102. REGULAR LONG-TERM POST-TRAINING COLD WATER IMMERSION DOESN'T AFFECT AEROBIC ADAPTATIONS

In some previous KiW Research Notes we saw that regular long-term heat exposure (both active and passive) can boost aerobic adaptations and so performance over the long term. Specifically, long-term frequent heat exposure can lead to an increase in plasma volume, haemoglobin mass, and mitochondria, which in turn can increase VO2max, power at thresholds/critical power/FTP.

What about regular exposure to the cold? Does it give the same aerobic performance benefits than the heat does?

Does regular long-term post-exercise cold water immersion boost aerobic adaptations and so performance?

A review of the scientific literature published in 2021 by Malta and Colleagues (São Paulo State University) on Sports Medicine tried to answer this question. (1)

BONUS ‘SCIENTIFIC LEARNING’ MOMENT:

What is a scientific review of the literature: it is a retrospective analysis of all the data published on a given topic - the effects of regular long-term post exercise cold water immersion on aerobic adaptations and performance in this case. The indications given by literature reviews are usually more reliable than the data of a single study. Why? Because the results of a single study could be influenced by chance or the specific study design employed, while a review analysing the data coming from many studies minimize the risk of biases.

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WHAT DID THEY DO?

• A total of 4 published studies on the topic were analysed.

• The characteristics of the cold water immersion (CWI) protocols used were:

  • Water’s temperature: 5-15 °C

  • Duration of immersion: 15-40 min

  • Duration of the protocol: 12-24 sessions in total

  • Frequency of the protocol: 2-4 times per week

  • When: post-training sessions

• In all the studies, the effects of cold water immersion to boost performance were compared to a control group which performed the same training program but without adding any post-exercise cold stimulus.

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WHAT DID THEY FIND?