Cold Baths After Weightlifting
Cold water immersion enhances recovery of submaximal muscle function after resistance exercise.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Cold water helped with submaximal lifting performance but not with maximal strength recovery
Most people assume recovery methods either help all types of performance or none—this shows a split effect, helping endurance-type efforts but not peak power.
Practical Takeaways
Try 10 minutes in 10°C water after intense weight training if your goal is to perform better in a follow-up session or next-day workout.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Cold water helped with submaximal lifting performance but not with maximal strength recovery
Most people assume recovery methods either help all types of performance or none—this shows a split effect, helping endurance-type efforts but not peak power.
Practical Takeaways
Try 10 minutes in 10°C water after intense weight training if your goal is to perform better in a follow-up session or next-day workout.
Publication
Journal
American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology
Year
2014
Authors
L. Roberts, K. Nosaka, J. Coombes, J. Peake
Related Content
Claims (4)
Taking cold water baths after working out might make your muscles feel less sore, but it won’t help you recover faster and could actually slow muscle growth by blocking the body’s natural healing response.
Taking a 10-minute cold bath at 10°C after a hard strength workout doesn’t help young, active guys bounce back faster in terms of muscle power or strength within a few hours.
If young, active guys take a 10-minute cold bath at 10°C after a hard strength workout, they can lift way more weight in their next workout just six hours later—about 38% more—compared to just cooling down with light activity.
If young, active guys take a 10-minute cold bath at 10°C after lifting weights, their muscle temperature drops by about 7°C and stays low for over half an hour.