Research pours cold water on ice bath recovery theory
If the thought of a post workout ice bath is enough to make you shiver, new research from QUT and The University of Queensland (UQ) will warm your heart. The comprehensive study found cold water immersion after strength training hindered muscle adaptation -- pouring cold water on the long-held theory that an ice bath helps speed up recovery. Dr Llion Roberts, from UQ's School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, and Dr Jonathan Peake, from QUT's School of Biomedical Sciences, led the research, with colleagues from the Queensland Academy of Sport, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, The University of Auckland and University of Oslo. Dr Tony Shield, from QUT's School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, was also a co-investigator in the study. The research has been published in The Journal of Physiology. The first part of the study asked 21 physically active men to undertake strength training two days a week for 12 weeks.