Cold Water Slows Muscle Recovery After Leg Training
A study of 40 adults who strength-train found cold-water immersion delayed recovery of leg strength compared with passive rest.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Body Building
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Researchers found that cold-water immersion at 9°C for 15 minutes slowed muscle recovery after intense knee-extension exercise compared with passive rest. Hot-water immersion, by contrast, returned creatine kinase-MM levels to normal faster than rest.
Why it matters
Cold therapy is widely used after rigorous exercise to relieve soreness and reduce inflammation, so the findings challenge a common recovery practice. The results suggest athletes and gym-goers may need to weigh recovery methods more carefully.
In a study of 40 adults who regularly strength-train, quadriceps strength fell 36 per cent after exercise, and after 72 hours the cold-water group had regained about 82 per cent of maximum strength compared with about 89 per cent in the passive rest group. Creatine kinase-MM levels in the cold group stayed 25 per cent above normal at 72 hours, and it is unclear whether these effects persist over the longer term.
The players
Freya Bayne
Freya Bayne is a researcher at the University of East London who led the study on recovery methods after strength training.
Ken Nosaka
Ken Nosaka is a researcher at Edith Cowan University who commented on the findings of the study.
Mike Tipton
Mike Tipton is a researcher at the University of Portsmouth who commented on the cold-water immersion results.
The details
Participants performed a high-intensity knee-extension exercise and were then assigned to cold-water immersion at 9°C for 15 minutes, hot-water immersion at 42°C for 30 minutes, hot-air exposure at 30°C for 30 minutes, or passive rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Self-reported muscle soreness rose significantly in all groups at 24 hours after exercise.
Timeline
Immediately after exercise: quadriceps strength was measured, showing a 36 per cent loss.
24 hours after exercise: self-reported soreness significantly increased in all groups.
72 hours after exercise: strength recovery was measured, with the cold-water group remaining below the others.
Big Picture
Cold-water immersion has long been a staple of post-exercise recovery in sports medicine, and this study adds evidence that the approach may not speed strength recovery as commonly assumed. The findings put it in contrast with hot-water immersion, which in this study returned creatine kinase-MM levels to normal faster than passive rest.
Gym-goers who rely on cold immersion after heavy leg sessions may want to reconsider timing, since this study found it slowed strength regained by 72 hours. Passive rest or hot-water immersion were associated with faster recovery in these measures.
The takeaway
Recovery method choice may matter more than assumed, and cold immersion is not automatically the fastest route back to full strength. Readers training hard should pay attention to how their own muscles respond over several days rather than only the first day.
Further reading
Explore more on Body Building for training and recovery practices.
Source note: This article includes information reported by New Scientist.
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