Cold Water Immersion After Workout Reduces Muscle Gains

Cold water immersion after workout is a popular recovery method praised for reducing soreness and inflammation, but emerging research challenges its effectiveness for muscle growth. A study by Betz et al. reveals that cold immersion reduces blood flow and amino acid uptake in muscles, cutting protein synthesis by around 30%. This decrease is linked to impaired mTOR signaling and diminished recovery processes essential for hypertrophy. While cold exposure can offer short-term relief, it may hinder long-term gains by limiting nutrient delivery and muscle repair. Additional studies support these findings, showing lowered neuromuscular output and suppressed anabolic responses following cold therapy. Experts suggest using cold water immersion selectively—avoiding it immediately after resistance training and favoring it for endurance recovery or rest days. The article ultimately urges athletes and bodybuilders to reconsider routine post-exercise cold therapy when muscle growth is a primary goal.

Key Takeaways of Cold Water Immersion After Workout

Cold water immersion after workout can cut blood flow to your muscles and slow recovery.
Your muscles absorb about 30% less protein when you cool down in ice water post-exercise.
If your goal is muscle growth, that cold water immersion after workout might be doing more harm than good.

Are there any post-exercise cold water immersion benefits?

You’ve probably seen it on social media—athletes and fitness influencers raving about cold water immersion after workout. The pitch? Less soreness, faster recovery, better performance. And sure, post-exercise cold water immersion benefits have earned their place in the sports recovery spotlight for reducing inflammation and muscle aches.¹ But here’s the kicker: if you’re serious about packing on muscle, new research says you might want to skip the cold dip.

A fresh study from Milan W. Betz and his team at Maastricht University Medical Centre just shook the fitness world. Published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the study titled, “Post-Exercise Cooling Lowers Skeletal Muscle Microvascular Perfusion and Blunts Amino Acid Incorporation into Muscle Tissue in Active Young Adults” suggests cold water immersion after workout may actually slow your gains.²

For those of us chasing size, strength, and maximum returns on every rep—especially if you’re supplementing with creatine or watching your macros—this is big. Let’s dig into what they found.

Does Cold Water Immersion Reduce Muscle Growth? Inside the Study

The researchers recruited 12 fit, young guys (average age: 24). Each one smashed out four sets of 10 reps on the leg press and leg extension at 80% of their one-rep max—roughly 507 pounds (230 kg) and 295 pounds (134 kg), respectively. That’s no joke.

Then came the experiment. One leg went into cold water at 46.4°F (8°C), the other into warm water at 86°F (30°C) for 20 minutes. This side-by-side comparison gave the researchers a clear look at how cold water immersion after workout impacts muscle recovery—without needing two separate test groups.

After their soak, participants drank a post-workout shake packed with 45 grams of carbs and 20 grams of free amino acids. That gave their muscles the nutrients they needed to rebuild.

Over the next four hours, researchers tracked blood flow, amino acid absorption, and other indicators like insulin and glucose. They even took muscle biopsies to measure how much protein each leg actually used for repair.

What They Found

Blood Flow Takes a hit: Right after exercise, both legs showed a major jump in blood flow—about 30 times more than normal. That’s expected and essential for muscle repair. But the cold leg? Blood volume dropped fast and stayed low for up to three hours. While artery size stayed the same, the cold slowed down the speed of blood moving through them.

Less Protein, Less Growth: The leg in cold water absorbed roughly 30% less protein. Since protein synthesis is the key to muscle growth, that’s a big deal. Less blood flow meant fewer amino acids got delivered. And fewer building blocks mean less muscle repair. So when people ask, does cold water immersion reduce muscle growth?—this study says yes.

Everything Else Looked Normal: Blood tests showed amino acids and insulin levels rose after the shake. So the nutrients were there—but only the warm leg used them efficiently.

Why This Matters

Here’s the blunt truth: dunking your muscles in ice right after training might feel great, but it could be setting you back.

See, cold water immersion after workout shrinks your blood vessels. That sounds minor, but it chokes off circulation in the tiny capillaries that feed your muscles. And that means fewer nutrients make it to the muscle fibers that need them most.

Roberts et al. (2015) found cold water also blunts mTOR signaling—a major pathway responsible for triggering muscle growth.² Peake et al. (2016) showed similar effects, with less activation of proteins and growth factors that your muscles rely on post-exercise.³

Over time, the damage adds up. Fuchs et al. (2019) found that athletes who used cold water immersion after workout regularly had lower rates of protein synthesis.⁴ Less protein, less growth. It’s that simple.

