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Athletes obsess over training. They keep track of every set, every rep, and every kilometre. But if you ask them about recovery plans, most of them will just shrug. How about an ice bath? Foam roller if they can remember?
This is where the best athletes stand out. Not how hard they train, but how smart they are about recovering. Water is still one of the best things you can do to help yourself recover, but it’s not used enough.
Hydrotherapy has many benefits that go beyond just a luxury spa visit. Water therapy speeds up recovery, lowers the risk of injury, and improves performance in ways that land-based methods can’t.
Hydrotherapy has been around for a long time. The Greeks and Romans built whole bathhouses around the healing powers of water. What has changed is our scientific knowledge of why it works.
Hydrotherapy uses the unique properties of water, like its temperature, pressure, and buoyancy, to make the body respond in ways that help it heal and perform better. It’s not just sitting back and relaxing. Physics does the hard work while you recover actively.
Francesco, founder of Elemento Fitness, says, “Recovery shouldn’t be an afterthought; it’s part of training. I’ve always believed that strength is not only about how hard you push but also about how well you restore your body and mind to keep going. Water has a unique ability to support movement without pain, calm the nervous system, and help the body heal — whether you’re an athlete, someone coming back from injury, or simply training to feel good in your daily life.“
This is why water is one of the core elements of our philosophy at Elemento. It represents adaptability, resilience, and the ability to recover without stopping. You don’t need medals or a perfect physique to benefit from hydrotherapy or water-based recovery—you just need the willingness to care for your body so it can keep carrying you forward.
And if you’re a coach who works with swimming, scuba diving, hydrotherapy, or any discipline connected to water—I would love to hear from you. Elemento is looking for professionals who believe in this element and want to help people reconnect with it through movement, recovery, and real human guidance.”
This is why hydrotherapy benefits can be seen in many different sports, from professional football to Olympic athletics. It’s not alternative medicine; it’s sports science based on evidence.
When you go deeper into the water, the pressure gets higher. This outside pressure makes blood vessels and tissues smaller, which is like wearing compression clothes. What happened? Better circulation, less swelling, and better venous return.
Studies show that hydrostatic pressure can lower limb volume by as much as 15%, which makes it especially useful for managing inflammation after training.
When you are in water up to your neck, it supports about 90% of your body weight. This dramatic offloading lets you move without putting stress on your joints, which is great for staying fit while recovering from an injury or for active recovery sessions that don’t add to your training load.
While their tissues heal, athletes can do exercises in water that would be impossible or painful on land.
Water moves heat 25 times faster than air. Because of this efficiency, thermal therapy (whether it’s cold, hot, or contrast) works much better in water than in other ways.
Cold water therapy (10–15 °C) lowers markers of inflammation and muscle damage. Warm water (33–36 °C) makes tissues more flexible and helps you relax. When you switch between contrast therapy, it makes a pumping effect that flushes out metabolic waste.
A systematic review published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport demonstrated that cold water immersion markedly alleviated muscle soreness and expedited recovery between training sessions in contrast to passive recovery.
Read: Swimming workouts by level: Beginner, Intermediate & Advanced plans that actually work
Muscle damage after training causes pain and swelling. Immersing yourself in cold water (10–15°C for 10–15 minutes) right after a hard workout can lower inflammatory markers and the feeling of muscle soreness by up to 20% in the days that follow.
How it works: Vasoconstriction reduces swelling, and when you leave, vasodilation happens, which flushes metabolic waste products better than just resting.
Warm water (33–36°C) raises the temperature and elasticity of tissues, making it great for mobility work. Many athletes discover that they can attain an enhanced range of motion in warm water compared to conventional stretching methods.
This makes aquatic mobility sessions especially helpful for athletes who have chronic tightness or trouble moving..
The buoyancy effect lets you do high-intensity work without putting stress on your joints. Runners who are recovering from shin splints, climbers who are dealing with elbow tendinopathy, or lifters who are dealing with lower back pain can keep their cardiovascular fitness and movement patterns without making their injuries worse.
Athletes often have trouble sleeping because their nervous systems are so active. Warm water immersion in the evening (20–30 minutes, 2 hours before bed) causes the core temperature to drop after leaving, which is a sign that sleep will be deeper.
Research indicates that this can decrease sleep onset latency and enhance sleep quality indicators, both essential for recovery adaptation.
Traditional active recovery often adds training stress. Gentle aquatic movement provides cardiovascular benefits and promotes recovery without the eccentric muscle damage or joint loading that comes with land-based activity.
