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Old Forum Anybody ice their muscles before a workout?

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Jeff

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What do think about icing the lower back before a swing workout?  Would that make an athlete more susceptible to injury, or could it allow for a better workout?
 
I never heard of that. I would think it would be a bad idea. If one is icing for injury, then one should probably be resting.

I do not know what is meant by "better workout". I do not see it making anyone stronger in anyway. I see it reducing blood flow to those muscles and skin for a while and that is usually not want people want before exercise of any kind.
 
I take cold showers after my training.  Sometimes I'll give myself a contrast shower if I want to reward myself.  If you're referring to using cold exposure for more net calories burned/faster recovery then I would make an effort to do it after the session.  Like Herr said you'd just be constricting blood flow and the area is going to heat up anyways.  Train hard to rev up some heat, take it out with the cold and then let your body work it's magic at maintaining homeostasis by producing more heat.

One could stand to lose a LOT of fat this way.  Plus cold showers make you feel like a million bucks.
 
I would have to agree with everyone on this topic, the only reason you generally ice is to reduce swelling in the muscle tissue. Which if being used before a work out would generally cause muscle tightness and take a lot longer to warm up the muscle. I would even go as far as saying this method would put you at a higher risk for injury. Now the cold shower afterwards is a great idea because after you work is when you want to stretch and get some cold water on the area just exercised to reduce swelling and soreness.

Joe Dymnioski
 
A few years back I think I saw the Germans icing themselves before their events in the Olympics.  It flew in the face of everything I thought I knew, but they obviously thought it improved their performances.
 
Icing the back before a workout would not be ideal and would probably lead to an injury. If it is due to an injury the question should be whether you should work out. If it is not due to injury, but instead tightness in the lower back then a proper warmup (movement prep) followed by movement drills (focusing on proper movement patterns) would be better. For example, when I suffer from lower back pain it sometimes feels like a pulled muscle on one side or a pinching feeling in the center of my lower back. While this is not always the answer to what ales you it does often help to do a dynamic stretch warmup for the muscles in the hamstrings. A great exercise for this is to stand straight up looking straight ahead. Bend forward at the waist while lifting one leg behind you. The hips need to stay square so it helps to turn that foot in so that you load the hip of the leg you are standing on. As you bend forward extend your arms out to the side with you thumbs pointed towards your back. Push the heel of the foot that is in the air out and continue to bend until you are standing on one leg, hips square to the ground, hip loaded, other leg straight and parallel to the ground, foot turned in, heel pushed out, torso level to the ground, arms straight out to the side with thumbs pointed up and head slightly up enough to see an object ahead to assist with balance. Don't hold it, but step back and swap legs. Continue to step back for 4-5 reps per leg. It should loosen up those muscles nicely, help to open your hips, and alleviate the back pain as well as getting blood to those muscles so you can conduct a safe workout. Save the ice for afterwards, and if you can do cold and hot contrast baths/showers. Ice after a workout will help to slow/stop the breakdown of muscle tissue. By contrast between hot and cold you are able to open the vessels and infuse your muscles with blood when in the warm then transition to cold to tighten (pressing toxins from the tissue) and also help reduce inflammation.
 
A few years back I think I saw the Germans icing themselves before their events in the Olympics.  It flew in the face of everything I thought I knew, but they obviously thought it improved their performances.
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Maybe they had some sort of condition they were trying to mitigate. Remember, Olympic athletes are generally willing to die for a medal, and they are using things and on programs not available/suitable for others.

Also, keep in mind that corked bats reduce the efficiency of bats, get players in extreme trouble, and yet, they still do it occasionally. And there is no regulation against using a lighter bat. They cork only for psychological reasons.
 
That's pretty interesting. I want to research that. Maybe they thought it someone increased muscle tension just prior to their lifts. I have no idea why that theory came to mind, but maybe there is something to it. Dean Karnazes ran 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days and had his blood constantly monitored. His body adapted to the training stress and began using lactic acid as an energy source. His only problem was eating enough to keep going. In RIP we would thrash all day long and all day and all night sometimes. All of our bodies eventually adapted to the stimulus and everyone could literally go for hours without getting tired. I'm not saying it's a good idea, but we definitely don't know nearly as much about the human body and its capabilities as we think we do.
 
I recall reading in Mel Siff's Supertraining that isometric muscle contractions are more efficient at lower body/muscle temperatures, whereas dynamic movements are more efficient at warmer body/muscle temperatures.

What event were the Germans icing before, and more importantly, how did they perform?
 
It was the Winter Olympics.  I don't remember the event.  A race of some sort.
 
The best way to avoid injuries is an appropriate warm up, cardio endurance , mobility exercises and dynamic stretching ( 10/20 minutes ).

Ice after, or, as Chris explain perfectly, hot/ cold.
 
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