"Doing This After Exercise Is Blunting Your Gains" - Exercise Scientist

Summary

The discussion delves into the effects of cold water immersion on muscle recovery, particularly after resistance training. Research indicates that immediate cold water immersion post-workout may hinder muscle protein synthesis and glycogen restoration, potentially reducing the benefits of training. The timing of immersion is crucial, with later immersion possibly being less detrimental. The conversation also touches on the potential benefits for endurance athletes and the importance of considering individual athletic goals when incorporating recovery techniques.

Takeaways

• 🧊 Cold water immersion can have neuroendocrine effects and is used by physically active individuals for recovery and to reduce inflammation.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Research has shown that cold water immersion immediately after resistance training may hinder muscle protein synthesis and recovery.
• 📊 The study mentioned in the transcript used intrinsically labeled protein to track its distribution and found less stimulation of muscle protein synthesis in cold water.
• 🌡️ Lower temperatures can inhibit perfusion and reduce enzyme activity in muscles, which may affect recovery processes.
• 🔍 A two-week study with six training sessions indicated that cold water immersion had a measurable negative impact on muscle protein synthesis.
• ⏰ The timing of cold water immersion is crucial; it may not be beneficial to use it immediately after resistance training.
• 🏊‍♂️ Cold water immersion originated in sports where muscle damage and inflammation were significant, helping to minimize damage rather than enhance reconditioning.
• 🤔 The optimal timing for cold water immersion post-exercise is still speculative, but waiting for several hours might be less detrimental to muscle protein synthesis.
• 🏃‍♂️ For endurance athletes, the effects of cold water immersion on performance and neuromuscular function might be different and could be beneficial.
• 🚰 The speaker suggests that cold water immersion on non-training days or later in the day might be preferable to avoid hindering muscle recovery.
• 🔄 The transcript highlights the importance of considering the broader implications of training and recovery strategies beyond just muscle gains.

Q & A

What is the main topic of discussion in the transcript?

The main topic of discussion is the effects of cold water immersion on muscle recovery and gains, particularly after resistance training.

Why are people interested in cold water immersion for recovery?

People are interested in cold water immersion for recovery because it is believed to help blunt inflammation of the muscles and enhance recovery.

What did the speaker's study find regarding cold water immersion after resistance training?

The study found that cold water immersion immediately after resistance training resulted in less stimulation of muscle protein synthesis and less protein going to the muscles.

How does cold temperature affect muscle recovery according to the transcript?

Cold temperature affects muscle recovery by inhibiting perfusion and reducing enzyme and process activity in the muscles, which compromises muscle protein synthesis and glycogen restoration.

What was the duration of the study the speaker mentioned?

The study lasted for two weeks, with six training sessions and fifteen minutes of cooling after each session.

What was the conclusion of the study regarding the impact of cold water immersion on muscle protein synthesis over two weeks?

The conclusion was that the total protein synthesis in the muscles that received cooling was measurably less compared to the control, indicating a negative impact on muscle protein synthesis.

Why might cold water immersion still be used after exercise despite the study's findings?

Cold water immersion might still be used because it originated from sports where there was massive muscle inflammation and blunt force trauma, and it was beneficial for minimizing damage and aiding in recovery.

What is the speaker's opinion on the timing of cold water immersion for optimal muscle reconditioning?

The speaker suggests that cold water immersion should not be used acutely after the exercise session, implying that waiting for a few hours or doing it on a non-training day might be better.

How does the speaker relate the findings of the study to endurance training?

The speaker speculates that similar effects might be observed in endurance training, with less amino acid uptake by the muscles after cold water immersion, but acknowledges that the study was conducted on resistance training.

What is the speaker's view on the potential benefits of cold water immersion for high-intensity intermittent exercise?

The speaker believes that cold water immersion might be beneficial for high-intensity intermittent exercise where there is significant muscle damage and inflammation, as it could help dampen the acute inflammatory response and less compromise subsequent performance.

What hormone is mentioned in the transcript as being involved in the vasoconstriction response to cold water immersion?

Norepinephrine is the hormone mentioned as regulating the vasoconstriction response to cold water immersion.

How long does the speaker think the vasoconstriction response to cold water immersion might last?

