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Research

The Paris Experiment, A Sleep Study with Unintentional Benefits

November 7, 2017 by Kathryn Alexander

A couple years ago, I got the chance to go to Paris. It was last minute, and would be a quick trip. I didn’t love Paris the first time I visited, so my growing affection for the city made me appreciate each visit more. I looked forward to again seeing the city that made my pupils dilate with its ornate cathedrals, romantic art, and the big city buzz swirling all around me, yet having no need for me. 


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Amor and Psyche by Antonio Canova, displayed at the Louvre. I can't even pretend to be tough when I see this one. Melts my heart.

Amor and Psyche by Antonio Canova, displayed at the Louvre. I can’t even pretend to be tough when I see this one. Melts my heart.

I couldn’t wait to savor coffee on a French sidewalk cafe. And the baguettes, the French bread that they don’t call French bread because that would be redundant. 

The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the stores, the fashion. I was giddy thinking about it!

There was one catch: it would be a weekend trip, and I handle jet lag like a narcoleptic ninety-year old. I’m talking, out-like-a-light at 6 pm, can’t even hang with the toddlers. Then like a resurrection miracle, fully awake and happily functioning (all alone) at 3:30 am.

Le sigh. 

I Can Figure It Out

Call me stubborn or bull-headed (though I prefer determined), but I always think there has to be a way. I can figure it out! In the past, I have tried a variety of tactics to decrease jet lag so I could enjoy more travel time, with some but minimal success. This includes:

  • strategically timed melatonin on the flight to reset circadian rhythm (sleep on an international flight? haha)
  • exercise upon landing in new time zone. (Soooo tiring)
  • caffeinating myself at doses that would worry most health professionals
  • the Argonne Anti-Jet-Lag protocol, which was highly effective on National Guard subjects in this Pentagon funded study

The latter was the most effective, but still not good enough for me. I was convinced I could do better. 

  

A Crazy Plan With Unintentional Side Effects

My plan was to bring my body as close as I could to real-time wake-sleep schedules in Paris, while still here in American central time zone. It was simple enough: go to bed 4 hours early, and wake 4 hours early. This way my body would be halfway adjusted to the 7 hour difference by the time I landed. 

Beginning two weeks before my trip, I took the recommended dose of an over-the-counter sleep aid and aimed for lights out at 7 pm. I woke between 3 and 4 am. 

To ensure this would be successful, I warned my friends that I would be seeing less of them for a couple weeks, and I did all my work as early as I could, including anticipating clients needs so my support for them would not suffer. 

Other helpful habits included blacking out my room, being hyper organized so I didn’t worry about a thing, and putting my phone down in early evening. 

What Happened?

The results were amazing! First, I felt 10 years younger. I slept completely through the night, getting 8, even 9, hours of quality sleep. When I woke up, I eased into the day with a cup of coffee. Really, what rush is there at 3:00 am? Nobody else is up. 

I work exponentially better when I am not rushed or stressed, so I got good, quality work in that left me feeling productive and peaceful. 

My workouts felt good since I was truly rested. I was giving my body everything it needed. 

It was actually a great way to live, even without a trip to plan for. And the trip? Went off without a hitch. I don’t remember falling asleep at the dinner table once. The flights were even less stressful since I was more patient and in a better state of mind.

The Moral of the Story


...but I got to see my friend Marion, who lives in France. It had been about 15 years. Best reunion ever! 

…but I got to see my friend Marion, who lives in France. It had been about 15 years. Best reunion ever! 

….is obviously to get good sleep. Take care of yourself. Sometimes this requires being a little bit selfish. I did miss my friends, and feel kind of like a weirdo feeling like I was up past my bedtime when I was in the gym with my 6:00 pm client. 

It was worth it, though. It was a great reminder of how we need to be protective of our bodies and our time. No one else is going to do it for you! 

If you need a little pick-me-up in life, try this. It will change your outlook! Try just a 2 hour difference if you don’t have a time zone change in your future. 

Let me know how it goes for you! Email me. I read every email! kathryn@kathrynalexander.com


Sunset in Paris.

Sunset in Paris.


