Ice Baths: A Post-Workout Analysis

Post-workout strategy suggests change frequently and is widely different from swimmer and team. I remember during my collegiate swimming years simply sitting in the hot tub and talking about our weekend plans with the guys. However, at some teams you'll see an extensive and expensive protocol, while others seem careless with their lack of post-workout protocol [read about the best swim meet recovery methods]. Unfortunately, many post-workout strategies which seem beneficial, later appear non-beneficial in the literature [Read about Beetroot Juice].

I have questioned ice baths back to 2010 (Do Ice Baths Work?), while USA Swimming and Bridge Athletic have suggested ice bath strategies in recent articles. So, what is the verdict on ice baths?
I'm certain if you ask these swimmers why they use ice baths, it will be either because they were told to sit in them or they like the feeling. Unfortunately, relying on "feeling" alone is problematic, as it can cause the placebo effect.

Recently, two studies have doubted the effects of ice baths or cold water immersion (CWI) on long-term muscular performance and gains. One study by Roberts (2015) stated:

We compared the effects of cold water immersion and active recovery on changes in muscle mass and strength after 12 weeks of strength training. We also examined the effects of these two treatments on hypertrophy signalling pathways and satellite cell activity in skeletal muscle after acute strength exercise.
Cold water immersion attenuated long term gains in muscle mass and strength. It also blunted the activation of key proteins and satellite cells in skeletal muscle up to 2 days after strength exercise.
Individuals who use strength training to improve athletic performance, recover from injury or maintain their health should therefore reconsider whether to use cold water immersion as an adjunct to their training.
Another study from Japan (Yamane 2015), analyzed the effects of cold water immersion after a strength resistance