Going polar
Chris Hemsworth swears by them. Stanford University says they improve your mental health. Tourism Norway promotes them as a ‘fun and freezing adventure’. The Carlton Football Club, well the Blues have been known to ‘go blue’ as a punishment for arriving late at training (or so it has been said).
And Lachie Butler, strength and fitness coach at Surrey Park Swimming? “Yes,” he confesses, “I’m an avid believer.”
And what’s this excitement all about? Ice baths, plunging yourself into very cold water, and just as the Australian and Victorian Institutes of Sport incorporate their use in training and recovery, so too has Surrey Park Swimming recently purchased an ice bath to compliment the training and recovery of its high performance squad swimmers.
“Typically speaking,” Lachie says, we use it, “When you want to reduce fatigue and when you want to increase recovery.” He goes on, “There’s definitely a science around how to use it… and that’s why we apply the latest science to make sure that we’re using it in a way that is the most beneficial for all our swimmers.”
And the benefits that science has shown ‘icy athletes’ to enjoy? Lachie notes that there are many, some physiological, others psychological.
From a physical perspective, immersion in ice baths places the body under increased pressure. This pressure pushes the toxic by-products from exercise through the blood around the body to have it removed. The process also stimulates the endocrine system which plays a vital role in metabolism and overall body health. Also enhanced is the provision of oxygen and nutrients necessary for optimal regeneration to muscles.
Additionally, just as we ice a wrist or ankle or knee when inflamed, so too do ice baths reduce inflammation and promote recovery. Confirming this, Lachie says, “Many swimmers report feeling fresher and feeling like their niggles and their shoulder issues that they’ve had and their back issues or their general soreness, that they come out of it feeling very fresh and alive and awake and kind of enthused and pretty positive.”
Such positive feelings are linked to further benefits and Lachie adds that ice baths are shown to contribute to developing control of breath, reduction of fatigue, wellness, well-being, and our mindfulness.
And unexpected benefits? Comedy and camaraderie and Lachie emphasises these are not to be underestimated. Elite swimmers, he says, “Kind of become a younger version of themselves when they’re in the water which is very funny. There’s great social camaraderie … usually there’s one person in the bath and there’s four people around them watching and they’re all laughing at once and they’re a bit nervous because they’re about to hop in as well.”
Is there some squealing? “Yes,” says Lachie, “There are some really macho people in the squads who think they’re really cool and tough but it’s often those ones, they get in the water and they squeal like they did when they were probably three or four years old. They know who they are.”
So yes, Lachie is an “avid” supporter. “It’s a booster,” he concludes, “To make sure that a program like Surrey Park, where training performance is very important, can get the very best out of our swimmers every week… it’s another ‘one percenter’ that we have adds to the culture and adds to enjoyment to the group.”