Cold plunges are a common way to prevent and treat injuries from working out and sports, such as sore muscles.
While you might notice that some prefer to exercise after a cold plunge, others prefer to exercise beforehand. Cold plunges are known to help reduce pain and relieve muscle tension, but you might not know if it is better to cold plunge before or after workouts.
In this article, we will go over how to cold plunge and discuss the best time to do cold immersion therapy.
What Is a Cold Plunge?
A cold plunge, known as cold immersion therapy, is when you immerse yourself in very cold water. Cold plunges are often helpful in improving muscle recovery after strenuous activity, which helps you feel less sore after your workout. Cold plunges are common for active recovery after strength training or training sessions for muscle growth and muscle mass.
The ideal amount of time to spend in an ice bath is between 2 and 10 minutes but for no longer than 15 minutes. Your ice bath water temperature should be below 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5 degrees Celsius) to make the most out of your session.
Cold plunges are not a one-size-fits-all solution to recovery from workouts, as they might be more effective for one person than another. This can depend on a person’s physique, overall health, medical conditions, and the type of exercise they do.
How How Does It Work?
With this type of cold water immersion, cold plunges can help speed up the recovery process post-exercise by breaking down tissue and reducing swelling. When you immerse yourself in the cold water, your heart rate increases and the temperature constricts your blood vessels, which helps flush waste products, such as lactic acid, out of the affected tissue.
While taking part in a cold plunge as a recovery method might seem difficult at first, it gets easier over time if you make it a part of your workout routine. You can create a cold plunge in various ways, like creating your own homemade ice bath, using a portable ice bath, or using a DIY chest freezer ice bath.
When To Do Cold Plunge
When deciding to do an ice bath before or after workouts, it is most beneficial to cold exposure after workouts, especially after intense exercise sessions.
Andrew Huberman’s podcast regarding cold exposure for health and performance states that it can enhance physical health, mental health, and performance during your workout recovery.
You can still cold plunge before a workout, but cold immersion therapy offers more potential benefits to your recovery and wellness after exercise.
Cold Plunge for Muscle Recovery
Cold plunges are beneficial for post-workout muscle recovery. Intense workouts create an overload of stress on your body, which creates fatigue. Just as you would ice a sore muscle after you hurt yourself, icing your entire body helps to relieve sore muscles from exercise.
Once you hit the ice water, your blood vessels constrict, moving blood away from your extremities and closer to your vital organs to protect them. When your blood flow changes, the nutrient-rich blood helps to keep your body warm to prevent hypothermia.
When you leave the cold plunge tub, your blood vessels re-open, increasing blood flow. This process helps to improve your circulation and provides your body with more oxygenated blood, which is why it is most beneficial to cold plunge after workouts.
Cold Plunge for Mental Wellness
While cold plunges for physical wellness is helpful, cold immersion therapy can also help your mental wellness. When your body reacts to extreme cold temperatures, it releases norepinephrine hormone.
This hormone helps to constrict blood vessels, just like it does for muscle recovery. However, norepinephrine also helps to maintain our energy, attention, and mood. After your workout, your cold plunge can not only help your muscles feel less sore, but it can even improve your mental health.
How to Do a Cold Plunge: Is It Best to Cold Plunge Before Or After Workouts?
You certainly can cold plunge before a workout, but cold water exposure does not have the same effects on your body and mind as when you cold plunge after a workout. Some of the main health benefits of a cold plunge after exercise include:
- Muscle pain relief
- Reduce the risk of spasms
- Reduce inflammation
- Improved mental wellness
- Lower blood pressure
- Improve energy levels
- Boost immune system
Cold Plunge Before or After Workouts: FAQs
How do you prepare your body for a cold plunge?
To prepare your body for a cold plunge as a beginner, the best thing you can do is take a cold shower after you are done with your workout.
That way, it won’t be such a huge shock to your body when you immerse yourself in the cold water. You can do this for weeks until you build up a tolerance to the temperature in the cold plunge.
What to do immediately after a cold plunge?
Immediately following a cold plunge, take slow, deep breaths. This can help regulate your body temperature and calm your nervous system. Try to resist wanting to jump in a shower with warm water after your cold plunge, as you will feel the benefits of the ice bath more if you wait a while.
When should I cold plunge for recovery?
The best time to cold plunge for recovery is right after your workout. Once you finish your workout, hop in your cold plunge tub for 2 to 15 minutes.
When you come out of your ice bath, you will feel almost instant relief of your delayed onset muscle soreness. For best results, consider combining cold water therapy with stretching or taking a short walk to help wind your body down from the workout.
Is it good to cold plunge before a workout?
Like how you would ice your muscles after exercise, it is best to cold plunge after exercise too. Cold plunging before your workout might reduce performance during exercise, potentially increasing your risk of injury and muscle damage.
Final Thoughts
While you can cold plunge before or after workouts, the best time to cold plunge is after you are done with your workout.
Cold immersion therapy can be helpful in reducing muscle soreness after exercise and may not have the same effect if done before your workout. When getting out of your cold bath, you will almost immediately notice the relaxing feeling throughout your body as it warms back up.
