Is it better to take an ice bath before or after your workout?
The answer depends on your training goal: for fast recovery after intense sport or competitions, an ice bath after training is worthwhile, but those who want to structurally get stronger or build more muscle are better off scheduling the ice bath at times when they are not training.
After a workout, an ice bath has clear recovery benefits, but the timing makes a big difference. After intense training sessions or team sports competitions, cold water immersion helps restore explosive power more quickly (think jumping and sprinting), reduces muscle soreness, and lowers a blood marker that indicates muscle damage. Fatigue also subsides faster, as measured up to 72 hours after exercise.
If you do strength training with the goal of building more muscle mass or strength, an ice bath taken after training is actually counterproductive. In people who immersed themselves in cold water after every strength training session for twelve weeks, the muscle growth response and the development of muscular strength lagged significantly behind those who did active recovery. Muscle cells were produced in smaller numbers, and a protein that drives muscle building was less activated. This effect appears to arise because cold suppresses the desired inflammatory response after strength training, which is precisely the response that triggers muscle growth.
An ice bath taken before training has barely been studied on the basis of these studies; all identified effects apply to use after exercise.
The best results for muscle soreness relief were found at a water temperature of 11 to 15 degrees Celsius and a duration of 11 to 15 minutes. For maximum muscle soreness recovery, cryotherapy scores better than warm water or active light movement. Alternating warm and cold water (contrast baths) appears to be somewhat more effective for the recovery of a biochemical marker of muscle damage.
In short: an ice bath after your workout pays off most when you need to recover quickly for the next competition or training session. With structural strength training aimed at getting stronger or building more muscle, taking a regular ice bath after every session is more likely to work against you.
This answer draws on multiple reviews of dozens of studies and one twelve-week randomised study. The evidence for muscle soreness relief after intense exercise is fairly consistent across multiple pooled studies. The evidence that ice baths inhibit muscle growth during strength training comes from one well-designed twelve-week randomised study; this is compelling but has not yet been replicated by multiple comparable long-term studies. The optimal duration and temperature are based on only nine studies, so those recommendations are preliminary.
Is it better to take a cold bath before or after strength training?
Avoid taking a cold bath immediately AFTER strength training if muscle growth is your goal: it measurably inhibits muscle fibre hypertrophy. Schedule it before your training session, or use it on recovery days after endurance training.
Does a cold bath or ice bath benefit your health in the long term?
An ice bath after strength training demonstrably inhibits muscle growth, so if you want to build muscle it is better avoided. For other long-term benefits, such as reduced stress, better sleep, or lower sick-day absenteeism, the evidence is preliminary and too limited for firm conclusions; people with heart problems or other vulnerabilities are well advised to discuss it with their doctor first.
Is exercising in the morning or in the evening better?
For fat reduction and improved blood lipids, morning training has the strongest evidence. For cardiovascular health, exercising in the afternoon or evening is also perfectly fine, but avoid high doses of caffeine close to bedtime.
How much rest do my muscles need between workouts as I get older?
Getting older does not call for more rest, but for more regular training: at least two resistance-training sessions per week, supplemented with adequate protein, is the best-supported approach for counteracting muscle loss.
How quickly do I lose fitness if I stop exercising for a while?
Your aerobic endurance declines quickly: a measurable difference is already present after 10 days. If you maintain your intensity when training less, you can limit the loss considerably.
What is the best time of day to eat protein for your muscles?
Distribution throughout the day matters most: eat a portion of 20-40 g of protein every 3 to 4 hours, and the precise timing around your workout is a secondary concern.