Warm or cold shower after training?

[RJTikwe]

forgive me if there is already a thread similar to this but what do you guys do? what has been proven best?

i've looked around the net and some say take warm showers coz u dont wanna shock ur muscles from dropping the temp of ur body from warm to cold, then wrap urself up with enough clothing to keep u warm.. then some say take cold showers coz it decreases the swelling of ur muscles, and giving it better blood circulation, meaning quicker healing.. kinda like putting ice on a bruise.. what do u guys believe? also after stretching out after training, do u guys rub/massage ur shoulders etc to allow better circulation? cheers!

[Squabbles94806]

The important thing is that you take showers after you training sessions. *yuk-yuk*

I wish i had a hot tub to soak in after every practice.

[MonsieurGeorges]

Before I leave the gym I always hit the steam room first and then shower. Nothing beats the steam room when you're sore, and saunas are nice too.

[g0tcha]

well if your looking for the cold rout then you want an ice bath not a shower. ice bath is for recovery purposes 20-30 minutes or right after a hard workout to increase recovery rate. about 5-10 minutes in an icebath and then an hour out before you take a shower is ideal. hot is more fore relaxing your muscles.

[FIGHTING_FLIP]

heat before, ice after.

[RJTikwe]

ahh i see i see.. i'll go with the cold way since its better for recovery i can just jump in the pool since the water is always freezing lol then maybe take a warm shower and hour after? or should i keep it cold? thanks for the info btw.. much appreciated!

[g0tcha]

ahh i see i see.. i'll go with the cold way since its better for recovery i can just jump in the pool since the water is always freezing lol then maybe take a warm shower and hour after? or should i keep it cold? thanks for the info btw.. much appreciated!

for temp im not really sure as to what the exact temp is but ive read out there without doing that much research its something like 35-50 F but honestly i fill my tub up and dump like 2 bags of ice in it. a pro mma guy fills a big garbage can about 3/4 of water dumps 2 bags or more of ice in and sits in it for 5-10 minutes. let your body warm up naturally before you take your nice hot shower for optimum effect from your ice bath. first time i tried it i took a shower right after and the effects were great, my muscles felt a whole lot better after the shower but i did notice a difference when i waited 45 minutes to an hour after. they say you should wait at least an hour after the ice bath. wait as close to an hour as you can before you shower and you should be good. if youve never taken an ice bath the first 30 seconds to a minute feels like hell but after that its just literally chillin out until your 5-10 minutes are up because you go numb.

[JabSandwich]

cold helps reduce lactic acid buildup which means it shortens recovery time (thats the theory behind ice baths). heat is for relaxing ur muscles. it really comes down to personal preference.

if u want to increase blood flow switch between hot (not warm) and cold water every minute or so. ur body has to work to heat up ur body (cold water) then has to work to cooldown ur body (hot water) and thats how it increases circulation.

[daniels_co]

I think a warm sower would be better for you!

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[RJTikwe]

got it! thanks for all the info fellas..!