Cold Water Immersion—What’s the Point?

Aug 19 (edited) • General discussion

Keen to get your views on this.

⚫ Have you found it useful?

⚫ Does it help recovery?

What’s the point of sitting in freezing cold water? Honestly—why are we even doing it? Is it really recovery?

Here’s what some recent evidence says:

Not great for muscle growth: Cold plunges immediately after strength training can blunt gains over time.
No better than active recovery: Studies often show it’s no more effective than a light cooldown.
Mixed recovery wins: Cold water may reduce soreness and make you feel fresher—but the actual performance benefits are shaky.

So if everyone’s saying how great it is for recovery, but the research doesn’t really back it up… what’s the point? Keen to get your views on this.

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