**Water and Ice Baths: How Beneficial Are They?**
Water and ice baths have become incredibly popular in recent years, largely due to the influence of social media. Bloggers rave about their benefits, and athletes who practice plunging into icy water after workouts echo these claims. The topic of water and ice baths has also captured the interest of scientists, writes https://xrust.ru/. Following the trend, researchers have studied the effects of exposure to ice-cold water. A key context of these studies involved prior strength training. The authors of a widely discussed study found that immersing limbs in ice water after weightlifting slows blood flow to the muscles, impairing their ability to recover and grow, which potentially diminishes the benefits of the workout. The results support growing evidence that ice baths may weaken the effects of weightlifting and raise the provocative question of when, if ever, ice baths are a good idea.
Fans of cold water immersion often claim that the practice benefits both the body and mind. It boosts mood, builds resilience, relieves pain and stiffness, and, perhaps most importantly, speeds up and enhances post-exercise recovery, allowing you to get more out of every workout. Unfortunately, there is little scientific evidence to confirm the alleged benefits of ice baths, and recent research often contradicts these claims. For instance, in a 2015 experiment, scientists in Australia asked 21 men to lift weights twice a week. Half of the men immersed themselves in cold water after each session, while the others did not. After three months, the muscles of those who used cold water immersion were almost 20% smaller and weaker than the muscles of the other men, even though both groups followed the same exercise program.
A similar result was observed by scientists in 2024. The conclusion stated that cold water immersion for muscle growth, or dipping into cold water after strength training, may hinder hypertrophic adaptations. In other words, your muscles will not grow as much.
https://xrust.ru/ https://xrust.ru/news/311265-voda-i-kupanie-v-ledjanoj-vanne-mnogo-l-polzy.html
https://xrust.ru/news/311265-voda-i-kupanie-v-ledjanoj-vanne-mnogo-l-polzy.html
