Do post-exercise hot water baths affect muscle growth?
It has been shown that cold water baths can decrease muscle protein synthesis (the process driving muscle growth and adaptation). Therefore, it can be speculated that hot water baths may be able to increase muscle protein synthesis.
This study investigated whether hot water baths affect muscle protein synthesis after a resistance exercise session. For each subject, one leg was submerged in thermoneutral water (30 degrees) and the other leg in hot water (46 degrees) for 20 minutes. Subjects also received a 20-g protein shake after the exercise.
Although the hot water bath increased the temperature of the muscle, this did not result in higher muscle protein synthesis rates after the resistance exercise session.
It should be noted that some other studies have suggested that heating muscles may have a favourable impact on muscle growth. This may suggest that the impact of heating on muscle growth may depend on several factors such as the heat duration, the heat timing, the heat temperature, how the heat is applied, etc.
In conclusion, a 20-min hot water bath does not increase muscle protein synthesis after a resistance exercise session.
Study from our lab:
Hot-water immersion does not increase post-prandial muscle protein synthesis rates during recovery from resistance-type exercise in healthy, young males. J Appl Physiol, 2020
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