When: 30 minutes after finishing hard training
10–15°C
Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Depth: Underwater to the waist or chest
Best for: competitions, high-intensity sessions, and training on multiple days
Protocol:
When: 4-6 hours post-training or on recovery days
Best for: Reducing muscle soreness, enhancing circulation
| Phase | Temperature | Duration | Repetitions |
| Cold Plunge | 10-15°C | 2 minutes | 3-4 cycles |
| Warm Pool | 36-38°C | 3 minutes | 3-4 cycles |
| Final Phase | Cold | 2 minutes | End cold |
Total time: 20-25 minutes
The temperature differential creates a vascular pumping effect, alternately constricting and dilating blood vessels to enhance circulation and waste removal.
When: Recovery days, injury rehabilitation
Temperature: 33-36°C
Duration: 30-45 minutes
Best for: Mobility work, maintaining movement, relaxation
Sample Session:
When: High-stress periods, sleep issues, mental fatigue
Duration: 60-90 minutes
Temperature: 35°C (skin temperature)
Best for: Mental recovery, stress reduction, meditation
Float tanks use Epsom salt saturation for complete buoyancy, eliminating sensory input. Research shows benefits for stress reduction, pain management, and mental clarity—particularly valuable for athletes dealing with competition anxiety or overtraining symptoms.
Athletes dealing with persistent inflammation (tendinopathies, overuse injuries) benefit from regular cold water exposure. The anti-inflammatory effect accumulates over consistent use.
Protocol: 10-min cold immersion 3-4x/week for 4-6 weeks, combined with appropriate loading management.
Warm water immersion 2-3 hours before competition reduces nervous system arousal whilst maintaining physical readiness. Many athletes report feeling “calm but ready” after strategic pre-event hydrotherapy.
Buoyancy allows earlier return to movement during injury recovery. Aquatic exercise maintains fitness and movement patterns whilst tissues heal, preventing the deconditioning that typically accompanies injury.
Staying Too Long
More is not better. Too much exposure to cold can weaken the immune system. Too much warm water can make you tired and dehydrated.
Follow the rules: Cold for 10 to 15 minutes and warm for 30 to 45 minutes at the most.
Poor Timing
Cold water immediately before training reduces power output and neural drive. Use post-training only, or at least 4+ hours before sessions.
Ignoring Contraindications
Hydrotherapy isn’t suitable for everyone. Avoid if you have:
Always consult with healthcare professionals if uncertain.
Not Controlling Temperature
“Cold” isn’t specific enough. Optimal benefits occur at specific temperatures. Too cold (under 10°C) provides no additional benefit and increases risk. Too warm (above 40°C) causes excessive physiological stress.
Forgetting Hydration
Even in water, you’re sweating during warm immersion. Dehydration impairs recovery. Drink water before, during (if long sessions), and after hydrotherapy.
Are you a coach offering water-based recovery sessions? Create your coach profile on Elemento
Hydrotherapy benefits aren’t a placebo or pseudoscience. They’re measurable, reproducible, and increasingly integrated into elite training programmes worldwide.
Water’s unique properties create physiological responses that enhance recovery, reduce injury risk, and maintain training capacity. Whether you’re a competitive athlete pushing performance limits or a recreational trainer managing soreness and fatigue, strategic hydrotherapy use improves outcomes.
At Elemento, hydrotherapy sits within our Water element philosophy, recognising that recovery isn’t passive rest, but active adaptation. Just as water shapes stone through consistent pressure, strategic recovery shapes athletic performance through consistent application.
The question isn’t whether hydrotherapy benefits work. The question is why you’re not using them yet.
How cold should cold water immersion be?
10-15°C is optimal. Colder provides no additional benefit and increases risk. Warmer reduces effectiveness.
Can I do cold water therapy every day?
Yes, but monitor recovery. Most athletes benefit from 3-4x/week post-hard training. Daily use is fine if training load supports it.
Is warm or cold better for recovery?
Depends on goals. Cold for inflammation and soreness. Warm for mobility and relaxation. Contrast for circulation. All have appropriate applications.
How soon after training should I use cold water immersion?
Within 30 minutes for maximum anti-inflammatory benefit. Can still be effective up to 2 hours post-training.
Does cold water reduce training adaptations?
Some research suggests frequent cold water use immediately post-strength training may slightly blunt hypertrophy adaptations. Use strategically—prioritise after high-intensity or endurance work rather than every strength session.
Francesco Gallo founded Elemento Fitness and is a qualified personal trainer with more than 20 years of experience in martial arts, weightlifting, and callisthenics.
He started his journey doing karate when he was 4 years old. He then competed in boxing, kickboxing, and strength sports before becoming an instructor. A personal loss changed his focus from performance to long-term health and well-being, which led him to build Elemento.
Elemento combines old knowledge with new training to bring together physical, mental, and emotional health through the four natural elements. “True fitness goes beyond the physical,” Francesco says. “It’s about being able to adapt, master something, and grow as a person.”Francesco leads Elemento’s mission to make excellent coaching accessible across the UK and to support fitness professionals in building sustainable, successful businesses.
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