The Ice Bath

I hate them.  I really do.  But from personal experience... they do help with the healing process after intense sessions in the gym.  Here's a little information on some techniques on how to do it and why you should.

Simply prepare a cold bath with the help of a bag of ice and hop in as soon as you possibly can after you finish your training session.  The water should ideally be 10-15 degrees Celsius. (50 degrees F) Contrary to popular belief... it does not need to be ICE COLD water.  Stay in for 10-15 minutes.  The hardest part is getting in and staying in for the first couple of minutes.  If this is impossible for you do muscle through, there's a second option.  Contrast therapy will give the same benefit.  To perform, one simply needs to set up a cold bath and a hot bath or shower.  Get in the cold bath and stay for one minute, then switch to the hot for two minutes.  Four or five cycles should do. 

So what's the science behind it? Why in the hell would you ever want to do subject yourself to this form of torture?  When we work our bodies, our tissues suffer from micro-trauma.  After a particularly lengthy or intense sessions, We know that our bodies are going to be sore the next day or even the day after that. (DOMS)  In an effort to prevent or at least shorten our downtime to heal we can use a technique called cold-water immersion.  The exposure to the cold constricts blood vessels, decreases metabolic activity, reduces swelling, helps stimulate repair of tissues, and flushes waste products.  After the areas go numb from exposure, we then get out of the cold and warm ourselves up.  Blood flow increases to the affected areas, flushes out our muscles and further stimulates growth and recovery.

Try it out.  Post your results.  Let us know how the ice bath works for you.