hot or cold??? please help

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hello everyone my question was is it better to take a hot bath with epson salt or a cold bath to releave a sore and and achie body after the gym??? im not sure witch one would be better but i need a little relief so i can make it to the hym tomorrow to do it all over again please help thank you

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  • PlunderBunneh
    PlunderBunneh Posts: 1,705 Member
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    In my experience, just getting back to the gym makes everything feel much better. Sorry I don't have an answer for the baths. Oh, and lots of water!
  • shivles
    shivles Posts: 468 Member
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    If I've done a really hard workout then a short cold bath stops me getting as stiff the next day but I have to follow it with a hot shower so I don't freeze lol. After one really hard long run when I'd been out for 2hrs I got in and just got straight in a cold bath, clothes and all. The next day I was expecting to be really stiff but was just a little sore, since then I've been sold!

    ETA: if you're already achey though a hot bath and a massage will help
  • T1mH
    T1mH Posts: 568 Member
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    Hot bath probably, Doing high intensity every day is tough on your body. Rest days are important. If you work out to hard you are likely to burn out and stop exercising at all. The best thing you can do is to make sustainable long term choices.
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
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    Stretching, warm shower, Aleve
  • Nessiechickie
    Nessiechickie Posts: 1,392 Member
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    Unless you have trained like an Olympian... I would say a nice hot bath will do the trick.
    read this... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_bath
  • ejwme
    ejwme Posts: 318
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    it depends on the aches and pains, and what exactly you're doing all over again.

    Muscle is built during rest - lifting tears and damages the muscles, you rebuild them during rest. If you're returning to the gym to re-damage the same muscle groups before they heal (stop hurting), you're cruising for a more serious injury.

    If it's aches and pains from injury (like one leg hurts way more than the other, or it's a sharp pain), cold. And figure out what you've injured, and let it heal.

    If it's aches and pains from just lifting more than you're used to, cold helps in the first 48 hours or so, after that it doesn't do much (in my opinion it stops being worth the discomfort). NSAIDs are awesome and can help outside that window.

    Please make sure you're getting in your rest days. They're not lazy or slacking, it's rebuilding - it's the entire point of going to the gym in the first place. If you don't (re)build muscle, all the pain is pointless!
  • FullOfWin
    FullOfWin Posts: 1,414 Member
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    If you use bath salts, you will go on a spree of eating people which will negate your calories burned with the exercise
  • RyanWilson1993
    RyanWilson1993 Posts: 409 Member
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    Ice baths for the win!
  • mfoy94
    mfoy94 Posts: 228 Member
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    If you use bath salts, you will go on a spree of eating people which will negate your calories burned with the exercise

    /this
  • ejwme
    ejwme Posts: 318
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    Oh, another word of warning - if you've seriously got damage going on, and you've done an incredibly hard workout, hot baths will actually make life way worse. But I'm talking if you've run 15 miles, don't hop in a hot shower. The reason is the heat just makes your body's natural inflammation response that much easier by increasing circulation. So ice things early, and avoid heat if you've really, really overdone it.
  • Heaven829
    Heaven829 Posts: 38 Member
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    well today i burned 1874 calories doing 199 minutes of cardio exercises so my body is on fire i have 2 rest days a week and i use the trainer at the gym for max results
  • T1mH
    T1mH Posts: 568 Member
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    well today i burned 1874 calories doing 199 minutes of cardio exercises so my body is on fire i have 2 rest days a week and i use the trainer at the gym for max results
    This is to much. How long have you been doing this? My bet is you don't last a month. You didn't put the weight on in a month.
    your not going to take it off and keep it off in a month. Shows like biggest loser do not model safe and healthy ways to lose weight. I'm not saying this to be mean. I'm encouraging you to do some research. If your paying a trainer that is encouraging you to do this I would question his quaifications and suggest getting a new trainer.

    Where are you getting your calorie burn estimation from?
  • WAMarathoner
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    If your muscles are sore (the good kind of pain) - cold is much better. If you are feeling injured (back pain, etc.) then maybe heat is superior.

    But, believe it or not, there is mounting evidence from several studies that you are actually better off doing NEITHER. Muscle pain is a sign that your body is adapting to the stress of your workout, making you stronger, faster, and with more stamina. Anything you do to minimize pain (cold, heat, ibuprofin, massage) theoretically limits the gains from your exercise.

    It's a little controversial. For example, here are 2 articles from very reputable sources that recommend different approaches:

    http://www.runnersworld.com/injury-prevention-recovery/two-studies-back-benefits-ice-baths
    http://running.competitor.com/2012/05/injuries/before-you-soak-in-that-ice-bath_51935

    The bottom line is, as with most things, do what works best for you. I tend to the follow the 'pain is my friend' technique and it's worked well for me.
  • halffullpgh
    halffullpgh Posts: 74 Member
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    If you use bath salts, you will go on a spree of eating people which will negate your calories burned with the exercise

    exactly. I am pretty sure bath salts lead to nudity and cannibalism.
  • terrencelbrown5
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    For me a hot bath with epsom salts really works. It removes the aches, and I make sure the water is almost hot.
  • acm130
    acm130 Posts: 100 Member
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    If it's aches and pains from injury (like one leg hurts way more than the other, or it's a sharp pain), cold. And figure out what you've injured, and let it heal.

    If it's aches and pains from just lifting more than you're used to, cold helps in the first 48 hours or so, after that it doesn't do much (in my opinion it stops being worth the discomfort). NSAIDs are awesome and can help outside that window.
    ^^^^ This! For running/sports injuries I use the RICE regimen (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) plus NSAIDs as needed and topical Arnica. It's helpful to remember cold vasoCONSTRICTS and hot vasoDILATES. It's important to know if pain/soreness is from lactic acid 'burn' or real injury. Take care of yourself!
  • kokoforskinny
    kokoforskinny Posts: 91 Member
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    hello everyone my question was is it better to take a hot bath with epson salt or a cold bath to releave a sore and and achie body after the gym??? im not sure witch one would be better but i need a little relief so i can make it to the hym tomorrow to do it all over again please help thank you

    What I found that worked for me when I first started the gym was to take to Ibroprphen (sp) an hour before I was going. Then I took two more an hour after the gym. It would slow the inflammation down.
  • Heaven829
    Heaven829 Posts: 38 Member
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    Thank you all for the help