Ice is good for muscle recovery immediately after strenuous activity. Within minutes is best, up to an hour or so is still effective. After that you need warmth.
Strenuous here means lifting your one rep max, running 20 miles, breaking a personal best sprint time, that sort of thing.
I can attest from personal experience that ice bath right after exercise works in these cases. I’ve even tested it by icing just one leg and not the other. There is a marked difference in recovery by next day.
Ideally you ice the muscles right after workout then put them in a compression clothing so they’re extra warm for the next several hours.
Strenuous here means lifting your one rep max, running 20 miles, breaking a personal best sprint time, that sort of thing.
I can attest from personal experience that ice bath right after exercise works in these cases. I’ve even tested it by icing just one leg and not the other. There is a marked difference in recovery by next day.
Ideally you ice the muscles right after workout then put them in a compression clothing so they’re extra warm for the next several hours.