Brave an ice bath like Andy Murray

Andy Murray's run to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, where he takes on Juan Carlos Ferrero today, has been assisted by regular dips in the cubes normally used to cool your gin and tonic.

One entry he posted on Twitter last Friday read: "Taken me four minutes to type this from ice bath, it is so cold."

So why exactly is the world's third best tennis player putting himself through this much torture? In simple terms, it's about helping the muscles, tendons and bones recover from their workout.

During exercise muscles suffer small fibre tears that cause small amounts of internal bleeding. When you get into an ice bath (for between five and 10 minutes), the cold causes the vessels to constrict and the blood to flow out of your limbs.

When you step out of the bath, and your body warms up, blood flows back and this invigorates the muscles with oxygen, helping the cells to repair themselves better.

So does it work? A former Great Britain middle-distance runner introduced me to the principle in the early 1990s at the same time that Paula Radcliffe revealed she used the treatment after exercise.

I have now practised the treatment while training for five London Marathons and the results are impressive, even if the process is enough to reduce you to a shivering wreck.

It is quite simple to set one up in your back garden. First, take one of those unsightly wheelie bins that the council kindly provide and part-fill it with cold water - ensuring first, of course, that it is clear of rubbish.

Next, stand inside the bin and have a friend fill it with ice - around four bags, which can be bought from any supermarket - up to your waist.

Then prepare for the pain. It must be like how it feels to have thousands of needles inserted into your legs at the same time. You feel a shortness of breath as the shock takes hold of your body.

The first time I tried it I didn't last 10 seconds - never mind 10 minutes - and swore I'd never do it again. But over time you learn to fight the compulsion to clamber out.

Your body quickly gets used to the cold so that by the second minute, the pain has started to ebb.

An added bonus is that your aching limbs do start to feel relaxed, but once you reach five minutes, the need to get out has overtaken you again. At this point the top half of your body starts to feel the chill and I always put on a sweatshirt and, in winter, a wooly hat.

A pair of lined shorts are also a must for males wanting to give it a go without risking their manhood.

The next five minutes are a battle as first your feet go numb, then your calves and upper legs.

It is a relief that my garden is enclosed because, frankly, I must look absolutely ridiculous and by minute nine, I am wondering again why I am doing this.

Then you reach the end and, with a bit of help, it is time to climb out.

With all the blood drained, your legs have a very strange light feeling but a quick hot shower soon brings the body's temperature back to normal.

Having a dip just once a week has enormous benefits.

Radcliffe was a pioneer yet now cricketers such as former England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones, the British Lions rugby players and many professional footballers will be subjected to ice baths.

And if the treatment is good enough to help Andy Murray win Wimbledon on Sunday, we may start to see wheelie bins in a whole new light.