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It’s a debate that has been around for years – should you take a hot or cold shower after a workout? Well, the answer isn’t black and white, as it depends on your individual preferences and what type of workout you did. But here are some guidelines to help you make the decision.
What To Do Post-Workout
Hot or cold shower after a workout?
The truth is…it depends. Your specific training goals will determine the answer to these questions. Let me break it down into two specific examples.
1) Build Muscle & Strength
Cold showers can help reduce muscle soreness, improve circulation, and boost your immune system. However, if you are training to increase muscle size and strength you should avoid cold showers for 4 hours after a workout.
Really, you should avoid any type of cold therapy for at least 4 hours post-workout. Most people get in cold showers to reduce inflammation and promote healing.
While this may sound like a good way to speed up your recovery after a workout, it can actually slow muscle hypertrophy.
If your goal is to improve size and strength, keep your post-workout shower warm. Taking a cold shower isn’t bad…but the cold water can actually slow your gains. Stick with the hot water.
2) Increasing Daily Work Capacity
Say for example you are a college athlete in a training camp. You have 2 grueling practices per day. In this case, I would recommend a cold shower after your first workout.
The cold shower will speed up the recovery process and reduce inflammation before workout #2. Cold water improves blood flow and allows you to quickly recover from an intense workout [1].
For the average person, this is not a situation you are normally in. But if you are an athlete who needs to train multiple times per day, cold water immersion post-workout may be the better option.
Interested In Cold Water Immersion?
Hot and cold water both have their uses. If you want to get all the benefits of cold water therapy, you have a few options.
- Take a cold shower
- Buy an ice bath
Taking a cold shower can be beneficial for athletic performance, but ice bathing is superior. This is because ice baths are much colder.
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Benefits of Cold Water
Hot and cold showers both have their time and place. Let’s take a deeper dive into the health benefits of cold therapy methods such as a cold shower.
1) Stimulates Nervous System
Cold water immersion has a stimulatory effect on the nervous system. By exposing the body to cold temperatures, the body is forced to adapt and become more resilient. And while it may not be pleasant at first, the benefits of cold water immersion are well worth it.
2) Improves post-workout recovery
It’s no secret that many athletes believe in the power of cold water immersion. Also known as ice baths, this practice involves sitting in a tub of cold water for a period of time, usually 3-10 minutes.
The cold water drops your core body temperature and causes your blood vessels to dialte. Some people find the experience quite uncomfortable, but this process can help reduce delayed onset muscle soreness and improve the recovery of muscle power.
Of course, there is no magic bullet when it comes to muscle recovery, and everyone responds differently to different techniques.
3) Can Increase Mental Strength
Let’s be honest…getting into an ice-cold shower or bath is far from easy. Repeatedly challenging yourself to hop into the cold is great for building mental discipline.
You will be costumed to challenging yourself.
Additionally, cold showers put your body into a state of intentional stress. Doing this over and over again will help you learn to regulate your stress. This will carry over to your daily life. Stressors you face each day will have less and less of an effect on you!
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The Bottom Line
So, is it a hot shower or cold shower after your workout? The answer – as with most things in life – is that it depends. Generally speaking, you should avoid getting into cold water for about 4 hours after your training session. For most people, a warm shower is the way to go.
FAQs – Cold Showers
Taking a hot shower after a workout can help your muscles to recover faster and prevent pain. The heat dilates blood vessels and helps deliver oxygen and nutrients to the muscles, which aids in healing. Hot showers also help reduce inflammation and promote relaxation. If you have soreness or fatigue, a hot shower can help ease these symptoms.
Hot baths help relieve muscle fatigue by reducing body aches by relaxing the muscles. But love for hot showers has some disadvantages. But you can still keep them for good.
There are a few benefits of hot showers. The heat from the water relaxes the muscles, and for some people, it can relieve muscle pain or tension. It also opens up the respiratory passages and can help relieve cold or respiratory symptoms. It’s also a great way to relax after a long day.
Taking cold showers has plenty of benefits that can improve your daily life. For one, cold showers can help boost energy levels and wake you up in the morning. The shock of the cold water can help jolt you awake and get you moving. Additionally, cold water can also help improve circulation and reduce muscle soreness.
Yes, it is good to take cold showers everyday. Not only will this make your circulatory system more efficient, but it will also help reduce inflammation and promote healing.
The ideal duration for a cold shower is between 2 and 3 minutes, at least 3 times per week. This allows you to enjoy the benefits of the shower without being a burden on your daily schedule.
Cold showers are generally safe, but they could be dangerous for people with heart disease. Cold water can cause a sudden increase in blood pressure, so it’s important to check with your doctor if you have any concerns.
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