Ice bath tubs and cold plunges have been used for centuries, becoming increasingly popular among athletes and fitness enthusiasts looking for a natural way to speed up muscle recovery after intense exercise. The cold temperature helps reduce muscle inflammation and soreness, which can help you bounce back faster on your training regimen. Over time, the effects of faster recovery compound into better long term performance.
But how long should one stay in an ice bath for and at what temperature? And how should we think about this if we’re brand new to using ice bath tubs for recovery?
The answer, at least as far as the current research is concerned, on how long you should spend in an ice bath is pretty straight forward; 10 to 15 minutes at 10 to 15 degrees (celsius) appears to be the goldilocks zone for an ice bath protocol. If you know what you're doing.
You can stop reading there if that’s answered your question.
let's go a bit deeper
For those who want to go deeper, let’s look at where those numbers come from and what they mean for your ice bath protocol.
First published in 2010, a study from the British Journal of Sports Medicine looked at the effect of Cold Water Immersion on Cyclists. The aim of the study was to test Cold Water Immersion Therapy (CWI) as a recovery method, compared to standard active recovery.
The study took 10 athletes, of equal ability and put them through a 35 minute “all out“ workout. The group was then split in half, with one group using a CWI recovery protocol and the other using active recovery.
Following this recovery period, the groups came back together for 40 minutes of passive rest, followed by another 35 minute workout.
The study measured the performance change between the first workout and the second (after the recovery and rest periods) and found a “significant decline in performance after Active Recovery compared with Cold Water Immersion -where performance remained unchanged”.
The study concluded there were are variety of reasons why Cold Water Immersion helped those recover faster, including an improvement in blood flow.
That study helps establish credibility for why using an ice bath can help improve muscle recovery after a workout - but what about the timing? What’s the dosage?
We can get this answer from a number of sources, that align closely in their findings. Here are two of those sources.
A recent study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning investigated the effects of cold water immersion on recovery in team sports. It found “CWI (Cold Water Immersion) was beneficial in attenuating decrements in neuromuscular performance 24 hours following team sport” and went on to recommend “2 × 5 minute immersions of 10° C with 2-minute seated rest in ambient temperature between immersions”.
A key point of this particular study, was that the majority of the benefit came when the teams used Cold Water Immersion Therapy within 24 hours of the activity. This is an important point to consider when using ice bath tubs in your exercise routine - within 24 hours for max benfit.
We can find similar dosage results from a 2015 meta-analysis, which combines the results of multiple studies. That analysis, titled “Can Water Temperature and Immersion Time Influence the Effect of Cold Water Immersion on Muscle Soreness? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” looked at 9 separate studies on the subject and found that, indeed, the dosage mattered. The most effective “dosage” was with water temperature between 10 and 15 degrees celsius and session lengths of 10 to 15 minutes.
There is more research to do on the subject, which we expect to see as Ice Bath’s become increasingly popular. The data we have today seems to agree, however, on an ideal protocol being 10 to 15 minutes at 10 to 15 degrees celsius. And within 24 hours of exercise, if being used for muscle recovery.
An important point on safety. Many of the test subjects in these studies were trained athletes with experience in hard workouts and various recovery protocols. If you’ve never used an Ice Bath Tub, please don’t start at 10 degrees for 10 minutes. Like any fitness protocol, the effects of Cold Immersion Therapy are cumulative, so there’s no rush. Start with warmer water and shorter durations to build up your tolerance. Work up to the ideal levels over time and don’t be stupid with this stuff. Safety first and always consult your doctor before starting any new health protocols.
