Cold-water immersion has evolved from a niche recovery method to a core part of modern athletic preparation. Once used exclusively by elite performers, it’s now central to the recovery culture adopted by everyone from professional competitors to recreational athletes.
As two-time Fittest Man on Earth Justin Medeiros puts it, “In the sport of CrossFit, the game is who can recover the best.” For him, alternating between sauna heat and ice baths helps flush his system, reduce soreness, and prepare for another day of intense training.
Laird Hamilton, the big-wave surfer, has long credited cold plunging for keeping him resilient through decades of ocean training, saying, “The reason I like the ice so much is the power of it. You can feel the intensity of it on your system, and you know it’s having a metabolic effect.” Jessica Biel uses it to boost focus and energy, while Chris Hemsworth includes it in his conditioning to recover faster between demanding film roles.
Behind the cultural fascination lies a more practical question: when is the best time to do it? Should you plunge before or after your workout to maximize results?
The Science of Cold Exposure
Cold exposure triggers a physiological stress response. As your body temperature drops, vasoconstriction occurs, shunting blood toward the core to protect vital organs. Once you rewarm, circulation increases, flushing waste products and helping reduce local inflammation.
Beyond recovery, controlled cold exposure has been linked to improvements in metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and cardiovascular function. Researcher Dr. Susanna Søberg, speaking with neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman, found that just 11 minutes of cold exposure per week, divided into short sessions of one to three minutes, is enough to trigger measurable metabolic benefits.
Søberg emphasised that the key is short, consistent bouts of cold, not long endurance-style sessions. Staying in for too long can reduce the beneficial “shock” effect – known as hormetic stress – which is what drives adaptation and resilience.
Cold Plunging Before a Workout
A cold plunge before exercise can lower core temperature and sharpen alertness, particularly in hot or humid conditions. For endurance athletes, this can help maintain body temperature and control heart rate during long sessions.
However, a 2022 review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that cold exposure before training can temporarily reduce muscle strength, coordination, and power output. Cooling the muscles too early slows nerve conduction and can limit performance in strength or high-intensity work.
In short: cold plunging before training might help endurance sessions in heat, but it’s likely to hinder performance in lifting, sprinting, or technical workouts.
Cold Plunging After a Workout
Cold immersion after training is where most of the evidence lies. Immersing yourself in 10–15°C water for 5–15 minutes has been shown to reduce soreness and inflammation and improve the perception of recovery in the 24–96 hours after exercise.
A BMJ meta-analysis (2022) confirmed that athletes who used cold-water immersion reported less soreness compared to passive recovery. However, the improvements in objective performance — like power or jump height — were inconsistent.
Earlier work, such as Bleakley et al. (2010) in the Journal of Sports Medicine, reached similar conclusions: cold plunging helps you feel better, even if it doesn’t always make you perform better.
There’s also evidence that jumping straight into the cold after lifting can blunt muscle growth signals, by temporarily inhibiting the body’s anabolic pathways (notably mTOR activation). This doesn’t mean it kills gains — but it might be wise to wait a few hours after strength training before plunging.
In short: cold plunging after training is effective for recovery, especially during competition blocks or conditioning-heavy periods, but delaying it several hours after strength sessions may preserve long-term progress.
Timing and Practical Recommendations
- For muscle growth or strength: wait 4–6 hours after training before cold exposure.
- For recovery and competition: post-session immersion works best.
- For general health: aim for about 11 minutes of total exposure per week, spread across 2–3 short sessions of 1–3 minutes.
- Keep water between 10–15°C (50–59°F) to get the benefits safely.
- Pairing cold plunges with sauna or heat exposure can enhance cardiovascular and metabolic effects.
Sauna vs Ice Bath: Which Boosts Recovery More?
The Bottom Line
Cold plunging isn’t magic, but it’s far from a gimmick. Used strategically, it’s a simple tool to manage recovery, boost resilience, and support overall health.
If your priority is strength and muscle growth, keep your plunges separate from your lifting sessions. If you’re chasing recovery and readiness, cold exposure after hard training – or between events – can help reset the body and mind.
As the science continues to evolve, the principle remains simple: it’s not about how long you can endure the cold, but how consistently you use it to recover, adapt, and perform better.
