Cold · 07
103 g
of quadriceps gained with ice baths after lifting (309 g with light cycling instead)
Ice baths right after lifting slow your muscle gains.
Over 12 weeks, men who sat in 10°C water after every leg session added 103 g of quadriceps muscle. The comparison group cycled lightly instead and added 309 g.Source 1 · Randomized trialPost‐exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long‐term adaptations in muscle to strength trainingRoberts LA, Raastad T, Markworth JF, et al.. The Journal of Physiology, 2015.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗ A pooled analysis of trials points the same way, and cold water after endurance training showed no such cost.Source 2 · Meta-analysisThe Effects of Regular Cold-Water Immersion Use on Training-Induced Changes in Strength and Endurance Performance: A Systematic Review with Meta-AnalysisMalta ES, Dutra YM, Broatch JR, et al.. Sports Medicine, 2021.Read the paper ↗PubMed ↗
Try this
If you lift for size or strength, keep cold water away from the minutes after training. Plunge on rest days or after cardio.