The speaker is unsure about the exact duration of the vasoconstriction response, but mentions that the effects were still visible after six hours in their study.

Outlines

00:00

🏊‍♂️ Cold Water Immersion and Muscle Recovery

This paragraph discusses the effects of cold water immersion on muscle recovery, particularly after resistance training. The speaker mentions their research on neuroendocrine responses and the impact of cold water on inflammation and muscle protein synthesis. They highlight a study where subjects were immersed in cold or neutral water post-exercise, revealing that cold water immersion hindered muscle protein synthesis and glycogen restoration for at least six hours. The reduced enzyme activity and overall muscle process due to lower temperatures were suggested as reasons for this effect. The paragraph also touches on the potential long-term effects of cold water immersion over two weeks, indicating a measurable negative impact on muscle protein synthesis.

05:01

🏋️‍♂️ Endurance Training and Cold Water Immersion

The second paragraph delves into the application of cold water immersion in endurance training and its effects on performance and neuromuscular function. The speaker speculates that similar negative effects on muscle protein synthesis might occur after endurance training as observed in resistance training. They also discuss the possible benefits of cold water immersion in high-intensity, intermittent exercises where muscle damage and inflammation are significant. The paragraph raises questions about the duration of vasoconstriction effects post-immersion and the timing of cold water immersion relative to training for optimal muscle recovery. The speaker suggests that waiting several hours or performing immersion on non-training days might be more beneficial for muscle recovery and reconditioning.

Keywords

💡Cold Water Immersion

Cold water immersion is the practice of submerging the body in cold water, typically used by athletes to aid in recovery. In the video, it's discussed for its neuroendocrine effects and impact on muscle inflammation. The speaker mentions its popularity among physically active people for blunting inflammation post-resistance training, but notes it can hinder muscle protein synthesis if done immediately after exercise.

💡Neuroendocrine Effects

Neuroendocrine effects refer to the interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine system, often involving hormone release in response to stress. The video discusses the neuroendocrine effects of cold water immersion, highlighting how it can influence recovery and muscle adaptation through hormonal responses like the increase in norepinephrine.

💡Muscle Protein Synthesis

Muscle protein synthesis is the process of building muscle proteins, essential for muscle growth and repair. The video highlights that cold water immersion immediately after resistance training can reduce muscle protein synthesis, potentially hindering muscle growth and recovery.

💡Resistance Training

Resistance training involves exercises that cause muscles to contract against external resistance, leading to muscle strength and growth. The video focuses on how cold water immersion affects recovery after resistance training, suggesting that immediate immersion can blunt the training gains by reducing muscle protein synthesis.

💡Inflammation

Inflammation is the body's response to injury or infection, often causing redness, heat, and swelling. The video discusses how cold water immersion is used to blunt muscle inflammation after intense physical activity, which can help with recovery but may also impede the muscle adaptation process if done too soon after exercise.

💡Perfusion

Perfusion refers to the flow of blood to a particular tissue or organ. In the video, the speaker mentions that cold water immersion reduces muscle perfusion, which decreases the delivery of nutrients and oxygen necessary for muscle protein synthesis and recovery.

💡Glycogen Restoration

Glycogen restoration is the process of replenishing glycogen stores in muscles after exercise. The video notes that cold water immersion can compromise this process by reducing blood flow to the muscles, which is essential for delivering glucose needed for glycogen synthesis.

💡Norepinephrine

Norepinephrine is a hormone and neurotransmitter involved in the body's 'fight or flight' response. It increases heart rate and blood pressure. The video explains that cold water immersion raises norepinephrine levels, which causes vasoconstriction and affects muscle recovery by limiting blood flow and nutrient delivery.

💡Endurance Training

Endurance training involves prolonged physical activity that improves cardiovascular and muscular endurance. The video compares the effects of cold water immersion on endurance versus resistance training, suggesting that while it may benefit performance by reducing inflammation in endurance sports, it can hinder muscle recovery and protein synthesis in resistance training.

💡Vasoconstriction

Vasoconstriction is the narrowing of blood vessels, which reduces blood flow. In the context of the video, cold water immersion induces vasoconstriction, affecting muscle recovery by limiting the delivery of nutrients and oxygen necessary for muscle protein synthesis and repair.

