Cold water thrown on ice baths after sport
Athletes wishing to rebuild muscle should avoid cold water immersion, says researcher
9th December 2019
New research throws cold water on a popular exercise recovery regimen, finding that ice baths, after a workout, may actually impede muscle building.
The study team found that cold or ice baths can impede the generation of new protein in the muscles, according to a report in the Journal of Physiology.
Researchers recruited 12 healthy young men, with an average age of 21, for a series of tests.
After the men did some lower-body weight lifting — leg presses and extensions — they were asked to place one leg in icy water and