I have heard of the benefits of ice water baths to help with recovery. After a tough transition session yesterday I decided to give it a try. I got in the bath tub and started the pure cold water running until it covered my legs and hips. Is this cold enough to benefit or do you actually have to add ice? How long should I stay in? Should I stretch and cool down first or go straight to the bath? Has anyone noticed significant results?
Thanks in advance
Cool down and stretch completely. Put enough ice in that there are still a few chunks floating around when you’re done (about 40 pounds). Stay in for 10-20 min. I did them a lot when I first started increasing my training from about 10 to 20 hours a week. I’ve been pretty consistent at 20-25 hrs this year and haven’t been taking as many ice baths, but last year when the training load was still new, I definitely felt that I needed them.
I think there are 2, maybe 3 things you do with an ice bath.
You help lower body temperature, so that your body can start recovering earlier. There have been some articles on VeloNews and elsewhere about team Garmin-Chipotle at the TdF, and how the one of the first things they try and do after every stage (along with cleaning up and eating) is lower core temperature so the body gets out of a catabolic state.
Reduce inflammation/swelling in lower extremities.
“Feel” fresher.
There’s also been some research done on how alternating hot & cold water exposure regularly can boost the immune system, you can google for it. For this purpose I think they found the water had to be 10’C or less, 15’C was not effective.
Count me in as a fan. I do it after all of my long runs and have experienced less muscle soreness and knee trouble than before I started icing. I’ll jump in a bathtub of cold water and dump in the ice from my fridges ice maker to take the temp down a few more degrees. I think the ice adds some benefit even though it usually melts after 10 minutes or so. I stay in untill I start shivering and then get out and take a cool shower (feels pretty warm post ice bath). The last few miles of my long runs I’m sooo looking forward to the icy water. My kids think I’m nuts but it has helped.
NW
I’ve been soaking my feet in ice water in a cooler every time its available to me- which has been pretty frequently. It definately helps with inflammation and has helped a strained achilles tendon feel better. I doubt very much if I could tolerate be entirely immersed in ice water though=- that sounds awful.
The one thing bout ice baths is they don’t have to be as cold as people thing. 55-60 degrees is what most of the research is saying, so cold, but not kill ya cold.
I’ve always heard it needed to be around 40 degrees. I have no idea how cold mine are though, as I have no thermometer that will go that low. I know i love them and hate them at the same time! They hurt like hell when I first get in.
I have used tap water without ice. I would estimate 50 degrees. Seems to help. Beware of “shrinkage” (for males) especially with ice.
How long after an event will you likely experience the benefits of an ice bath? If I ran/rode hard yesterday, will I still get some benefits if I do the icebath tonight?
Ok, I tried to do an ice bath a while ago. Fail. My legs LOVED it, but my feet couldn’t handle it at all - they really, really hurt. Any suggestions as to what my damn problem is, other than being whiny hehe ?
Happens to me as well. I believe the reason is that you have
a significant concentration of nerve endings located in the feet and hands,
hence the discomfort. You should find after 3-5 min. the pain disappears as
the nerve endings numb.
I follow a icebath routine during the summer months and will do one after every long and/or tempo bike and/or run session (so at least 4 per week). I fill the bathtub to waist level with cold water then throw a few re-freezable icepacks to get the temp down…they typically thaw out completely around the time I finish. My protocol (which I thought I read here, albeit some time ago) is 5 mins for every hour of exercise…minimum 10 mins, maximum 20. Sometimes I’ll mix it up with 3 mins icebath/2 mins hot shower (waist down), again repeat once per hour of exercise. I try and do this within 10 minutes of completing the session, and take the downtime in the bath to top up with a recovery drink and food, read a magazine, etc. On a really hot day there’s nothing better 
Yes there is some pain at times, particularly around the feet, but hey, what doesn’t kill you… Then I’d do my normal stretching routine immediately after. This whole procedure might take around 30 mins but my coach has always been an advocate for planning sufficient recovery time with training…I had a good season results wise, recovered quickly from my key workouts and, most importantly, got through a big increase in training load relatively easily and injury-free.
I do them 1x a week- usually Sunday after my long bike or run. I fill tub up in morning, do my work out and then dump a 20lb bag of ice in once Im in. I find Im like a frog, put me in and then ad ice, its a lot easier. If it has ice already in it, then I go in I jump out like a frog in hot water. It helps a ton!!! Do it after you stretch! Oh and enjoy an ice cold choc milk while you are in there.
This is how I do it as well. I have to fill the tub up well in advance in the summer since there is no such thing as cold tap water here in Tucson during the summer months. I have to give the water time to cool to room temp or it will take 60lbs of ice to get it cold enough to help. Adding the ice after I have already gotten in definitely takes the initial bite off.