About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

Filed Under: Research

Say Yes

April 3, 2017 by Kathryn Alexander

Greetings from Orlando! I am en route to the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Tactical Training Conference. I love meeting coaches who work with police, fire, and military units and taking what I learn from them and passing it along to you. (If you’re curious, more about why I attend this conference here.)

When I attended this conference for the first time in 2014, I met powerlifter and coach Matt Wenning, whom you have probably heard me refer to for his extensive strength and conditioning knowledge. The following year at the conference, he introduced me to coach Mark Tayson, who invited us to workout at a friend’s gym nearby.

We walked into a gym with dumbbells, barbells, logs, tons of strongman implements, and a handful of welcoming members, including Dimitar Savatinov who won America’s Strongest Man contest that year.


Ironhouse Gym

What a crazy world! It was so surreal to be in a gym in a city I’d never been in, with people I barely knew, but who had decades of combined knowledge and similar passions. I was like a kid in a candy shop!

Fast forward a few years, and I met another coach I look highly up to, Ron McKeefery. We kept in touch at a couple conferences, and he recently asked me to be on his podcast, Iron Game Chalk Talk. This has been one of the biggest honors of my professional life! But you knew that, because it was just covered on my blog. Details of the podcast here in case you missed it.

All this, from talking to people at conferences!

Your Turn

Who will you talk to this week? What can you say YES to that will be beneficial to you and your clients, or coworkers or family? 

Let me know if you have any questions for me to pass along at the conference this week, and keep your eyes open for serendipitous opportunity! It’s out there! 

Have a great week! Thank you for reading,

Kathryn


About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

Filed Under: Research

UT Athletic Performance Clinic 2017

January 31, 2017 by Kathryn Alexander

The University of Texas hosted their annual Athletic Performance Clinic January 14. Top strength coaches and leaders in athletics speak at this clinic every year, and I love the opportunity to learn from them.

DKR Stadium from the UT Athletic Performance Clinic

The speakers included coaches of Olympians, collegiate, high school, and professional athletes. 

Snippets of what I learned:

Tim Pelot

Tim Pelot, Senior Strength & Conditioning Coach of the United States Olympic Committee

  • You must have systems when training groups, but remember they are individuals. 
  • Give your athletes energy and support them! They are expending physical energy, cognitive energy, attending sports medicine needs, etc. They need your support.
  • Take the temperature of the room and be adaptable.

It was really great to hear someone who has spend thousands of hours coaching, and who is so adept at thinking on his feet. 

Tanna Burge

Tanna Burge, Assistant Athletic Director, Sports Performance, Texas A&M University

Like Tim, Tanna reminds us we don’t coach just teams and groups, but rather individuals.

  • Be intentional, and be there. Ask how they are, mean it, and listen. 
  • If we skip these things, we miss opportunity to positively impact athletes.
  • Beyond the big business of athletics is life. Especially for young college athletes, this is their life!

Tanna gave us a great reminder that athletes aren’t obsessed with the process of lifting and training like some of us coaches are. They do what they have to but don’t think about it all day. Meet them where they are. 

Ron McKeefery

Ron McKeefery, Vice President of Performance and Education for Plae Sports Performance Flooring

Coach McKeefery has served as a strength and conditioning coach for many organizations including The University of Tennessee, Cincinnati Bengals, and Kansas City Royals. 

I’ve heard Coach McKeefery speak, I keep up with his social media updates, and always look forward to hearing what’s in his head. He has so much accumulated knowledge and experience, I could hardly take notes fast enough. 

  • Regarding players running late who must work extra because of their tardiness: “There is a consequence. You have to be ok with that. That’s life.”
  • “Be the person in the room who can get the athlete to his goals.”
  • “When Donnie [Maib, Head Athletic Performance coach for Olympic Sports at University of Texas] and I talk, it’s more about what we’re reading than anything else.” I LOVE this!

Ron also wrote a book, CEO Strength Coach, which I read in about a day after hearing him speak this last time. You can get it here. (not an affiliate link).

Loren Landow

Loren Landow, owner/director of Landow Performance

Coach Landow’s presentation was packed full of technical insight and coaching cues. He also has accumulated thousands of hours of coaching skills from his work with high school, collegiate, professional, and Olympic athletes. Most of what I learned from his presentation was really how to refine how I program and cue training. One of my favorite things he explained was of an athletes tool box, or how well they move. “The more coordinated they are, the better. The more skills in the toolbox,” for example. 

