Guys, ice baths suck. Why are we doing this?????

The theory is that the vasoconstriction from the cold water helps pump out the waste products from cells that accumulate in your legs. That's one theory, another is just the general anti-inflammatory effect of the cold on your legs. I always preferred contrast baths/showers. Fill one tub up with cold water and ice and then fill another with hot water. Go 3 minutes in cold, switch to hot, etc for 4-5 total reps. End on cold. Supposed to help with flushing out your legs as you alternate dilation and constriction. And then drink a half gallon of water when you're done. I did this a few times back in the day and had decent enough results.

I like how we, with our half knowledge about our physiology, try to force the body to do something opposite to what it wants.

So the body wants inflammation after an injury but we don't. OK.

And then we complain why injuries don't heal.

I think that the body knows better.

Alex... wrote:

I like how we, with our half knowledge about our physiology, try to force the body to do something opposite to what it wants.

So the body wants inflammation after an injury but we don't. OK.

And then we complain why injuries don't heal.

I think that the body knows better.

I like how we, with our half knowledge about our physiology, try to force the body to do something opposite to what it wants.

So the body wants to grow tumors and we go ahead and throw some chemotherapy at it. OK.

And then we complain when people die.

I think that the body knows better.

?

sssd wrote:

Many pro athletes do

They also are human PED experiments. It's not the ice bath.

The practice has been repeatedly studied and the results were not measurably better than the control groups in most experiments.

I see an opportunity to make a neoprene "underwear" for ice baths. It won't sell as many as nose strips and magnetic bracelets, but, if I make it expensive enough, I can pay a few endurance athletes to claim they use it and profit handsomely.

Kinesiologist wrote:

You guys need to look at the whole picture. You're focused on one kernel of information, one that supports your desire not to do something I suspect, and running with it. Ice baths have been proven extremely effective for certain conditions. What the latest criticisms indicate is that they shouldn't be over used during a strength building phase as it may reduce the "positive" soreness that the work is creating. Soreness is your body rebuilding itself so when you stunt that process like via ice bath you can diminish the gains. However, during a peaking phase or in combating symptoms of over-training or injury its been proven extremely effective.

This.

For me icing my right heel and Achilles works. For about 15 minutes after each run. If I don't ice for 4-5 days I can tell that there is increased inflammation which affects my running. I've read all the lit. saying icing doesn't work. I tried heat for a while . Didn't work!

At 64 yo with resting pulse of 37 and BP of 101/62 I'm sticking with icing. I average about 7-8 miles a day.

sssd wrote:

I'm cold wrote:

In an ice bath right now. My balls hurt from being so shrivelled. This is awful. Why are we doing this? Do crossfitters have to ice?

Where you really went wrong was with crossfit

Where you really went wrong was missing the joke.

He is a RUNNER.

He wants to know if he will have to take ice baths if he SWITCHES to XFit. The joke is that XFit is inferior to running, but that he would be willing to accept the social demotion in exchange for room temperature testicles.