on the joys of icebaths

I first head about ice baths from Tim Ferriss' book.   For a vegan, his diet is completely insane and not worth discussing.  But he has some interesting training/recovery tips, the ice bath being one of them.  Since then I've noticed lots of reputable physios recommending ice baths or other cryotherapy (even LN2).  So, earlier in the summer when I ramped up my steep climbing and noticed that I was having a hard time recovering from super-intense workouts (15-25% climbs at altitude, near threshold, rinse repeat, puke) I decided to give it a shot.





I fill up the tup with cold tap water (about 11-12 C where I live) and dump in 10-15 lbs of ice.  No problem putting the feet in, but sitting down (to cover the legs), involves a millisecond or so of intense, well, pain.   After that it's a piece of cake.  In contrast a cold shower feels much more painful since you skin is constantly exposed to cold/warm/cold.  Once I'm in the cold water, I could easily sit there and read for half an hour.

Once you get out you have the novel sensation of not knowing whether skin is cold or wet:  it feels the same.  And for a while everything you touch is very warm.

The bottom line is the ice therapy has dramatically improved the recovery of my legs.  I find it refreshing too.  (We have no AC and it's been above 32C every day for a week now.)

Try it, you'll like it.  Or you'll hate it.  Who knows.   Google "ice bath" for the science.  The cold also speeds up your metabolism, so some people use this technique to loose weight.  No opinion.