Al Vermeil

Al Vermeil, President of Vermeil Sports and Fitness

Al Vermeil is a legend in the strength and conditioning world. He has worked in the NFL, NBA, and MLB. He has done work with powerhouse teams such as The Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago White Sox, US Army Rangers, University of Alabama, Stanford University Sports Medicine, and too many more to name. 

I could listen to Coach Vermeil speak for days and still be beginning to learn from him. Coach Vermeil thoroughly discussed the foundation of power in sports, jump technique, speed development and much more. I will be reviewing his notes for a while. The most humorous part of his speech, when he asked, “How long do I have left? Three minutes? …oooh…”

Al Vermeil at the UT Athletic Performance Clinic

Donnie Maib

Donnie Maib, Head Athletic Performance coach for Olympic Sports at University of Texas

Donnie took participants to the UT weight room, outfitted by Sorinex Exercise Equipment, for a mobility and recovery session. Like many of the other coaches stressed, Coach Maib reminded us we are dealing with individual athletes. We need to evaluate each athlete’s movement, identify issues, and address them. This demo of mobility exercises and tools was very useful.

The UT Weight Room

The Stark Center

The clinic finished with a reception in the beautiful Stark Center, a museum of physical culture and sport. If you are even remotely interested in sports, competition, bodybuilding, or athletics, you need to check this place out. Drs. Jan and Terry Todd have done an amazing job creating the Stark Center from the ground up. It is in the north end zone of the UT Stadium. 

Pudgy Stockton at the Stark Center

As a bonus, I ran into Coach Ed Cosner, who runs PowerSport Strength and Conditioning. I visit his facility when I am in Houston. (You can read about my last visit to his place here). It is always great to run into friends, especially ones I learn so much from!

Ed Cosner at Stark Center

I am already looking forward to next year’s clinic!

The Sorinex Barbell in the Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports

About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

Filed Under: Research Tagged With: Austin

So Many Books, So Little Time

May 1, 2015 by Kathryn Alexander

I’ll confess to you all that I feel slammed by my to-do list right now. Buried under it. I have programs to write, people to call, emails to send, friends and family on my mind, cleaning, and oh my goodness, laundry always. 

I am by no means complaining. I am self-employed so I have the ability to structure my work hours, which is a huge blessing. There are no imposed quotas to meet, or gimmicky products to pitch. My clients are wonderful, my own training is paying off in spades, and I feel freer than I have in years. 

But there’s still a lot to be done. Number one contributor to my overwhelmed feeling?

Reading.

Yes, reading. 

There will never be enough hours in life to read everything I want to read. There are thousands of journals, millions of articles, textbooks, blogs, memoirs. 


I'm gonna need to read all these. "Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library" by Lauren Manning - Flickr: Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. 

I’m gonna need to read all these. “Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library” by Lauren Manning – Flickr: Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. 

I even like fiction, and I consider it a treat to get a new Clive Cussler book. I usually finish them in 2 sittings, which is why I had to limit my fun-reading in grad school. Apparently “all-nighter” is supposed to refer to studying for class, not staying up reading for fun. Pshh.

Where do I even begin? Maybe “begin” isn’t the right word. Continue? But for every new book, journal, or article I read, I have 100 new questions to research.

Every new person whose insights I appreciate has mentors he or she learned from, and favorite books. Those go on my to-read list too. I didn’t even have space to mention all the people I enjoyed learning from at the recent TSAC Annual Training. When they mentioned books they’ve read, I wrote them down. Authors they follow, I noted too. If you are interested in learning who made an impression on me, click here. 


These books are from undergrad, grad school, fun books, and texts from when I was a teaching assistant for nutrition and anatomy classes. Oh yes, also full journals,  journal articles, and study guides. Whew.

These books are from undergrad, grad school, fun books, and texts from when I was a teaching assistant for nutrition and anatomy classes. Oh yes, also full journals,  journal articles, and study guides. Whew.

Look at my book collection. Just look at it. This is about a tenth of it, and I’ve got more coming in the mail. And some on my iPad and saved on my computer. Every article I was assigned to read in grad school is still in my possession, because they all had a purpose. They were all important.

