Ice baths….. why?

[Grape Ape]

Tone. Grape is one of the most distinguished people here.

Thank you.  Feedback from the PoTY contingency is cherished and appreciated.

I am here merely to present facts and keep the forum moving along.

The rest is up to the general masses, but sometimes they need a little push.

[Humble Narcissist]

Cold water exposure undoubtedly improves recovery and everything, after a swim in the ocean I feel amazing, peak feeling of wellbeing and connection.

Whenever I was exposed to very cold water I got sick.

[falco]

Ice baths are not for me. The only thing i tolerate is sea water around 65 degrees, in a sunny warm day. It does feel good, body and mind.

[Rambone]

Would love to “take the plunge” with Henda sometime. How many gallons of bbq sauce do these bath tubs hold?

[joswift]

ice baths are fucking stupid

[wes]

It's ribbing you retard

[sync pulse]

I have always liked the "Ice Shower" at my gym

[Van_Bilderass]

Ice baths can impede longer term adaptations but in certain situations acutely suppressing inflammation could be useful, for example if you need to do another session or event very soon after. I seem to remember data showing you recover strength faster if cold is applied after a lifting session, meaning the strength recovers faster in the immediate hours after. It's a bit like taking antioxidants, depends on the situation. Or NSAIDs.

[AbrahamG]

It's ribbing you retard

Thank you for the clarification.  I thought he was offering to rub one out for you.  Crisis averted.

[Krankenstein]

I mean it’s nothing new football players have been doing them since the 80s.  We use to fill up those massive buckets  with ice and water in college after practise . It’s just got popular within mainstream CrossFit losers. That’s all it is.

No dick cheese, not because of "mainstream crossfit losers".

Water boys weren't allowed to do the ice baths.....stop lying

[Krankenstein]

I have one and do it 3 - 4 times a week.  The dopamine response after is great.  My tub is set to 52deg and I stay in for about 3 - 3:30 mins

What Happens During Stage 1 of Cold Water Immersion (CWI)?
As soon as you immerse yourself in cold water, your body reacts immediately, triggering the cold shock response. This first phase is marked by a steep heart rate and blood pressure increase, sometimes accompanied by involuntary gasping and rapid breathing. Your body's sympathetic nervous system also kicks into high gear, releasing a surge of adrenaline. This is a survival mechanism designed to keep your muscles primed and ready to act in potentially dangerous situations. Stay calm, control your breathing, and avoid panicking to navigate this initial shock effectively.

How long it lasts: Typically the first 0-2 minutes of CWI

What Happens During Stage 2 of Cold Water Immersion?
As you move into the second stage of CWI, your body begins to adapt to the cold temperature. Blood vessels constrict to preserve core body temperature, diverting blood flow away from extremities like hands and feet to protect vital organs. This vasoconstriction can lead to numbness and tingling in the fingers and toes, but the body periodically restores blood flow to the areas to prevent tissue damage. This cycle of constricting and dilating can improve peripheral circulation and overall vascular health. This stage is also where many people report enhanced mental clarity and alertness.

How long it lasts: Around 2-3 minutes

What Happens During Stage 3 of Cold Water Immersion?
In the third stage of CWI, your body enters thermogenesis to maintain its core temperature. This manifests in symptoms like shivering as your muscles contract to generate heat. Stage 3 also releases a significant amount of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers. These are what cause the euphoric feelings often experienced after a cold plunge. While prolonged exposure at this stage can be dangerous, brief and controlled exposure has benefits that include brown fat activation, reduced inflammation, and more.

How long it lasts: Usually 3-5 minutes

[AbrahamG]

ice baths are fucking stupid

Word.

[Grape Ape]

Word.

Abe just shitting all over Krank.

Man, just an absolute unwarranted, unprovoked attack on the day the man is just trying to make a gentle return to the forum.

[chaos]

Abe just shitting all over Krank.

Man, just an absolute unwarranted, unprovoked attack on the day the man is just trying to make a gentle return to the forum.

Most people named Abe are complete assholes.

[AbrahamG]

I disagree with Grape but Chaos pretty much nailed it.

[Krankenstein]

Word.

I can understand your apprehension of making your cawk smaller than it already is.

[38 returns]

I used to do it once a week

Used to put freebird on and get in so about 8 minutes

high as a kite after and as i had gout and severe inflammation it definitely helped.

[AbrahamG]

I can understand your apprehension of making your cawk smaller than it already is.

I'm comfortable with my size.  I'll be honest here, my apprehension about ice baths speaks more to me being a pussy when it comes to cold water than whether or not they are beneficial. 

