Thay've recently put a gym in my work place which I am over the moon about as I can finally loose my gut and get back in shape. However ive never been sure what is best after training. I use the heavy bag, skip, punch with light weights etc (as much boxing training as you can do alone) and now i'm long retired from ama boxing I am using free weights for the first time in my life (30yrs old). I am quite enjoying the weights but feel stiff and shoulders are always clicking. I try to have a hot bath after weights as I feel this relaxes the muscles after the strain. Is this the best thing to do? what are the benefits of the ice baths you hear about athletes taking to reduce temperature? am I doing the wrong thing? should I take a cold shower instead after training? any advice folks?
ice baths or cold showers will take the blood away from the strained area and reduce swelling or inflation. Warm shower will relax your muscle but bring more blood to the swollen area because warm increases blood flow. Usually if you have a injury ice the injured area for 20 minutes then have a warmish shower. Alot of people swap hot and cold packs. The warm will relax the muscle then the cold will reduce swelling. Thats the basic idea.
I do hot-cold-hot-cold. I'll either go to the hot springs and sit in the really hot for 3 minutes and then switch to the really cold for 3 and just go back and forth for about 45 minutes. If I can't get out there, I'll sit in the steam room and then take a shower as cold as the water will go then go back and forth. If a shower is all you have then as hot as you can stand it for a few minutes then as cold as it will go. I started doing that this summer and I've noticed that my recovery is so much better the next day. It made a huge difference.
Local pool? Id try that for your muscles. It would take care of the cold. What I do after a hard workout (with running) is swim a few laps to rid my muscles of all access energy and build up. Then ill hit the sauna. after implementing swimming ive never been sore.
Heat will help with recovery better. Injuries should be cared for with ice and you should be very careful exercising while injured. After your workout, take a shower with cold water to cool your body down, then switch to hot, cold, hot, cold, and finish with hot. This will help recovery. If using sauna, start on a low bench for 5 minutes. Exit, use cold water and then hot shower. Relax. Re-enter and sit on a high bench for 5 minutes, exit, take a cold plunge/snow/shower then hot shower. Repeat this about 5 times. Drinking warm liquids like tea will help and will be an enjoyable experience. Important suggestion for using sauna, make sure bowels are empty. The heat can cause some trouble if you have un-digested food. Also don't sauna directly after your workout. Take time for your body to calm itself down and relax.
Vary helpfull Brampton and Gnarl, dont have access to sauna or pool so will do the hot and cold shower thing
