Ice water after training: when it helps, when to wait, and how to keep it cold

A hard leg day on Monday, a 12-kilometre run on Wednesday, a match on Saturday. After all three, getting into ice water would feel good, but the three are not the same. After one, the cold is a good idea; after another, it is better to wait a few hours.

In this article we go through when an ice plunge can follow which workout, how to start with a cold shower, and what to do afterwards. At the end, we also compare our two chillers, the Tub Chiller Basic and the Pro, so that the water in your ice bath stays cold without buying ice. If you are new to ice plunging, we covered the basics in our ice plunge guide, and temperature and time in our ice bath temperature guide.

When does cold water help after training?

After a long run, a match, a competition or a packed training week. In these cases the goal is to start fresher the next day, and cold water can help with that. According to a 2022 meta-analysis, after high-intensity exercise, cold water immersion led to better muscle performance, less muscle soreness and better perceived recovery 24 hours later than passive rest.

Cold constricts the blood vessels close to the skin, and many people feel fresher after a long effort. It makes the most sense when the next training session or match comes soon: at a weekend tournament, a training camp or in a week of preparation for a competition.

The study is about cold water immersion as a method, not about our devices (Moore et al., Sports Medicine, 2022, PubMed 35157264). The Recovery Tub and the Tub Chiller make the same cold water immersion available at home.

Why wait after strength training?

Because if building muscle or strength is the goal, cold taken immediately afterwards may slow it down. In a 2015 study, the group that regularly sat in cold water after weight training gained less muscle mass and strength than the group that did an active cool-down. A 2021 meta-analysis found the same for strength training, but not for endurance training.

So what matters is the order, not whether you use cold. After a weight training day, move it a few hours later or to the next day, and choose the morning of your rest day rather than the evening after leg day. Sources: Roberts et al., The Journal of Physiology, 2015 (PubMed 26174323), Malta et al., Sports Medicine, 2021 (PubMed 33146851).

When can the cold come after which workout?

After endurance training, a match or a competition, it can come right away, after the cool-down. After weight training, a few hours later or the next day. If you have both on the same day, put the cold at the end of the day, not straight after the weights.

Start with a cold shower: from 30 seconds, week by week

At the end of your post-workout shower, run cold water over yourself for 30 seconds, and a little longer each week. This way your body gets used to the cold before you first get into the tub. The shower does not replace the plunge, but it is the best preparation for it.

Tap water is colder in winter and much milder in summer, so how cold the shower is changes with the seasons. In the tub, however, you decide the temperature: with ice or a chiller. The Recovery Tub product page recommends water around 10–15 °C for beginners, and it is worth working your way down from there, not the other way round.

The first seconds: a slow, long exhale

In the first seconds of the cold, your body starts gasping for air. This is a natural reaction. At this point, breathe out slowly and for a long time, and as your breathing slows down, your body calms down too. Get in slowly, do not jump into the water.

Where most people go wrong the first time is holding their breath and tensing their shoulders. A long exhale helps with this. If your breathing has not calmed down after half a minute, or you feel dizzy, numb or are shivering hard, get out. Colder water and a longer time do not mean better results.

Warming up with movement, not a hot shower

After getting out, do not head for a hot shower first, but do a few minutes of light movement. This warms you up from the inside, gradually. The Recovery Tub product page also asks you to avoid a hot shower and the sauna directly after the plunge, and to warm up with a towel and warm clothes.

1. Light jogging or walking: 3–5 minutes, until your heart rate settles.
2. Hamstring and calf stretch: 30 seconds per side.
3. Half-kneeling hip stretch: slowly push your hips forward, 30 seconds per side.

When stepping out of the tub, stand up slowly, because you may feel dizzy after cold water. If there is a handrail or another person nearby, all the better. Never take a plunge alone.

Ice or a chiller?

With ice, you have to cool the water down again before every session; with a chiller, you do not. Connected to the tub, the Tub Chiller maintains the set temperature while circulating and filtering the water, so cold water is ready any time after training, and all you have to do is get in.

If you start with ice, you will not notice the problem in the first weeks. By the third week, though, you find out how much ice a 320-litre tub needs in summer, on a terrace. If you plan several plunges a week, a chiller is not a luxury extra, but the thing that makes the habit stick.

The Tub Chiller can be used both indoors and outdoors. Outdoors, place it in a shaded, covered spot, because that way it lasts longer and works more efficiently. You set the water temperature on the digital display. The chiller needs a tub with connectors for the inlet and outlet hoses: in our range, these are the Recovery Tub + Chiller set and the Recovery Tub Pro.

Tub Chiller Basic and Pro side by side

The Basic cools the water to 8 °C and, under normal conditions, cools 200 litres in 24 hours. The Pro cools to 3 °C and does the same in 6 hours. The Basic is 280 W and 18 kg, the Pro 500 W and 25 kg. Both circulate and filter the water, and both can be used indoors and outdoors.

The cooling time applies to 200 litres of water under normal conditions. With a larger tub, warmer tap water or in direct sun, it takes longer, so in summer it is worth switching it on the evening before. Once the water has cooled, the unit only maintains the temperature, so you do not have to wait again before every plunge.

Which Tub Chiller is right for whom?

If you plunge alone, water at 8–10 °C is enough for you, and you can switch the tub on in advance, the Basic is a good choice. If you want to go below 8 °C, if several of you use the tub one after another, or if you often refill with fresh water and do not want to wait a day for it to cool, we recommend the Pro.

• Tub Chiller Basic: the unit for beginners and for those for whom 8 °C water is enough. According to the Recovery Tub product page, most people plunge between 5 and 10 °C, and water around 10 °C is recommended for beginners, which the Basic delivers.
• Tub Chiller Pro: for those for whom 8 °C is not cold enough, households where several family members use the tub, or anyone for whom 6-hour cooling matters because they change the water often.

What we see is that temperature is less often the deciding factor than speed. 8 °C is plenty cold for most people. Those who still choose the Pro typically do so because they do not want to wait a day after a fresh fill.

When should you skip the cold?

If you feel unwell, have a fever, have been drinking alcohol, or would be alone, do not plunge. If you have an existing heart or circulatory condition, high or low blood pressure, are pregnant, sensitive to cold or have reduced sensation, ask your doctor first.

In summary

Cold water helps if you put it in the right place in your week: it can follow endurance training, a match or a competition; after a weight training day, wait a few hours or until the next day. Start with a cold shower, breathe out slowly in the first seconds, and then warm up with movement.

If you plan several plunges a week, a chiller rather than ice is what keeps the habit going. The Basic cools to 8 °C within a day, the Pro to 3 °C within six hours. If 8 °C is enough for you and you are not in a hurry, choose the Basic. If you want colder or faster, choose the Pro.