[Mayday]

I have one and do it 3 - 4 times a week.  The dopamine response after is great.  My tub is set to 52deg and I stay in for about 3 - 3:30 mins

From what I recall it evolved from recovery then to fat burning and now to dopamine boost.

In other words as each one was BS and nobody stuck with it, they made up new things.

Gee’ing yourself up to plonk into freezing water for 5+ minutes is an exercise of Anxiety and stress management.

It’s why there is nobody doing it long term because the benefits are outweighed by the mental punishment you take beforehand.

If it was truly as good as people claimed, it’d be the next coffee.

[Krankenstein]

From what I recall it evolved from recovery then to fat burning and now to dopamine boost.

In other words as each one was BS and nobody stuck with it, they made up new things.

Gee’ing yourself up to plonk into freezing water for 5+ minutes is an exercise of Anxiety and stress management.

It’s why there is nobody doing it long term because the benefits are outweighed by the mental punishment you take beforehand.

If it was truly as good as people claimed, it’d be the next coffee.

Incorrect on all being BS.  Show me anything besides your opinion on that.

As far as an exercise in anxiety and stress management : https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.neuropsych.20240053

A recent fMRI clinical study showed that cold-water immersion increases the neural interaction between large-scale brain circuits involving multiple limbic structures, including the medial and left rostral prefrontal cortices, left anterior insula, and anterior cingulate cortex. In addition, cold-water immersion facilitated positive affect, including higher alertness and motivation; resulted in a feeling of being more energized (active); and reduced nervousness and distress (

No one doing it long term....interesting : https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9012715/

Finland, Russia, Iceland, Sweden, Norway.....all do it on the regular.

Edit : None of these "influencers" do it long term because the novelty of the views wore off.  all the companies coming up show some big titted, string-up-the-ass ho getting in and hoping to christ her lip fillers don't freeze all while smiling and pretending she's done it for years.  All the inflatable tubs are using the same technology as the inflatable stand up paddleboards have used for years.  I went with inflatable tub, chiller, and pump (plus tubing) for under $1500.  I change water out ever 4 - 6 weeks and clean the tub (takes 90 min start to finish).  I use bromine tab floater for 1hr every 2 - 3 days with once weekly chemical pour.  I will probably get an acrylic tub at some point because it will be easier to clean.


Coffee = stimulant.

Cold Water Immersion = Relaxation

[chaos]

I absolutely hate cold water but I thoroughly enjoyed the walk in cryotherapy chambers that I used to go to.

[Van_Bilderass]

I'm a Finn and some old relatives in Finland swin in lakes year round and they believe it's good for health and longevity. And then of course you have the sauna, in wintertime combined with the ice dips. For the full therapeutic effect you should slap youself with birch tree branches while in there. It smells wonderful at least. I don't know if vodka adds even more therapeutic effect. Unfortunately I don't have easy  access to these PED-like modalities now.

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[Eric2]

Ice baths, cold plunge, polar bear diving is all just a quick way to feel "Alive".
You get a real quick jolt when you do this. Other than that there is very minimal to zero health benifits to doing g any of these. In fact one with any heart health concerns should avoid at all costs.
A friend of mine whom had come off of drugs to get into all things healthy decided we would do the polar bear plunge in the middle of the winter.live in Washington state, so head out to the lake in the boat, bottle of vodka, robes, stark ass naked we would go to the middle of the lake and dive in.
Only reason I did this 2 yeas in a row. He had two roommates in his house that where beatiful curvy big tits and nice round assed lassies. The chance to see these two get naked and drunk led to poor decision making, or maybe it was good.
Jumping into an ice cold lake in the middle of winter is just nuts, you can hardly swim back to the boat and pull yourself back in. Had it not been for the shots of vodka before and after.

[Van_Bilderass]

A friend of mine whom had come off of drugs to get into all things healthy decided we would do the polar bear plunge in the middle of the winter.

It's obvious to me but maybe not to others why this could help someone who is quitting drugs. The ice bath releases adrenaline and Krank said dopamine as well. both of which obviously are anti-depressive. Same reason insulin shock therapy was a common anti-depressive treatment in asylums a long time ago; you induced hypoglycemia with insulin injections to the point of the patient passing out and then poured sugar into them. The stress response releases a ton of adrenaline and it was thought it "rebalanced" neurotransmitters. I used to do this to myself for fun and games 

Another tactic to make life more colorful is dopamine deprivation to sensitize yourself to stimuli, e.g. no internet like tiktok reels, no music, bland food with no salt or spices, no sex... then when you introduce say spices it's pure heaven LOL.

[wes]

I fucking hate cold water on me.

Same here...... and I fucking hate winter.