There have been a lot of bold claims made about the benefits of cold water immersion to improve muscle protein synthesis
(muscle growth). But the reality is, the science being used as a foundation for these claims is questionable.
From reading the design of the research studies, it appears that researchers must create software and make up rules as they go in order to perform any of this type of research.
Does that mean we need ‘science’ to confirm something it's good for us or not for it to be true?
Of course not.
But if you’re going to make claims about how something impacts muscle growth, you’ll want to base those claims on
the best evidence you can find.
Because anyone who has experienced any type of short term cold exposure either from weather or from water knows how exhilarating the feeling after is, but does it improve muscle growth?
We could only find two recent scientific papers that specifically studied cold exposure and trained individuals that measured muscle growth via DXA scan.
(NOTE: There may be more studies using DXA to measure, but these were the only two we found.)
Why use research that only uses a DXA scan to measure? Because it is considered the gold standard for body composition measurement and is the most accurate way to measure body fat, lean muscle mass, and bone density(1,2).
There were 17 men in one study (Horgan et al. (2023) and 13 in the other (Wilson et al. (2021) who were randomly grouped and trained 2x per week using a total body training protocol. Each group trained 2-4 sets per exercise, however that’s where the similarities end.
The 17 man group training consisted of 2–4 sets per exercise at 66%–87% 1RM or body weight with 1 set completed every 4 min; core exercises consisted of 3 sets with 15 second interset rest intervals.
The 13 man group consisted of rugby players who followed a lower body protocol performed 2 days/wk consisting of 2 blocks:
The study of the 17 men who performed total body training found no effect of repeated post-resistance exercise cold or hot water immersion on in-season body composition and performance responses in 13 academy rugby players. More importantly they found neither of them hinder or
promote lean muscle gain(3).
The findings from the other study demonstrated no functional or perceptual benefit compared with a sham intervention during progressive strength and power training. Furthermore, there was no detrimental impact of CWI on morphological adaptations after 16 exposures.
These findings are important for athletes and practitioners wishing to use CWI as an acute recovery strategy after training, without blunting potential training adaptations(4).
Other studies said that CWI actually reduces muscle gains(5) but those studies used muscle biopsies and MRI’s to measure muscle density.
CWI has been shown to improve feelings of fatigue 24, 48, and 72 hours after strenuous training(6). And it was shown to be an effective recovery tool after high-intensity exercise, with positive outcomes occurring for muscular power, muscle soreness, and perceived recovery 24 hours post training.
Although there are people making big claims when it comes to improving muscle growth, you have to take ‘the science’
(and who is promoting it) with a grain of salt(7) and not put too much faith in it at this point in time.
If you have access to it and you like to do it, go for it!
There are a ton of mental benefits you can gain from it and it’s likely you’ll feel better as a result(8,9).
But if you don’t have access there is no reason for you to lose sleep over it, because it doesn't appear to make a difference in your muscle growth.
(If you'd like to read a more nuanced perspective about this subject,
Dr. Paul Henning wrote a detailed article that involves some of the other research studies which you can find
here.)
If your goal is to maximize your performance and squeeze every bit of improvement out of your training you can, the best thing you can do is focus on improving your sleep. When you achieve high-quality sleep, you receive comprehensive recovery benefits to both your body, and mind. To do that you may want to add RESTED-AF to your nightly routine.
And if you really want to maximize your muscle growth, instead of worrying about the ice baths focus on training with sufficient intensity and making sure that your body has all the nutritional components to create the most anabolic environment possible.
For that you many want to add HYPERBOLIC to your pre, intra, and post workout routine.
Hyperbolic was molded by IFBB Pro Bodybuilders and other professional athletes to elicit the highest rate of effectiveness possible. It's the Pros' Secret Weapon, purely designed for athletes at the top of their game, and now is your chance to feel the effects of this powerful muscle-building formula for yourself!
References:
(1) https://wellness.lrhc.org/wellness/dxa-body-composition-analysis/
(2) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24914773/
(3) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34324460/
(4) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-022-05075-2
(5) https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1113/JP270570
(6) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27398915/
(7) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-022-01644-9
(8) https://examine.com/research-feed/study/1jllg9/?srsltid=AfmBOoqx7MIoWauam3qpYt-AWy3qNHKxu9kZOsZxi9ArtPWLYXmVbEcg
(9) https://www.fisiologiadelejercicio.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Effects_of_Cold-Water_Immersion_Compared_with_Othe.pdf
