Cold Showers, Ice Baths?

In an old Soviet song they say "if you want to be healthy, pour cold water over your body and you won't have to see another doctor again" In other words, hardening your body through taking of cold showers, ice baths, or rubbing snow over your body in the winter will help toughness because your muscles contract alot and the body needs to work extra hard just to keep itself warm.

Ive been taking cold showers after workouts pretty much daily now for the last month, and maybe its because of the placebo effect, but I feel better, more energized, and when I am at the gym I don't get tired as much.

Anybody here uses cold showers?

I tried to find some scientific research to back this up what they are saying in the Soviet song, but couldn't find anything useful except for this article. http://www.sqjh.me.uk/squaddiejh/cold.htm


There is also a video on youtube of Jason Estrada sitting in a garbage can filled with ice water, he says that it helps muscles to heal.

 

There just a placebo. Theres never been any concrete proof as to its effectiveness. Brock Lesnar used to do this alot but he's a dumb meathead. Myself personally i think its utterly pointless.

 

I think it's true I need to research on that. I know a weight lifter that went to the olympics who does that after her trainings.

 

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/sampleworkouts/a/Ice-Bath.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/health_and_fitness/4286038.stm

 

It doesn't make you perform better, all it does it soothes the muscles. It would be better to jump into cold water, then hot water afterwards. It has the same affect as icy hot, but much more relaxing.

 

I thought the idea of ice baths were that they broke down the lactic acid and therefore increases recovery.

 

Ice baths are great.

 

never had one

 

I've had a proper ice bath once on holiday, it was ****ing horrific.

I used to have a bath with just cold tap water every time I got home from boxing in the summer, not for any health benefits, just because I was ridiculously hot, I needed to lay down, and warm water was the last thing I wanted to lay in.

 

You were hung like a seahorse and that was before the shrinkage. Must have been traumatizing.

 

By the time I got out I was actually the owner of a fairly cavernous vagina.

 

Their great for recovery, but im not too sure about them making you tougher haha. Jumping into an ice bath or plunge pool after training can allow you to train the next day with little if any soreness.

 

****s the point

they don't do anything

 

I just took one (after gym) and I feel amazing. At first I was screaming and hopping in pain but after the first minute I felt energetic and alive, rather than tired and beaten down as usual. I feel revived.

Good ****, I'm gonna make this a habit. Cold showers/baths work by causing the skin and muscles to contract, squeezing the gross blood out of your tissue, which is laced with bad **** from the workout. With the dirty plasma gone you'll heal faster and feel better. Other than that, it wakes you up...

You want to alternate between cold and hot showers. Squeeze the bad blood out, but later make sure you warm up so circulation gets going. Heat encourages blood flow, which you want to heal your broken body.