Should Rugby Players be Using Ice Baths?
Ice baths - should you be using them as a rugby player?
Well, like most things in S&C, it depends!
There are 2 scenarios you might find yourself in which will help you determine whether you should use them or not.
When you have a game to be ready for - Ice baths can help reduce swelling and tissue breakdown meaning if you trained hard on a Thursday and now have to get ready for a Saturday or Sunday game it’s probably useful for you to get in the tub.
When you’re trying to maximise gains in terms of muscle growth and don’t have a game to be ready for - ice baths probably aren’t the answer. Ice baths don’t necessarily stop muscle growth but it has been suggested it can slow it down. This is because when you’re trying build muscle, you’re trying to get an inflammatory response within the fibres and ice baths reduce inflammation, meaning that it can slow down the process of building muscle and your body adapting to what you’re putting it through.
So the key takeaway: use ice baths depending on what your goals are for the training week or block that you’re in.
