Athletes have been doing it for decades, but new research shows that dunking into a tub of ice-cold water after exercise is not beneficial—or effective. Not only does it waste time (and make your bones ache from the cold), but doesn’t appear to speed recovery or minimize inflammation.

Researchers at the University of New Hampshire studied participants who engaged in exercise followed by ice bathing—known commonly as cryotherapy—against an exercise-only control group. Their findings were recently published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, revealing that those who suffered through bone-aching cryotherapy experienced no alleviation of soreness or additional strength gained during exertion.