After years of watching elite athletes shiver in ice baths, new research has revealed that a warm bath is better at helping recovery following exercise than a cold one. So, is hot the new cold?
The Warmup
While we often think about muscle recovery after our workout, The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research has found that it is just as important to make sure the muscles are warmed up beforehand. A hot bath, combined with stretching, before a run or workout can help loosen tight muscles and help prevent further injury during exercise.
Warm down, don’t cool off
A hot bath, around 32 to 38 degrees centigrade, will help the blood circulate around the muscles and joints and help the muscles grow after a workout. Ice baths have the opposite effect and can limit the muscle growth you worked so hard to get during the workout.
Turn on the jets
After a tough workout, it is important to relieve the stress the body has been put under. The addition of a C-Lenda whirlpool system can really optimise recovery. This can prevent elastic tissue damage and has been found to reduce Myoglobin, a protein your muscles release after muscle damage.
Soak it all in
If you have worked hard, you deserve a reward and a long bath could be what you need. And it’s not just about your body recuperating, it will allow the mind to recover as well. Using the chromotherapy lights in our C-Lenda systems aids health and harmony as well as tackling such conditions as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Rest up
It is always important not to overexert yourself and rest to allow your body to fully recuperate. A before bed can also help you sleep better. According to Cornell Medical School, a minimum of 20 minutes in the hot bath before bed will help you get a deeper sleep throughout the night, to wake up fresh the next day, ready to go again.