Research
Mixed
Repeated application of cooling does not affect endurance training adaptations following 4–6 week training interventions.
If you are training for endurance, you can use cold water immersion without worrying about it hurting your long-term aerobic gains. It won't help them either, so use it based on comfort or early recovery needs, not for chronic adaptation.
ModerateRefutesMEDIUM confidence
Most studies indicated that chronic cooling does not affect endurance training adaptations following 4–6 week training intervention.
Why this rating
Based on multiple studies showing no effect.
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
narrative_reviewCited 36×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Repeated (chronic) application of post-exercise cooling blunts muscle strength adaptations and decreases fatigue resistance following resistance training interventions.Good
- 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.Moderate
- 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
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