Do ice baths help recovery?
They ease soreness a little, but after lifting they can blunt muscle and strength gains, so save them for busy competition periods.
Cold water after lifting dampens the signalling in muscle that drives growth. Pooled studies show smaller gains in muscle size and in strength, both small effects from a limited number of trials.
When you have to perform again within a day or two, less soreness can be worth that cost. When the goal is to build muscle or strength, skip cold water in the hours after lifting.
Sources
4
- Roberts, L.A. et al. (2015). Post-exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long-term adaptations in muscle to strength training. J Physiol 593(18). 12 weeks: the cold-water group gained less muscle and strength.
- Machado, A.F. et al. (2016). Can water temperature and immersion time influence the effect of cold water immersion on muscle soreness? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med 46(4). Nine trials: slightly less soreness than passive recovery, best at 11 to 15 °C for 11 to 15 minutes.
- Piñero, A. et al. (2024). Throwing cold water on muscle growth: A systematic review with meta-analysis of the effects of postexercise cold water immersion on resistance training-induced hypertrophy. Eur J Sport Sci 24(2). Cold water after lifting was associated with smaller muscle growth; few studies, mostly young men.
- Grgic, J. (2023). Effects of post-exercise cold-water immersion on resistance training-induced gains in muscular strength: a meta-analysis. Eur J Sport Sci 23(3). Ten studies: smaller strength gains with cold water immersion, a small effect.