The Effects of Cold-Water Immersion on Post-High-Intensity-Exercise Cortisol and Testosterone to Determine Recovery

Context: Little literature has explored the effects of cold-water immersion (CWI), on testosterone and cortisol responses to exercise. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of CWI on testosterone and cortisol responses to high-intensity exercise in athletes. Methods: 8 male American football players (21.0 ± 1.0 years of age, 180.0 ± 4.4 cm, 86.7 ± 8.6 kg) underwent a series of high-intensity workouts consisting of maximal effort sprints. Subjects underwent PR and different lengths of CWI consisting of a 15-, 25-, or 35-minute bout immediately after workouts. Salivary samples were taken for pre, post, one hr post, 24 hr post, and 48 hr post workout. Results: For testosterone, very large ( η _p ² = .561) main effects for time ( F (4) = 30.729; P < .001) regardless of CWI condition. There was a medium to large ( η _p ² = .231) condition-by-time interaction ( F (12) = 2.402; P = .030) that demonstrated a difference in testosterone responses to training based on different CWI conditions. At 24 hours post-workout, testosterone was significantly elevated from one-hour post-workout in both the 25- and 35-min CWI conditions. The 35 min CWI condition led to an overshoot at 48 hours so that testosterone was higher than baseline at the 48-hour recovery mark. Conclusions: When seeking the goal of acute recovery, results suggest athletes may want to partake in passive recovery as compared to longer bouts of CWI; however, the data suggests CWI may be more beneficial for prolonged recovery.