Highlights

Cold water immersion is being researched for its neuroendocrine effects and recovery benefits for physically active individuals.

There is interest in how cold water affects the blunting of inflammation and muscle recovery.

A study was conducted to examine the effects of cold water immersion on muscle protein synthesis post-resistance training.

Cold water immersion immediately after resistance training was found to decrease muscle protein synthesis stimulation.

Protein infusion into muscles was less in the cold water group, indicating compromised recovery.

Lower temperatures may inhibit perfusion and reduce enzyme activity in muscles, affecting recovery.

Surprisingly, the negative impact of cold water on muscle protein synthesis was still evident after two weeks.

Cold water immersion may not be optimal for muscle reconditioning due to its effects on protein synthesis.

The practice of cold water immersion post-exercise originated from sports with high muscle trauma.

For resistance training, cold water immersion should not be used immediately after the exercise session.

Speculation suggests that waiting six hours post-resistance training before cold water immersion might still affect muscle protein synthesis.

The optimal timing for cold water immersion in relation to exercise is still under discussion.

Endurance training might respond differently to cold water immersion compared to resistance training.

Studies show no effect or a dampening effect of cold water on performance in high-intensity intermittent exercises.

The duration of the vasoconstrictive effects of cold water immersion on muscle perfusion is unclear.

A potential study could involve comparing different timing strategies for cold water immersion in relation to training sessions.

The focus on muscle recovery should consider the overall optimization of training and reconditioning.

Cold water immersion's impact on muscle gain might be less if done on recovery days rather than immediately after training.