These reading habits are mine for multiple reasons. First, I owe it to my clients to be educated. It’s what I went to school for, and what they pay me for. The hours I spend learning and planning benefit them most so I never neglect it.

Secondly, I just love it! I love reading science. I love the methodical nature of studies, and the precise write ups. I love how nearly everything we need to know is out there. It’s basically getting a cheat sheet for how to learn more, how to do better, how to be healthier. Reading journal articles takes a certain amount of practice, but it’s available to you and me.

Sometimes I’m even tempted to skip my workouts just to have more time to read. 

Then I read about another benefit of exercise, and it never surprises me. The extent to which exercise benefits us, we cannot even understand.

So in the end I usually do not skip my workouts because science gives me my answer again. 

Unexpected Benefits of Exercise

Exercise benefits our productivity in many ways, two of which are physically and cognitively.

Physically, exercise can make your day to day tasks easier. This means you have more time to do your activities of daily living, and they are easier on you. They will take less energy, less fortitude, and allow you to do more with all the extra effort you save.

Likewise, exercise can reframe your mood, both in the short and long term. It can increase productivity, creativity, cognitive performance, and stave off decline.

Physical Benefits of Exercise on Productivity

If you google “physical activity and cognition”, 2,140,000 results show up. Incredible! This is pretty well known so let’s consider the other long term benefit, increases in work capacity.


"Child Head" by Charly W. Karl at Flickr. Licensed under CC BY 2.0.

“Child Head” by Charly W. Karl at Flickr. Licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Exercise can make your every day better by improving your physical capacity. If your body is trained to do more, then your activities of daily living with take less out of you. You’ll have more strength and energy left to do the things you want to do.

Consider how many steps you take per day. If you take 8,000 steps per day, then a long trip to the grocery store might take a large amount of those. In this case, some unplanned event might take a disproportional amount of energy.

This happens frequently in real life. Maybe a car breaks down and you have to walk half a mile, or a shopping trip with friends turns into more walking than you expected. Sometimes you meet up with friends downtown for dinner, and a change of restaurant plans necessitates an urban hike. 

Let’s say you take increase your steps from about 8,000 to 12,000 steps a day. Then, that walk around the mall, or finding the car after a football game, won’t be such a large percentage of your activity.

It is better to be active and ready for even the things you don’t plan for.


stomp.gif

Put this in strength terms. Some people think they don’t need to be stronger or don’t see how increased strength will benefit their daily lives, but being stronger can benefit you. 

This is obvious for those with physically demanding jobs. For example, military, police, fire and medical personnel always have to be able to move people and things. If these people can only deadlift 200 pounds, they might not be adequately prepared for the job.


Capt. Charles Moore, commander, Company C, 202nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, performs the fireman's carry of a "casualty" during the nuclear, biological and chemical portion of the Expert Field Medical Badge traini…

Capt. Charles Moore, commander, Company C, 202nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, performs the fireman’s carry of a “casualty” during the nuclear, biological and chemical portion of the Expert Field Medical Badge training and testing here Sept. 14. Photo by Spc. Leah R. Burton. This photo appeared on www.army.mil. By The U.S. Army At Flickr. Licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Two hundred pounds may sound like a lot. Consider, though, that many people in the general population weigh 200 pounds. If that tactical athlete must move a 160 pound teammate who is carrying 40 pounds of gear, or a 200 pound person in a fire, he is using 100% of his carrying capacity. That is too much – he or she will fatigue soon, if he can even pick up the person. That doesn’t even include any gear he or she is personally carrying.

Now, if that person can deadlift 350 pounds, which should be doable for most males who train strength, then 200 pounds is only 57% of his capacity. In this case, he should be able to move the 200 pound person much easier than if it were almost all his strength allowed.  

Many people have elaborated more on this idea, and I certainly don’t claim it as an original thought. It needs to be said many more times so people understand how important strength is.

What if you aren’t a first responder; does this apply to you? Absolutely! Don’t you carry groceries, luggage or children?


Everybody does this. But I think Mariusz Pudzianowski is probably the last person in the world who struggles with the weight of his groceries.

Everybody does this. But I think Mariusz Pudzianowski is probably the last person in the world who struggles with the weight of his groceries.

