GOOD, I HATE THESE: How an Ice Bath May Undermine Your Weight Workout: Cold water immersion is popular with some athletes, but it may slow the growth of new muscle. “In effect, the soakers’ muscles seemed to have become biochemically primed for slower recovery and less growth than the tissues of the other men, says Aaron Petersen, a senior lecturer in exercise physiology at Victoria University, who led the new study. Dr. Petersen and his colleagues suspect that the repeated cold-water immersions may have triggered complex metabolic reactions inside the body that prioritize keeping tissues warm over helping them to grow.”

I’ll stick with a nice hot post-workout shower.