Not exactly jumoing up and down in anticipation but I will let you know how it goes , getting into a cold bath with extra ice tomorrow morning ! inspired by this ;
Is an ice bath after a workout good for you?
Review by University of Ulster finds ice baths are effective, but safety evidence is lacking about the cold shock to the system
By Tim Locke
WebMD Health News
Medically Reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks
15th February 2012 - Sport stars like Andy Murray and Paula Radcliffe take an ice bath after a hard match or race, but do these baths work or do more harm than good?
The idea is that a plunge into an icy bath can help ward off the muscle soreness that can kick in a day or so after intense exercise.
As well as elite athletes, ice baths are said to be becoming more popular among other fitness enthusiasts.
Cold facts
A 2007 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found ice-water immersion, also known as cryotherapy, was mostly "ineffectual" for delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). However, a new review of evidence suggests it is better than doing nothing and is equal to other remedies such as compression stockings or stretching.
"We only found an effect in favour of cold water immersion when it was compared to doing nothing -- that is, passive rest after exercise," says Dr Chris Bleakley, a researcher at the University of Ulster.
The ice bath reduced muscle soreness by about 20%, he says.
"There were no differences when cold water immersion was compared to other popular recovery interventions," he says. So the best active treatment is still unclear, he tells us.
The review is published in The Cochrane Library.
Research on the safety of the method is lacking, Dr Bleakley also found.
Ice baths after hard workouts
The soreness that can occur after unaccustomed exercise or a stepped-up workout is known as delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. It usually peaks between 24 and 48 hours later.
It involves muscle stiffness, swelling, decline in strength, and localised muscle soreness.
Experts think it's due to mechanical damage that occurs to the muscle fibres. That can lead to inflammation and pain.
To combat the soreness, athletes take the ice baths in spas, large containers, home baths or even wheelie bins. They sit in the icy water for five minutes or longer.
Reacting to the study, Leonie Dawson, professional adviser to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, tells us: "There is very good proof that it's effective in reducing pain. But we don't have that similar evidence that it reduces inflammation.
"Inflammation is part of the body's healing process, so you don't necessarily want to get rid of that altogether, but maybe just manage it more effectively, which is what you are looking to do with the cryotherapy."