If your overall work capacity and maximal strength levels are higher, then these things will not feel like a chore. They will be submaximal work, and will feel much easier. You’ll go through all your activities of daily living and you’ll be less tired at the end of the day because your body’s inherent ability is greater. This is the gift exercise gives you.

Cognitive Benefits of Exercise on Productivity

As mentioned early, it is well documented that exercise benefits mood and can help alleviate depression and anxiety, to differing degrees. What is fascinating is that exercise has also been shown to increase creativity [1].

A 1997 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine showed that participants increased their post-exercise creativity independent of mood changes.

Participants in the study were part of a group exercise class, and on a separate day, watched an emotionally “neutral” video. They filled out surveys about their mood before and after both the exercise and video to track changes. The surveys were the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, Affect Balance Scale, and Cook-Medley Hostility Scale.

All participants watched the same video, but half did a more high intensity aerobic exercise intervention, and half did aerobic dance. Both exercise sessions and the video were 25 minutes long. 

After the exercise sessions, the participants completed a creativity test, Torrance’s Unusual Uses Test. This asks participants to list as many uses as they could think of for a cardboard box. Another test variation asked the same question, but for tin cans. The number of answers, variety of answers, and originality of answers were all considered in scoring the creativity of the responses.

Not surprisingly, positive mood increased and negative mood decreased after both of the exercise interventions. The opposite was true of the mood changes after watching the video. Positive mood decreased and negative mood increased. 

As compared to the post-video creativity, the post-exercise creative score improved. Participants named more uses for the tin can/cardboard box than after the video condition. 

The creativity changes were modest but statistically significant. What I find most fascinating is that this creativity increase happened independent of mood changes, suggesting that the exercise is what stimulated the change, not the mood changing the exercise, which changed the creativity level.

No, this study suggest that the physical movement itself is what boosted creativity. Perhaps there is something to pacing the floor, taking a walk, getting your blood flowing to commence the creative process.


"Two dancers" by Barry Goyette from San Luis Obispo, USA. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.  

“Two dancers” by Barry Goyette from San Luis Obispo, USA. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.  

Maybe interpretive dance and ballet are more than just live, present tense storytelling. Perhaps these movements are actually means to create the story.

This is heartening for writers, inventors, and all kinds of creators. This study gives us a potential method for overcoming writers block, which is simply to get up and move. It is free, practically risk free, and has tremendous potential benefits. 

If nothing else, it gives me a place to start. I will go to the gym, move, sweat, and lift. When I come back, I’ll approach my to-do list with improved mood and energy. Maybe I’ll even find creative solutions to sticking points. 

Off I go.

 

References

1. Steinberg, H., Sykes, Elizabeth A., Moss, T., Lowery, S., LeBoutillier, N., Dewey, A. (1997) Exercise Enhances Creativity Independent of Mood. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 31:240-245.


About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

Filed Under: Research

Cold Water Immersion Therapy: Placebo or the Real Deal?

March 21, 2015 by Kathryn Alexander

Everybody who has a body should exercise. That much is clear. The benefits of exercise and physical activity have been proven over and over. Practically every area of life is improved with exercise. Even people who don’t participate in structured exercise often do leisure activities or manual labor.

Many people take such great care to find the best exercise program, their favorite gym, the right type of exercise. They count the number of sets and reps they do, how fast they run, how far, the number yoga classes they attend. But do you know that just as important, perhaps even more important, is your recovery?

Why is Recovery So Important? 

Exercise is an acute stressor. It is extremely beneficial in the long run, but stressful in the short term. It is during the recovery phase that you actually reap the benefits of exercise. You must manage the acute stress and care for your body properly to reap the long term benefits. If you don’t recognize that exercise is tough on your body and take care of it, you won’t create an environment healthy enough to adapt and improve, which is ultimately the process which makes you better.

What Happens to the Body During Exercise

Essentially, what you are doing when you exercise is sending a signal to your body that it needs to be stronger or faster or tougher, depending on which type of exercise you do. You present your body with a challenge which stimulates it to respond specifically. (ie, resistance training makes you stronger, and long runs increase your endurance). The act of exercise causes some muscular stress, tears, and inflammation, during which the body’s metabolic pathways create some measurable biomarkers. We can assess the body’s inflammatory response by measuring interleukin six (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) can be measured in the body to indicate levels of muscle damage. Of course, there are many other metabolic responses and pathways in play here, but these are just a few which give us an idea of how the body is handling stress.

