Intense exercise causes microtrauma (small tears) in the muscle tissue. This is what causes your soreness after a WOD. This delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) occurs between 24-72 hours after exercise. This damage is not all bad though... the damage stimulates your muscle cell activity helping it to repair and strengthen the muscle.
How to deal with DOMS varies among experts. Some say that you should just rest, some say ice baths, contrast showers or heat. Every elite athlete has their own way to deal with DOMS. The more I read, the more I see that athletes swear by ice baths and contrast showers. So... I put it to the test.
I have been taking contrast showers for about 3 months now and have noticed that my recovery has been shorter. My muscles don't stay as sore for as long and not to mention.... it leaves me feeling invigorated afterwards. And who doesn't want that?
There is a term used in India called "Ishnan". This is the point at which the body creates the temperature that can beat off the coldness of water on its own. This happens when the capillaries open with the onset of cold water and close during the course of the cold shower. At this point blood rushes back to flush the organs and glands allowing them to renew themselves.
This is important because it is half of the theory behind contrast showers and what they do for you. The hot water brings blood to the tissues feeding the muscles with nutrients and oxygen. The cold water forces the blood back to the organs taking with it all of the waste products like lactic acid. By alternating between hot and cold you are speeding up your circulation and ultimately your recovery as well.
How do you do this?
There are several different suggestions on the length of time for each hot/cold session as well as cycles to use. What most of the literature I have read says and what I have found works best for me is 3-5 cycles of 90 seconds of hot water followed by 30 seconds of cold water. Start with warm water to get your body used to the temp, then go to hot water first and always end your shower with cold water.
The benefits to contrast showers are increased circulation, elimination of toxins and wastes from your muscles, and reduced DOMS. Give it a try! I love it!
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totally did this in ecuador except we were jumping from hot springs to cool wells :)
ReplyDeleteCool post, thanks Andres! The good fathers used to recommend we young Catholic lads utilize cold showers though I seem to recall it was for another type of training. : / Anyway, at this stage of life I'm willing to try anything to speed recovery after some of the more punishing WODs. I'm curious about "ice bath." Hot-cold showers are easy to get, but you gotta work at assembling an ice bath. "Come on in dear, th-th-the water's f-f-fine!"
ReplyDeleterenee, sounds fun! How did your triathalon go?
ReplyDeleteDr. H,
I'm curious about the ice bath too but so far have not had the courage to give it a try yet. Something about submerging myself into ice seems very scary...
Andres, I love contrast showers too. Though I find it hard to get truly cold water coming out of the tap at this time of year. We should be looking into some sort of tub for ice baths. I'm thinking those metal troughs they sell for livestock. Once we have showers in the gym we could go back and forthbetween an icebath and the hot shower.
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