The mere thought of stepping into an ice bath after a run will probably make you shiver and cringe, unless it’s a hot and muggy summer day and you’ve just finished a challenging tempo run. But there are many advantages to taking an ice bath that might just make it worthwhile.
A well-liked method of injury prevention and recovery in athletic training and sports rehab is post-workout ice baths. Despite conflicting research on the effectiveness of post-workout ice baths for recovery, many elite and professional runners, like fan favorite Meb Keflezighi, swear by their chilly soak.
Continue reading for our guide to ice baths for runners and find out about the advantages, how long an ice bath should last, what to do after an ice bath, and more to see if they could be the missing piece of your running recovery and performance.
An ice bath is a form of cryotherapy (cold therapy). It entails soaking the lower back, hips, and legs in an ice bath or very cold water following a workout to lessen swelling and soreness.
Research on the effectiveness of ice baths for muscle recovery has produced mixed results. While other studies have not, some have demonstrated a significant reduction in inflammatory markers and muscle soreness. Similar to that, while some studies have demonstrated benefits for performance, others have not.
According to other studies, ice baths may be a useful recovery modality, but not any more so than active recovery techniques like light jogging.
Time is not important
Time is not at all important when taking an ice bath; it is not always about how long you stay in it. Its more about the regularity of the session. If you regularly plunge into an ice bath for 30 seconds once a week, but you can also do this every morning, the first health benefits will begin to appear.
When you are sitting in the ice bath, you shouldn’t be worried about the time. Time is not important. When something is important to you, you are constantly thinking about it and watching a clock to see the passing seconds. Setting an alarm for five minutes before entering an ice bath alone will help ensure that you don’t stay in there any longer. Alternately, allow whoever is with you to keep time. When you stop worrying about that, you’ll realize how quickly time passes and how simple it is to get to the three-minute mark.
How long can you step into an ice bath?
Koen de Jong, the author of Wim Hof’s Cold Trial, revealed during a conversation that you should never stay in an ice bath for more than a few minutes.
The idea is to energize you and make you feel as though you can face the world after stepping out of the bath.
If you stay in it for more than those few minutes, you’ll end up exhausted rather than energized. How is that possible considering how hard your body works in the bath to maintain your body temperature at the recommended 37 degrees? If your body has to do this for more than five minutes, it becomes exhausted, and you won’t feel as good when you get out of the ice bath.
Therefore, we advise that you spend one to two minutes in an ice bath.
Better to repeat than to sit for a long time
If you’d like to spend a little more time in the ice bath, try the repetition, which functions similarly to a sauna. Once the allotted time has passed, you should take a short break to recover your energy before restarting your sauna session. It works the same way with an ice bath. As long as you take a few breaks in between, you can easily enter an ice bath multiple times. Advantages of an ice bath .
The advantages of taking an ice bath for your body and mind begin very quickly. Actually, the frequency matters more than the amount of time spent there. The following are a few advantages of taking regular ice baths:
- up to 30 beats per minute less of your heartbeat are produced.
- You come to a full relaxation as you sleep deeper
- You get sick less frequently and are more resistant to the flu and colds.
- You become mentally stronger
- You are more resistant to extreme temperature changes
- You activate the brown fat in your body
Want to know more about ice baths?
We are happy to assist you further if you have any questions regarding how to enter an ice bath properly for the first time, breathing techniques, or how to install an ice bath in your home or garden. Visit our website to see our products or our blog to learn more about Icetubs and Ice Baths.
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FAQ
How long do athletes sit in ice baths?
After engaging in vigorous exercise, you can use the cold-water immersion technique, also known as an ice bath, to recover by submerging yourself for 10 to 15 minutes. Everyone seems to be dipping their toes into the ice bath trend, from professional athletes like Lebron James to megastars like Lady Gaga.
Is a 10 minute ice bath good?
10 to 15 degrees Celsius, or 50 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit, is the ideal ice bath temperature. Ice Barrel advises taking an ice bath for 5 to 10 minutes, with a 15-minute maximum duration. Your risk of hypothermia increases if you stay in an ice bath for more than 15 minutes at the recommended temperature.
Is 5 minutes in an ice bath enough?
Ice baths are good for you when done safely. One ice bath is all it takes to relax your muscles, lessen inflammation, control your breathing, improve your mood, and even give you more energy.
Reference:
https://icetubs.com/blogs/cold-recovery/how-long-in-an-ice-bath
https://marathonhandbook.com/ice-bath-benefits/