Common Methods of Recovery

Many people think of recovery as cooling down, rehydrating, eating to replenish energy stores, and sleeping. These are all important things to do, but these are actually the most basic “must-do’s”.


Here are two of my clients post workout.  These chicks work hard! They do 6:00 minute planks "for fun" after their workout.  Next on the to do list: eat and rest!

Here are two of my clients post workout.  These chicks work hard! They do 6:00 minute planks “for fun” after their workout.  Next on the to do list: eat and rest!

If an individual exercises for 2 hours, which is on the shorter side for many, he or she must fully recovery in time for an optimal workout again 22 hours later. As you can see, the more intense and frequent workouts are, the more effective recovery must be to allow the athlete to continue. 

Athletes Must Recover Harder

Professional and amateur athletes are going to greater lengths than ever to enhance recovery in hopes that they can recover faster and more fully, and work hard again in their next workout session. In addition to carefully calculating ratios of pre-, peri- and post-workout supplements, they are also thoughtfully adding in the macronutrients in the proper amounts and at the right times. They foam roll before exercising, foam roll and stretch after, plan reload weeks and recovery days. Acupuncture, acupressure, sports massages and Airrosti are on their busy calendars.  

All of these therapeutic rehab or “prehab” modalities have some validity. Like exercise selection, recovery methods should be specifically chosen too, if for no other reason than that each individual only has so much time to spend each day.

Cold Water Immersion Therapy

One recovery method many people are turning to is cold water immersion therapy.  Cold water immersion therapy involves submerging yourself in very cold temperatures post exercise. This can be done via ice packs, cold showers or even swimming in cold water. If you live in Austin, Texas, like me you can do your cold water immersion therapy in the waters at Barton Springs Creek which are chilly 68° year-round. Many ice baths are much colder.


Barton Springs, in Austin, Texas.  Can this place get prettier?

Barton Springs, in Austin, Texas.  Can this place get prettier?

Proponents of cold water therapy claim that it improves circulation, decreases inflammation and muscle damage, perception of soreness, and improves recovery time. Many people claim cold water therapy also increases mental toughness which is a viable tool in sports and life.

Cold water immersion therapy is usually administered in one of two ways: cold water therapy alone, or contrasting cold water and warm water therapy alternative.  Contrast water therapy is measured in a certain number of minutes in cold water, then immediately warm water.  This processes is repeated as many times as the athlete chooses.


2014 brought us a new way to do ice water therapy.  See my ice bucket challenge here.

2014 brought us a new way to do ice water therapy.  See my ice bucket challenge here.

Review Showing Benefits of Contrast Therapy

A 2013 meta analysis published in PloS One combined data from13 studies that used a variety of contrast therapy interventions, and found that contrast therapy did, in fact, yield statistically significant differences in biomarkers post workout as compared to passive recovery [1]. It is important to note that these were contrast therapy interventions, not solely cold water interventions. The authors of this review indicate that while they have not seen other reviews on contrast water therapy, the studies involved in their review included other potentially confounding factors such as stretching, compression wear, and massage. Further research is warranted to fully understand the effects of cold and contrast water therapy.

Studies Fail to Demonstrate Benefits of Cold Water Therapy

Other studies have failed to demonstrate a benefit from cold water therapy. A September 2013 study of experienced rugby players showed no difference in the cold water therapy group verses the passive recovery group. [2] Both groups played 80 minutes of full contact rugby game simulation, and then were tested on muscle function and blood marker tests after their cold water therapy or passive intervention. The groups were not statistically significant either before or after the game and intervention.  

Similarly, a recent study published in January 2015 showed no benefit of cold water therapy following sprinting in 24 well trained athletes. [3]  This study’s intervention groups also tested differences in hydrostatic pressure of the cold water, but pressure changes did not improve outcomes either.

Of course, there are many many more trials on cold and contrast water therapy, and this isn’t even a comprehensive review.  But, even this little bit leaves us with questions.

