





New study from our lab: do cold water baths decrease muscle mass gains?

Cold water baths, ice baths, or cryotherapy are very popular among athletes to reduce muscle soreness after a heavy training session. While these strategies might reduce muscle soreness, it has been suggested that they lower the adaptive response to training.

This study investigated whether cold-water baths affect muscle protein synthesis after a single exercise session, as well as during a during a 2-week resistance training period (training + cooling 3 times per week).

For each subject, one leg was immersed in cold water (8 degrees Celsius), and the other leg in thermoneutral water (30 degrees Celsius), for 20 minutes after each training session.

The cold-water bath(s) reduced muscle protein synthesis both after a single training session as well as during the full 2-week training period.

This suggests that ice baths, cold-water baths, and cryotherapy should be avoided if muscle adaptations are the main training goal.

In conclusion, cold water baths after resistance exercise decrease muscle protein synthesis.

Study:

Fuchs et al. Postexercise cooling impairs muscle protein synthesis rates in recreational athletes. J Physiol, 2019.

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