Do you have a hot or cold shower after training?

Are you finishing an excellent gym session and are ready to hit the showers, but should you take a hot or cold shower after a training session? Cold water can reduce muscle pain and inflammation, but hot water after exercise could improve your physical performance the next day.

What’s going on when you take a cold shower?

Taking a cold shower – or even a cold dive – after exercise, can decrease your muscle pain and your fatigue, depending on the search.

This is probably because cold water reduces creatine kinase and lactate – two substances that accumulate in your muscles after exercise and contribute to a delayed start muscle pain (DOMS), the painful feeling that you can get after an intense training session.

There is limited evidence that cold water immersion can have other advantages for your health, including:

Some people also note that cold showers are invigorating or feel good after the sweaty heat of an intense training session.

What’s going on when you take a hot shower?

When you immerse your body in hot water (or go to a hot shower), you increase the blood flow to your muscles. Some research suggests that this could improve your performance later, including the same day or the next day.

If you finish training before a race or a major event, it could be a great idea to enter a hot shower. In addition, many people find hot and relaxing hot showers, which can offer mental health benefits in addition to physical advantages.

How hot do you have? Research has examined a water temperature of 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Never arrive in a painfully hot shower.

Is a hot shower or a cold shower better?

Generally, a cold shower is a great option after training to reduce muscle pain the next day. However, a hot shower may be better in certain circumstances. Choose a hot shower if:

• You have a competition the next day.
• You do several gym sessions in one day and want to maximize performance.

If you just want to reduce your muscle pain and feel refreshed after your training, a cold shower will work very well.

How to optimize your post-training routine

Choosing a hot or cold shower is only part of the creation of a post-training routine that will make you feel good. In addition, you should:

• Cool correctly by engaging in a lower intensity activity for several minutes after a training session.
• Hydrate to reconstruct the water lost by sweat and allow optimal muscle recovery.
• Consume proteins and consider supplements like creatine that can facilitate recovery.
• Sleep a lot to allow your muscles to recover and rebuild.