EvidenceCLimitedStudies in people with real weaknesses: small, short or conflicting trials, or observational studies only.
Cold plunges eased muscle soreness a little after hard exercise in pooled trials. Strength and blood-marker results were mixed. Cold water may also blunt muscle gains from regular strength training.
Who it's for
Athletes needing quick recovery between hard sessions; not shown to help people building muscle.
What to expect
Modestly less soreness and better perceived recovery after hard exercise, with mixed effects on strength.
Watch out for
Regular use after strength training may reduce muscle and strength gains.
Cold plunges eased muscle soreness a day after hard exercise
Each dot is the average effect on soreness, and the line shows the range the true effect likely falls in.
← BetterWorse →
No difference
After high-intensity exercise (24 h)−0.89 (−1.48 to −0.29)Clear improvement
After soccer matches−1.04 (−1.91 to −0.17)Probably better
Cooling methods across 27 studies (24 h)−0.75 (−1.2 to −0.3)Clear improvement
−2−1.5−1−0.50
effect size (below 0 = less soreness)
Cold plunges eased muscle soreness a day after hard exercise
Figure 5. Forest plot illustrating the influence of CWI compared with passive recovery 24 h after exercise on muscle soreness (stratified by exercise intervention modality).
A review that pooled 52 studies found cold-water immersion beat passive rest 24 hours after high-intensity exercise. Soreness fell and people felt more recovered. Muscle power and a muscle-damage blood marker (creatine kinase) also improved. Strength did not improve after either high-intensity or eccentric (muscle-lengthening) exercise1Meta-analysis · 2022Impact of Cold-Water Immersion Compared with Passive Recovery Following a Single Bout of Strenuous Exercise on Athletic Performance in Physically Active Participants: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis and Meta-regression.CWI was an effective recovery tool after high-intensity exercise, with positive outcomes occurring for muscular power, muscle soreness, CK, and perceived recovery 24 h after exercise. However, after eccentric exercise, CWI was only effective for positively influencing muscular power 24 h after exercise. Dose-response…Sports Med.
After eccentric exercise, soreness was not clearly lower at 24 hours (the result could be chance). Small benefits showed at 48, 72 and 96 hours1Meta-analysis · 2022Impact of Cold-Water Immersion Compared with Passive Recovery Following a Single Bout of Strenuous Exercise on Athletic Performance in Physically Active Participants: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis and Meta-regression.CWI was an effective recovery tool after high-intensity exercise, with positive outcomes occurring for muscular power, muscle soreness, CK, and perceived recovery 24 h after exercise. However, after eccentric exercise, CWI was only effective for positively influencing muscular power 24 h after exercise. Dose-response…Sports Med.
A review of 9 randomized trials People are assigned by chance to the treatment or a comparison, so a difference in results is likely caused by the treatment itself. found cold water slightly better than rest for soreness. Water at about 11 to 15 °C for about 11 to 15 minutes worked best. Colder water (10 °C or below) showed no clear benefit2Meta-analysis · 2016Can Water Temperature and Immersion Time Influence the Effect of Cold Water Immersion on Muscle Soreness? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.The available evidence suggests that CWI can be slightly better than passive recovery in the management of muscle soreness. The results also demonstrated the presence of a dose-response relationship, indicating that CWI with a water temperature of between 11 and 15 °C and an immersion time of 11-15 min can provide the…Sports Med.
A review of 36 articles on cooling found less soreness at 24, 48 and 96 hours. Blood markers showed no clear change. The studies had a high risk of bias because people can't be blinded to cold water4Meta-analysis · 2015 · 36 peopleThe Effect of Post-Exercise Cryotherapy on Recovery Characteristics: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.00). There was no evidence, that cooling affects any objective recovery variable in a significant way during a 96 hrs recovery period.PLoS One.
A review of 10 studies in trained soccer players found better strength recovery, lower muscle-damage markers and less soreness after matches. Sprint performance did not change. The ranges of likely results in future studies included no effect, so the findings are uncertain3Meta-analysis · 2026The Impact of Cold-Water Immersion on Post-Match Recovery in Trained Soccer Players: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.However, as the 95% PIs for all outcomes included the null effect, the observed benefits should be interpreted cautiously, as future studies may yield smaller or null effects. Overall, CWI may enhance recovery of muscle strength, reduce muscle damage, and alleviate soreness in trained male and female soccer players,…Scand J Med Sci Sports.
A trial of 31 marathon runners found cold-water immersion no better than a dummy treatment (placebo A dummy treatment that looks like the real one, so people can't tell which they got.) for function or training stress. The authors suggest belief may explain some of the benefit6Randomized trial · 2018Recovery following a marathon: a comparison of cold water immersion, whole body cryotherapy and a placebo control.The findings show WBC has a negative impact on muscle function, perceptions of soreness and a number of blood parameters compared to CWI, contradicting the suggestion that WBC may be a superior recovery strategy. Further, cryotherapy is no more effective than a placebo intervention at improving functional recovery or…Eur J Appl Physiol.