Transcripts

so um I do want to kind of shift gears

because cold water immersion is an area

that you have done research in and I'm

personally interested in the

neuroendocrine effects of cold water

immersion a lot of Physically Active

people are interested in using cold

water immersion for recovery for

enhancing um sorry for blunting

inflammation of the muscle but you've

shown and maybe you can talk about your

study about you know doing cold water

immersion immediately after resistance

training can blend some Gam

do you think the timing of cold water

immersion can affect you know whether or

not you're going to blunt those gains

because you want you want to keep doing

those cold showers yes I'm doing those

as well so um so yeah I mean I think I

mean with looking at heart rate

variability and stuff like that I mean

I've been experimenting with that myself

as well with the C Showers and the The

Ice B and but of of course uh from a

muscle uh perspective um nothing makes

sense on recovery after exercise that

cold would actually be helpful so um we

did a study where we used the intrinsic

labeled protein so we could track where

the protein goes uh acutely but also

more longterm and after exercise we put

One lag in cold water and one in Thon

neutral water and we saw that the lag in

the cold cold water did not get the same

stimulation of muscle protein synthesis

and basically less of the protein would

actually go to the lag less profusion

less stimulation of muscle protein

synthesis so from at least for the first

6 hours it seems evident that acute

recovery recovery in the light of muscle

protein

synthesis glycogen restoration is

actually compromised by the by the lower

temperature part of that is that because

you inhibit per Fusion but also of

course all the enzyme and all the

process activity in the muscle is also

reduced by a lower temperature because

that that's just what

happens I was surprised that uh I

thought like hey maybe then you

compromise that acute recovery phase but

then you maybe catch up later on when

you warm up so that if you do this over

two weeks it doesn't make any difference

so we continue doing that for if I'm not

not incorrect over two weeks with six

training sessions and so it's six

training sessions we've only up to about

15 minutes of cooling I thought that

could never have an effect over those

full two weeks and if there's an effect

we wouldn't be able to pick it up but we

did and over those two weeks total

protein synthesis in that lag that

received cooling compared to the other

was actually less and actually

measurable less so that six times 15

minutes cooling over two

weeks 14 days 2 4 hours had a negative

impact on the stimulation of muscle

protein synthesis my only conclusion is

is that the reconditioning is therefore

not

optimal now if you still want to do the

cooling now the shower is only short but

would it be uh good to do it at

different times I think so um why is

everybody then still doing the uh the

cold water immersion after exercise I

think it came from from Sports where you

basically hurt the muscle where there's

massive inflammation where there's uh

blunt force trauma on the muscle that

actually you you you basically support

the muscle in recovery not recover not

the reconditioning but

basically minimize the damage and then

people started using it for other sports

as well but I think for resistance

training or for uh and doen training

it's you shouldn't be using it at least

not acutely after the exercise session

and you said something that I picked up

on you said for six hours do you think

that if you do cold water immersion and

you wait six hours after resistance

training that you would uh still affect

muscle protein synthesis I mean pure

speculation I think it would be less um

so um but then the other question is

then uh for your um um your other

benefits whatever they are of course

there's also a lot of discussions on

that do you need to to do that 15 15

minutes um is it better to do it the

other day

um at least the first few hours I think

are essential for the muscle I would

stay away from the cold there is it okay

to do it then in the evening or the next

day I would favor that as opposed to the

other one MH SO waiting for Recovery

days now you mentioned endurance

training but um you know there are

studies showing that cold water

immersion can enhance performance

endurance trainers and also enhance

neuromuscular function you're talking

about that probably not as these people

aren't you know you know they're the the

the resistance training is really

stimulating muscle so I'm wondering if

you could do it perhaps on an endurance

training day maybe wait a few hours

again um I don't I think we would have

found exactly the same thing if we had

done endurance training uh so this was

resistance training uh I think if we had

done endurance training you would also

have less of your amino acids that you

ingest go to the muscle I mean a lot

less of all this kind of work has been

done after in Jun training but it seems

to follow all the same principles it's

just a different sets of proteins that

are being expressed to a greater or

lesser extent after endurance versus

resistance exercise but they're also

responsive to nutrition and so they

should also be responsive to blood flow

to the muscle so I think it doesn't make

a difference for endurance or resistance

type exercise the studies that I've seen

is they either show no effect and if

they show effect it's studies where

that's not inurance exercise it's

actually high-intensity intermittent

type exercise where there's also a huge

damage effect and inflammation and I

think there it can have a benefit to Dum

dampen that down and then acute

performance afterwards is less

compromised but that's something else

than optimizing your training

reconditioning right yeah so you're

you're talking more at the elite level

where they're really like the rowers or

the you know these these Runners that

are that are you know they're incurring

more damage on their muscle um so if the

the cold water immersion is causing Vaso

constriction it's it's preventing the

muscle profusion right um the question

is how long does that last so the

norepinephrine is the hormone that is

regulating that as you know and that

does go up even after just you know 2

minutes in cold so the question then

goes well uh well how long does that

last so like you know is it an 8 hour

response that do you think it would be 8

hours that it's it's going to be

affecting I have no idea um in this case

I mean temperature at least skin

temperature was already quite normal

quite fast but the response over over

over 6 hours was still visible so uh I

mean these studies are hard to do

because then if you actually would do it

this way I would like to take a biopsy

at 2 4 6 8 12 14 16 18 22 and 24 hours

and of course nobody wants to

participate not even the older subjects

are now studies are going to sign up for

that or at the very least it would be

interesting to do a cold water immersion

where it's not immediately after

resistance training it's you know oh

yeah I mean that's that would be great

six eight hours maybe the next day if we

would do that two-e intervention study

where you actually have the three

sessions and the and the the no the six

training sessions and you have the six

scholing sessions and then you have the

six cooling sessions on the days that

you don't have the training so you have

three treatments um six training

sessions with cooling six sessions with

cooling on the other day and only the

six six training without the cooling um

yeah that's a huge study but I mean I'll

be interested to see what comes out

after two weeks yeah I guess I guess the

question is is that you

know if you if you're if you're doing

resistance training and you wait 6 to

eight hours after that

training will that cold water immersion

blunt your gains you said maybe a little

bit maybe not um it will likely be less

if you do it on the the opposite day so

so waiting just on a recovery day is is

what you think is best okay but I mean

you I mean that's the whole thing we

always focus on muscle but everything

has to be optimal I mean it's the same

as oh you can take creatine and you you

get stronger legs and you have have a

higher workload but then if you're a

high jumper and you gain 1.2 kilos

simply also by most of it actually water

retention you it's not going to improve

your high jumping so it's more than only

muscle of course of course yeah