Hi
A pal of mine says that he just got "chapter and verse" about how good it is to put your legs into a icy bath for 5(?) minutes immediately after training. Apparently all the top athletes (e.g. Paul Radcliffe) all to this. Something to do with microtears. Apparently after a full 5 minutes of water as cold as you can stand, you can then have a nice warm/hot bath. Apparently it's also good for the joints...
Is any of this true? If so how does it work?
Are they good or bad for the heart?
Are they good *only* after exercise?
What affect does it have on a) testosterone b) thyroid levels?
What about long term side effects?
What are the exact details - what temperature and for how long?
Is there any decent science on all this? (it does sound very victorian!)
They still do something called "kneipp therapy" at certain spas, although I do not know how scientifically valid it is...
With thanks
John
A pal of mine says that he just got "chapter and verse" about how good it is to put your legs into a icy bath for 5(?) minutes immediately after training. Apparently all the top athletes (e.g. Paul Radcliffe) all to this. Something to do with microtears. Apparently after a full 5 minutes of water as cold as you can stand, you can then have a nice warm/hot bath. Apparently it's also good for the joints...
Is any of this true? If so how does it work?
Are they good or bad for the heart?
Are they good *only* after exercise?
What affect does it have on a) testosterone b) thyroid levels?
What about long term side effects?
What are the exact details - what temperature and for how long?
Is there any decent science on all this? (it does sound very victorian!)
They still do something called "kneipp therapy" at certain spas, although I do not know how scientifically valid it is...
With thanks
John