In a 12-week trial of 21 men, cold-water immersion after strength training led to smaller gains in strength and muscle than active recovery7Randomized trial · 2015Post-exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long-term adaptations in muscle to strength training.These data suggest that CWI attenuates the acute changes in satellite cell numbers and activity of kinases that regulate muscle hypertrophy, which may translate to smaller long-term training gains in muscle strength and hypertrophy. The use of CWI as a regular post-exercise recovery strategy should be reconsidered.J Physiol.
These figures compare groups, so the gain for one person depends on how sore or fatigued they were to begin with.
Key studies
Study
Who
What it found
Review of 52 studies, 20221Meta-analysis · 2022Impact of Cold-Water Immersion Compared with Passive Recovery Following a Single Bout of Strenuous Exercise on Athletic Performance in Physically Active Participants: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis and Meta-regression.CWI was an effective recovery tool after high-intensity exercise, with positive outcomes occurring for muscular power, muscle soreness, CK, and perceived recovery 24 h after exercise. However, after eccentric exercise, CWI was only effective for positively influencing muscular power 24 h after exercise. Dose-response…Sports Med
Active adults after hard exercise
Less soreness, better power; no strength gain
Review of 9 trials, 20162Meta-analysis · 2016Can Water Temperature and Immersion Time Influence the Effect of Cold Water Immersion on Muscle Soreness? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.The available evidence suggests that CWI can be slightly better than passive recovery in the management of muscle soreness. The results also demonstrated the presence of a dose-response relationship, indicating that CWI with a water temperature of between 11 and 15 °C and an immersion time of 11-15 min can provide the…Sports Med
Exercisers
Slightly less soreness; 11 to 15 °C best
Review of 10 studies, 20263Meta-analysis · 2026The Impact of Cold-Water Immersion on Post-Match Recovery in Trained Soccer Players: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.However, as the 95% PIs for all outcomes included the null effect, the observed benefits should be interpreted cautiously, as future studies may yield smaller or null effects. Overall, CWI may enhance recovery of muscle strength, reduce muscle damage, and alleviate soreness in trained male and female soccer players,…Scand J Med Sci Sports
Trained soccer players
Better recovery; results uncertain
Trial, 20186Randomized trial · 2018Recovery following a marathon: a comparison of cold water immersion, whole body cryotherapy and a placebo control.The findings show WBC has a negative impact on muscle function, perceptions of soreness and a number of blood parameters compared to CWI, contradicting the suggestion that WBC may be a superior recovery strategy. Further, cryotherapy is no more effective than a placebo intervention at improving functional recovery or…Eur J Appl Physiol
31 marathon runners
No better than placebo
Trial, 20157Randomized trial · 2015Post-exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long-term adaptations in muscle to strength training.These data suggest that CWI attenuates the acute changes in satellite cell numbers and activity of kinases that regulate muscle hypertrophy, which may translate to smaller long-term training gains in muscle strength and hypertrophy. The use of CWI as a regular post-exercise recovery strategy should be reconsidered.J Physiol
21 men strength training
Smaller strength and muscle gains
Safety
Cold-water immersion caused a short-term rise in inflammation markers in healthy adults5Meta-analysis · 2025 · 10 peopleEffects of cold-water immersion on health and wellbeing: A systematic review and meta-analysis.This systematic review suggests that CWI delivers time-dependent effects on inflammation, stress, immunity, sleep quality, and quality of life, offering potential practical applications for health practitioners considering CWI for stress management and wellbeing support. However, the current evidence base is…PLoS One. Regular use after strength sessions was linked to smaller muscle gains in one trial7Randomized trial · 2015Post-exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long-term adaptations in muscle to strength training.These data suggest that CWI attenuates the acute changes in satellite cell numbers and activity of kinases that regulate muscle hypertrophy, which may translate to smaller long-term training gains in muscle strength and hypertrophy. The use of CWI as a regular post-exercise recovery strategy should be reconsidered.J Physiol.
What we don't know
Whether the soreness relief comes from the cold itself or from expectation, since people can't be blinded to cold water4Meta-analysis · 2015 · 36 peopleThe Effect of Post-Exercise Cryotherapy on Recovery Characteristics: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.00). There was no evidence, that cooling affects any objective recovery variable in a significant way during a 96 hrs recovery period.PLoS One,6Randomized trial · 2018Recovery following a marathon: a comparison of cold water immersion, whole body cryotherapy and a placebo control.The findings show WBC has a negative impact on muscle function, perceptions of soreness and a number of blood parameters compared to CWI, contradicting the suggestion that WBC may be a superior recovery strategy. Further, cryotherapy is no more effective than a placebo intervention at improving functional recovery or…Eur J Appl Physiol.
Whether regular plunges harm long-term muscle growth in larger, longer trials. The evidence is one small trial7Randomized trial · 2015Post-exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long-term adaptations in muscle to strength training.These data suggest that CWI attenuates the acute changes in satellite cell numbers and activity of kinases that regulate muscle hypertrophy, which may translate to smaller long-term training gains in muscle strength and hypertrophy. The use of CWI as a regular post-exercise recovery strategy should be reconsidered.J Physiol.
Written by AI from the studies listed, without review by a clinician, and graded with the GRADE method. It can be wrong, so check the studies it cites. Education, not medical advice.