Study Shows Placebo Effect Improves Results

I want to address one more study, which I find most interesting of all of them.  An Australian group discovered that no research had been done on cold water immersion therapy and the placebo effect [4].  To test this, they designed a study that had 3 test groups.  All subjects performed a high intensity (HIT) sprint protocol, during which biomarkers and subjective measures were recorded.  

The subjects had intramuscular thermistors injected for the test, blood analyses, and pain tolerances measured.  Their protocol, after a warm up, was four 30 second sprints on a bike against resistance.  Immediately after the HIT session, 24 hours later, and 48 hours later, they were tested for maximal leg strength and power.  In short, these guys were uncomfortable!

Their intervention groups were assigned as cold water therapy, thermoneutral water therapy, and thermoneutral placebo water therapy.  The placebo group was informed that their water bath included a new “recovery oil”, as they watched a member of the research team add it to the water.  The “recovery oil” was actually Cetaphil, a common skin cleanser which does not have performance effects.

All three groups showed a decrease in maximal voluntary contraction on the immediate and 24 hour post exercises tests.  It is commonly known that high intensity muscular work can decrease measurable strength for days after the work session, so that demonstrates that this HIT session elicited an appropriate muscular response.  Biomarkers from the blood tests were similar for all groups too.

The cold water group was given research demonstrating cold water therapy’s effectiveness on cycling exercise, so they entered the study with a belief that the therapy would benefit them.  Similarly, the placebo group was informed that their recovery oil was as effective as cold water therapy. 

Both the cold water and placebo groups rated themselves as more psychologically ready for exercise and less fatigued than the thermoneutral, non placebo group.  That is to be expected.  The mind is an extremely powerful thing, and it can drive you to reach a different mental state.  

But here’s the kicker: both the cold water and thermoneutral placebo group showed improvements in strength recovery over the thermoneutral group. This is actual, muscular exertion in which the placebo group performed as well as the cold water group.  

The actual mechanism for cold water therapy’s efficacy is not completely understood.  Is it the cold water? This study suggests not, as the blood markers did not significantly change even in the cold water group. Or is it simply the belief that the cold water is an effective therapy? Is it the combination of both, in which that belief is strong enough to drive the placebo effect for the thermoneutral group?

Should You Try Ice Baths?

What’s an athlete to do when research is split like it is on the case of cold water immersion therapy? Some evidence suggests it is beneficial, where other carefully designed trials cannot elicit a measurable response. Importantly, none of the outcomes have been negative or dangerous. One can then assume that it is worth trying. At the worst, an athlete who tries cold water therapy to no benefit has lost some ice, some time, and some minutes of warmth from his or her life.  However, there is the potential that he or she might see some personal gain from the experience.

Regardless of which it is, the important takeaway here is that our attitudes and beliefs are so powerful, they effect our body’s performance in physiologically measurable ways. Individual athletes should keep this in mind in effort to remain mentally strong. Coaches should be aware of this to help develop and foster a positive training environment, and mentally tough athletes.  

How do you recover?  The science geek in me loves my studies and data, but just as much, I love real life feedback.  Let me know what you do, what you have tried, and how it works for you. Now, go work as smart on your recovery as you work hard in your workouts!  

References

1.  Bieuzen, F., Bleakley, C. M., & Costello, J. T. (2013). Contrast Water Therapy and Exercise Induced Muscle Damage: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS ONE, 8(4), e62356. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0062356.

2.  Takeda, M., Sato, T., Hasegawa, T., Shintaku, H., Kato, H., Yamaguchi, Y., & Radak, Z. (2014). The Effects of Cold Water Immersion after Rugby Training on Muscle Power and Biochemical Markers. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 13(3), 616–623.

3.  Leederab, J.D.C, Van Somerenbc, K.A., Bellbc, P.G., Spenceb, J.R., Jewelld, A.P., Gazee, D., & Howatsonbf, G. (2015).  Effects of seated and standing cold water immersion on recovery from repeated sprinting.  Journal of Sports Sciences.  Jan 9,1-9. DOI:10.1080/02640414.2014.996914.

4.  Broatch, J.R., Peterson, A., & Bishop, D. J. (2014). Postexercise Cold Water Immersion Benefits Are Not Greater than the Placebo Effect. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 46(11), 2139 – 2147.  DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000000348.


About the author

Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.

Filed Under: Research

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