Intense swimming is a form of cardio exercise that engages almost every large muscle in the body. As much as all of this is good for your body and health, it ends up being tiring for muscles and causes muscle soreness and inflammation. These problems however can be solved with the assistance of an ice bath and enable a faster return to the pool. Here is a glimpse on why every swimmer should incorporate ice baths as part of there training regimen.
Faster Recovery Times
Another reason why swimmers should embrace ice baths is that it makes them recover within a short time between training sessions and competitions. Even, swimming 500 yards, a mile or much extra is not an easy thing to do. Directly after the workout, blood gathers in the worked muscles creating inflammation and stiffness.
Sitting in near freezing water you make your blood vessels shrink to throw out from muscles lactic acid, debris and other all compounds that cause inflammation after training. Oh, an ice bath causes vasoconstriction and than vasodilation if you get out of it that is huh? This enhances removal of waste products meaning that muscles will be less sore the following day.
The majority of authorities suggest frequent 10-15 minute immersions in water at 50-60˚F up to the shoulder region after important workouts and races. This helps give the body the refresh it requires in order to respond quicker for the next swim.
Improved Circulation
All these draw circulation of blood in the tissues and organs hence improving on their circulation as well. Cold water makes blood vessels shrink, thereby, pushing blood to the necessary organs that need it for metabolism and heating. When you get out, the nutrient and oxygen surges back into the muscles and throughout all the extremities in the process of vasodilation.
This circulation of blood brings the necessary compounds for repairing micro damages on muscle fibres and removes lactic acid and other cell debris. Such circulation enhances your body’s ability to cope with subsequent high intensity exercise bouts. Muscles do develop more resistance in inner as well as outer layer with passing of days.
Reduced Muscle Soreness
Though we all love to have the feeling of accomplishment after a tough swim workout, none of us want pain that slows down our daily routines or next practice session. The inflammation which causes sore and stiff muscles occur when our body responds to hard training. However excess can be a hindrance to the process of healing.
The effects elicited by cold-shock response as a result of an ice bath, reduces exaggerated inflammation because it constricts blood vessels. The 30% less blood pool leads to 30% less inflammation and that in turn leads to a heck of a lot less muscle soreness the next day or two. Athletes who immerse themselves in ice baths on a regular basis said that they have much less muscle soreness than athletes who do not.
The cold water also is capable of momentarily anaesthetizing peripheral nerves around muscle tissue thus making usual activities such as lifting, bending or walking less painful. The analgesic effect assists you in enduring the pains that are encountered as the body reconstruct more laboring muscle fibers.
Other Benefits for Swimmers
However, there is a few more pros that ice bath provide Swimmers with as well; apart from a faster recovery, improved blood circulation, and reduced soreness. The cold may somehow prepare the immune system and make the open water swimmers allow the water to have cooler temperatures.
The discipline developed helps achieve the stamina necessary for distance swimmers to have to overcome the discomfort that comes during a race. It appears that adjusting also to 50-60 degree water further contributes to fat loss due to elevated metabolic and energy expenditure post-soak.
Besides, ice baths coats allow your elevated core temp training to cool down after aerobic exertion training. This probably accounts for some degree of cardioprotection in dedicated distance athletes only, as stated above.
Ice Bath, Safety Use, Advices
If you want to incorporate ice baths into your swim recovery plan, there are a few best practices to follow:
Baths should be between 50 – 60 using ice packs not chunks. Water temperatures below 50°C are likely to raise possible cardiovascular load.
- Durations less than 10-20 minutes are preferred especially with regard to safety and prevention of muscle soreness. Shorter baths lower the exposure problems but the cold-shock response rises at the 10 minute range.
Chronic use requires baths every other day as frequent baths might hamper the building of muscles from repeated constriction of blood vessels.
Have a protein packed snack before the process because shivering and cold exposure torridly expend calories.
- Arrive with your own water bottle for rehydration during and post skiing as such conditions lead to fluid loss.
Now, with warmer temperatures prevailing and their quick results, it is time for swimmers to begin experiencing whether ice bath after a training session results in fewer pains and better performance. Such usage should however be done intelligently in line with the above suggestions. When properly applied with a good bit of consistency, ice baths are one aspect that will help you push your swimming fitness this season and beyond.