Over the decades, NBA players have undoubtedly come up with numerous effective ways of recovering their muscles after intense matches and the ice bath ritual is one of them. From accelerating muscle recovery to reducing the risk of injuries, ice baths play a crucial role in playing back-to-back games without any physical setbacks.
Some of the most prominent and iconic National Basketball Association (NBA) players, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, LeBron James and many others, have been actively following the ice bath ritual as their ultimate recovery therapy for years now. Have you wondered how exactly the ice bath ritual helps these iconic NBA players in beating exhaustion and staying at the top of their game? Well, let’s find out.
In this article we will take a look at the ice bath ritual followed by some of the most prominent NBA players and how it helps them in fastening up their recovery process.
The Ice Bath Ritual: How NBA Stars Like LeBron James Keep Playing at Elite Levels Night After Night
What Is The Ice Bath Ritual?
Well, the ice bath ritual has gained immense popularity among athletes from all over the world. The structured cold-water immersion routine helps the athletes with faster recovery and inflammation reduction. The ice bath ritual is generally followed immediately or within 30–60 minutes of the hardcore training or intense matches as the muscles are still inflamed.
The cooling effect of an ice bath helps reduce swelling and soreness easily. A few of the athletes also perform breathing exercises like box breathing and meditation in order to improve their mental focus and toughness.
Which NBA Players Regularly Take Ice Baths for Recovery?
In recent years, numerous NBA teams have started including the ice bath ritual in their regular post-game or post-practice routines for faster recovery of the players.
In the past few years, numerous prominent NBA players, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis, Chris Paul, Klay Thompson, Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard and many others, have started indulging themselves in the ice bath ritual and have made the cooling immersion therapy as a mandate in their post-match routine.
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How Does The Ice Bath Ritual Help The NBA Players?
As mentioned earlier, ice baths play a major role in fastening up the muscle recovery process for NBA players after long-drawn and intense matches. Also, following the ice bath helps the NBA players in reducing muscle inflammation and therefore cuts down their risk of any serious muscle injuries due to overexertion on the court.
Moreover, owing to the growing popularity of the format among basketball aficionados from all over the world and the increased frequency of matches, players are often required to play back-to-back matches without even a single day off in between. The immersion helps their bodies recover faster between games by flushing out lactic acid and metabolic waste.
Also, the ice bath ritual helps players with reducing their stress and boosts their mental toughness, which ultimately plays a major role in shaping up their mental resilience while playing the most crucial games on the court. A few athletes even switch between ice baths and hot tubs, which helps them to improve their blood circulation, bringing oxygen and nutrients to tired muscles.
The consistent recovery helps the athletes to prevent overused injuries like strains, sprains, or tendonitis. A few of the most prominent NBA players, including LeBron James and Stephen Curry, have also revealed in their interviews that the ice bath has also been an absolute game-changer in stabilising their sleeping schedule.
