Effects Of Cold-Water Immersion On Post-Exercise Skeletal Muscle Recovery Following Sprint-Interval Exercise

Cold-water immersion has emerged as a popular post-exercise recovery intervention for athletes and avid exercisers. However, little evidence exists to support its widespread use, especially following high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE). Therefore, to investigate the use of CWI following HIIE, 12 participants participated in a randomized cross-over study involving repeated all-out contractions of the ankle dorsiflexor muscles followed by CWI or room temperature rest (RT). During a 24-h recovery period, neuromuscular function, intramuscular temperature, and next-day HIIE were performed. The results of the study showed that CWI impaired maximal tetanic force for up to 3-h, whereas immediate recovery occurred following RT. In addition, there was no difference in next-day HIIE performance between the two recovery interventions. Thus, CWI offers no substantial benefit as an effective post-exercise recovery intervention following HIIE.