- Time in the ice bath: 10 to 20 minutes is the best amount of time. Any longer than 20 minutes is not much better.
- Water temperature: The water should be cold, between 50-59°F (10-15°C). Colder than 50°F is too cold and could hurt you.
- How much of your body: Put as much of your body in the water as you can, at least up to your waist or chest. This lets the cold water reach most of your big muscle groups.
- Start warmer, then add ice: You can start with water around 59°F and slowly add ice to make it colder over the 10-20 minutes.
- After the ice bath: Do some light exercise like easy cycling or walking. This helps get your blood flowing and warms you up.
- No longer than 20 minutes: Don’t stay in the ice bath longer than 20 minutes because it won’t help much more. Also, you could get too cold and get hypothermia or numb limbs.
Benefits of Ice Baths for Muscle Soreness
After a tough workout, your muscles can feel very sore and achy. Sitting in a cold ice bath can actually help make those sore muscles feel better. The cold temperature from the icy water does a few good things for your body.
- Reduces swelling and puffiness in the muscles
- Slows down blood flow so less fluid builds up in the sore area
- Temporarily numbs the muscle pain and achiness
- May help flush out lactic acid (what makes muscles burn) faster
- Decreases muscle spasms and cramping
- Constricts blood vessels to prevent further muscle damage
- Feels soothing and refreshing on aggravated areas
How Long To Sit in Ice Bath for Sore Muscles
The recommended time to sit in an ice bath for sore muscles is between 10 to 20 minutes. This time frame is considered the sweet spot for getting the most benefits from the cold therapy.
Staying in the icy water for less than 10 minutes may not give your muscles enough exposure to the cold to reduce inflammation and numb pain effectively. On the other hand, sitting in an ice bath for longer than 20 minutes provides little to no extra relief for sore muscles.
During those 10 to 20 minutes in the ice bath, your body’s muscles and joints will go numb from the extreme cold temperature. This numbing sensation, while temporary, helps ease muscle soreness and achiness. The cold also causes your blood vessels to temporarily constrict or tighten up. This slows down the flow of cold blood and fluids to your sore muscles, preventing further buildup of inflammation and swelling in those areas.
For best results, make sure to fully immerse the affected muscles in the ice bath up to at least your waist or chest level. This ensures the cold reaches your major muscle groups.
Ideal Ice Bath Temperature
The perfect temperature for an ice bath to help sore muscles is between 50-59°F (10-15°C). This range is cold enough to get all the benefits like reducing swelling and numbing pain, but not so cold that it could damage your skin or make you too cold.
Having the water any colder than 50°F increases the risk of cold injury or frostbite to your skin and tissues. Anything below around 45°F is just too frigid. On the other hand, if the water is warmer than 59°F, it won’t provide that intense cold therapy needed to constrict blood vessels and flush out inflammation.
The easiest way to get the ice bath in this ideal 50-59°F range is to partially fill a bathtub or large tub with cold water first, then add ice packs, frozen water bottles, or crushed ice until it reaches that perfectly cold temperature. Using an actual thermometer to check is best. Having it just cold enough that it’s uncomfortable but you can still tolerate it for 10-20 minutes is about right.
Depth and Coverage
For an ice bath to work best on sore muscles, you want to make sure you get as much of your body covered by the cold water as possible. The more muscle areas that are immersed, the more the cold can reach and provide relief.
Ideally, you’ll want the water level to at least come up to your waist or stomach area. This allows the cold to fully surround your legs, hips, and core muscles that often get very sore after exercising hard.
If you can tolerate it, having the water as deep as your chest or armpits is even better. This deeper submersion lets the icy coldness extend to your upper body, arms, shoulders and back too. These are other common areas for muscle tightness and soreness.
No matter how deep the tub is, make sure to position yourself so that all your major muscle groups are under the cold water level. This may require shifting around or bringing your knees up towards your chest if it’s not a very deep tub.