Plus, cold slows blood flow⁵, lowers neuromuscular output⁶, and might even mess with your mental performance in the gym if you’re not bouncing back fully.

Now, don’t get me wrong—post-exercise cold water immersion benefits can make you feel good. It may even make you think you’re recovering better. But that’s the thing: Yeung et al. (2016) showed that it’s more perception than performance.⁷

Other researchers, like An et al. (2019), also note that extreme cold triggers stress responses that have little to do with muscle repair.¹ And over time, too much cold therapy could actually reduce your overall training adaptations.⁸

Even inflammation, often viewed as “bad,” plays a vital role in muscle recovery. Lindsay et al. (2016) found that excessive cooling dulls the immune system’s natural repair process.⁹

Real-World Takeaways

So, what should you do? If you’re all about hypertrophy—gaining mass, getting stronger, and maximizing every set—then skip the cold water immersion after workout. It might soothe your sore legs, but at the cost of real gains.

Save the cold tub for lighter days or endurance sessions. Focus on the stuff that actually feeds your muscles: high-quality protein, smart carb intake, solid rest, and warm recovery techniques that keep the blood moving.

If you’re a coach or athlete with muscle growth goals, think twice before recommending cold water as a catch-all recovery tool. Recovery needs to match your training goals, and sometimes that means letting the body feel a little beat-up before it builds back stronger.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are the risks of cold water immersion after workout?

Using cold water immediately after lifting can restrict blood flow to your muscles, reduce amino acid uptake, and slow protein synthesis. That’s a problem if you’re looking to build muscle.

Does cold water immersion reduce muscle growth?

Yes. Research shows that cold water immersion after workout can lower protein synthesis by around 30%, which directly impacts muscle growth.

Are there any post-exercise cold water immersion benefits?

Definitely. Cold immersion can reduce soreness, inflammation, and may help with recovery after endurance activities. But when muscle growth is the goal, those benefits come with trade-offs.

Should I stop using cold water immersion after workout completely?

Not necessarily. Just be strategic. Use it after long runs or light training. But avoid it right after heavy lifting if your goal is hypertrophy.

Can I combine post-exercise cold water immersion benefits with other recovery tools?

Yes! Try alternating cold with warm therapies, or using active recovery methods to boost circulation while managing soreness.

References

1 An, J., Lee, I. & Yi, Y. The Thermal Effects of Water Immersion on Health Outcomes: An Integrative Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16 (2019).

2 Betz, M. W. et al. Post-Exercise Cooling Lowers Skeletal Muscle Microvascular Perfusion and Blunts Amino Acid Incorporation into Muscle Tissue in Active Young Adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (9900).

3 Peake, J. M. et al. The effects of cold water immersion and active recovery on inflammation and cell stress responses in human skeletal muscle after resistance exercise. The Journal of Physiology 595, 695-711 (2017). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1113/JP272881

4 Fuchs, C. J. et al. Post-exercise Cooling Impairs Muscle Protein Synthesis Rates In Healthy Young Males: 2012 Board #168 May 30 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 51 (2019).

5 Kowalski, M. & Lubkowska, A. Cold Water Immersion as a Method Supporting Post-Exercise Recovery. Central European Journal of Sport Sciences and Medicine 38, 61-70 (2022).

6 Wakabayashi, H., Wijayanto, T. & Tochihara, Y. Neuromuscular function during knee extension exercise after cold water immersion. Journal of Physiological Anthropology 36, 28 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40101-017-0144-8

7 Yeung, S. S. et al. Effects of Cold Water Immersion on Muscle Oxygenation During Repeated Bouts of Fatiguing Exercise: A Randomized Controlled Study. Medicine 95 (2016).

8 Tavares, F., Simões, M., Matos, B., Smith, T. B. & Driller, M. The Acute and Longer-Term Effects of Cold Water Immersion in Highly-Trained Volleyball Athletes During an Intense Training Block. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living Volume 2 – 2020 (2020). https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2020.568420

9 Lindsay, A., Othman, M. I., Prebble, H., Davies, S. & Gieseg, S. P. Repetitive cryotherapy attenuates the in vitro and in vivo mononuclear cell activation response. Experimental Physiology 101, 851-865 (2016). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1113/EP085795