[RHSman2]

I ignored the parts of me that like comfort and oh God I feel good for ages after physically (in a slightly shivery way) but also that I CAN do it way.

On a side note, I will take a cold shower after workouts and it extends my feeling of ‘magnificence’ and the ‘I worked out today’ sensations.

[wincy]

I cried tears of joy after getting out the first time I did a cold plunge. I used my bath tub in the middle of the Kansas winter. It was crazy, like I’d just climbed a mountain that I didn’t know existed.

[dorfsmay]

According to Huberman's podcast, cold exposure after a workout is not optimum for the muscle as it reduces the exercise induced inflammation. Hot exposure increase that inflammation which increase the exercise benefit.

[RHSman2]

Indeed, but as someone who generally does something based on how they feel I respectfully follow my own path and pick and choose what feels right, I see benefits and effects that I can comprehend.

Example, I have a very destroyed shoulder from a break and dislocation. The cold helps way more with its recovery from exercises that put it through the wringer.

The perfect world is finding a way to get it better but I don’t have the answers (and nor has science/medicine) but from my own experiments my shoulder will respond dramatically better to cold than not.

I also have some Red Light therapy available. Less good.

The best is anti-inflammatories but the significant downside outweighs the ups.

So in a world of compromises I benefit the most from cold exposure.

[dorfsmay]

Oh for sure!I mentioned because it used to be thought that cold after exercisong was good.

The other thing is, this my make a a significant enough difference in elite athletes, but for the average person I thing doing it at all is far superior to doing it at the right time but much less often.