Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Publication Date

8-27-2009

Abstract

Local cooling, or cryotherapy can induce an ergogenic effect during short term intense exercise. One proposed method of personal cooling involves heat extraction from the palm using a device called the Rapid Thermal Exchanger (RTX). PURPOSE: In this study we hypothesized that local palm cooling during rest intervals between progressive weight training sets will increase total repetitions and exercise volume in resistance trained subjects in a thermoneutral environment and that local palm heating will have no effect. METHODS: Sixteen male subjects (mean±SD, age = 26±6 yr, height = 178±7 cm, body mass = 81.5±11.3kg, 1RM Bench press = 123.5±12.6 kg, % body fat = 10.3±5.4%, weight training experience = 10±6 yr) performed 4 sets of 85% 1RM bench press exercise to fatigue, with 3min rest intervals. Exercise trials were performed in counterbalanced order on three days, separated by at least 3 days; Thermoneutral (TN), Palm Heating (PH), and Palm Cooling (PC). Heating and cooling were applied using the RTX set to 45\uf0b0C and 10\uf0b0C, respectively. Data were analyzed using 2-way repeated measures ANOVA and Tukeys post hoc tests. RESULTS: Total exercise volume (kg) during the 4 PC sets (2480±636) was significantly higher than during TN (1972±632) and PH (2156±668) sets, (p <0.01). The RMS of the surface EMG with PC exercise was higher (p <0.01), and heart rate and RPE were lower (p <0.01 and p <0.05, respectively) during PC compared to TN and PH. CONCLUSION: Palm cooling was associated with increased exercise repetitions and exercise volume, possibly related to a delayed central fatigue or to a peripheral counter-irritation effect. These results suggest that palm cooling may enhance training during progressive resistive exercise.'

Keywords

Weight lifting--Physiological aspects, Body temperature--Physiological effect

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Degree Name

Physical Education, Sports and Exercise Science

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences

First Committee Member (Chair)

Kravitz, Len

Second Committee Member

Gurney, Burke

Third Committee Member

Mermier, Christine

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