Ice Ice Baby…

Many athletes take the cold water plunge after a game or a intense workout. A tub of water at 12 to 15 degrees celsius. THAT IS CRAZY!!

I know we all look at an ice bath as something only elite athletes do, but its not so crazy. An ice bath helps speed up your recovery process. During intense exercise, such as CrossFit, tine tears happen in the muscle fibers. This damage stimulates muscle cell activity and helps repair the damage and strengthen muscles, it is also linked with delayed onset muscle pain. This happens between 24 to 72 hours later.

What does an Ice bath do??

    1. Constricts blood vessels and flushes out lactic acid

    2. Decrease metabolic activity and slows down physiological process

    3. Reduce swelling and tissue breakdown

I know we are not all ready to jump into a tub filled with freezing cold water. Not to worry, you can get the same effect from an ice pack. Just 10-20 min on any muscle you feel need the attention.