Mixed
Post-exercise cooling (e.g., cold water immersion) applied in the early recovery phase (< 1 hour) improves fatigue resistance following endurance exercise in hot conditions and may enhance maximal strength recovery after resistance exercise.
If you train in the heat or do heavy lifting, a 10-30 minute cold water immersion (5-20°C) immediately after your session can help you recover strength and fatigue resistance faster. However, avoid this if you just did sprint intervals, as it may hurt your power output for the next session.
The primary benefit of cooling was in the early recovery phase (< 1 h post-exercise) in improving fatigue resistance in hot ambient conditions following endurance exercise and possibly enhancing the recovery of maximal strength following resistance exercise.
Why this rating
Based on a comprehensive review of multiple studies, but effects are context-dependent.
Source
Functional Impact of Post-exercise Cooling and Heating on Recovery and Training Adaptations: Application to Resistance, Endurance, and Sprint Exercise
Thomas Chaillou et al. · Sports Medicine - Open · 2022
DOI 10.1186/s40798-022-00428-9
More from this paper
- Repeated (chronic) application of post-exercise cooling blunts muscle strength adaptations and decreases fatigue resistance following resistance training interventions.Good
- Single application of cooling has generally no effect on recovery during the 24–72 hour period following resistance and endurance exercises, though it may benefit neuromuscular function recovery 24–48 hours after sprint exercise.Moderate
- Repeated application of cooling does not affect endurance training adaptations following 4–6 week training interventions.Moderate
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