresses the heart and reduces central nervous fatigue.
How do you take a cold bath?
If you dare to take a cold bath after exercising, it is best to do so immediately after your training session for the best results. For beginners or those who do more gentle workouts, it would be best to start by soaking in cold water of 15 ° C for 10 minutes. Since the average temperature of the human body is 37 ° C, this temperature will slow down the circulation of the body and increase blood flow with overheating, helping you to eliminate waste products after training.
Extreme athletes can try an even colder bath and use one of these machines that chill the water to almost 0 degrees in a pool of up to 1000 liters of water in just 3 hours. Of course, if you are not very used to it, go little by little. If you only hold on for a minute the first time, nothing happens. The next time you exercise, try to last an extra thirty seconds and keep trying to increase the amount of time with each workout.
The best way to know if ice baths are right for you is to try them yourself. But we assure you that it is a great idea.
