I thought cold plunges were just a fad until my buddy dragged me to his gym in Austin

For like two years I rolled my eyes every time someone posted about ice baths on social media. Seemed like just another influencer thing that would fade out. But my friend trains at this gym near downtown Austin and their recovery room has a plunge tank set to 45 degrees. I tried it after a brutal leg day just to shut him up honestly. The first 30 seconds were miserable but after I got out I swear my legs felt way less heavy than normal. I did it maybe 10 times over the last 3 months and my soreness is cut by like half compared to before. Still not sure I'd buy a setup for home but I get why people do it now. Has anyone else been wrong about a trend they thought was garbage?

2 comments

2 Comments

sanchez.mary25d ago

lee.casey, my neighbor tried it once and said her knee felt fine for two whole days.

lee.casey25d ago

Did you notice any difference in how long the recovery benefits lasted compared to normal? I'm trying to figure out if it's something you have to do every single day or if once or twice a week actually makes a dent. Because I've seen some people online claiming you need to be consistent for weeks before it starts working, but you were able to feel something after just one session, so that's a pretty big difference. Also curious if the water temp matters that much or if maybe my local gym's tank being at 50 degrees is close enough to still get the same effect without the full shock factor.