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Effect of regular precooling on adaptation to training in the heat

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European Journal of Applied Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

This study investigated whether regular precooling would help to maintain day-to-day training intensity and improve 20-km cycling time trial (TT) performed in the heat. Twenty males cycled for 10 day × 60 min at perceived exertion equivalent to 15 in the heat (35 °C, 50% relative humidity), preceded by no cooling (CON, n = 10) or 30-min water immersion at 22 °C (PRECOOL, n = 10).

Methods

19 participants (n = 9 and 10 for CON and PRECOOL, respectively) completed heat stress tests (25-min at 60% \({\dot{\text{V}}\text{O}}_{{{\text{2peak}}}}\) and 20-km TT) before and after heat acclimation.

Results

Changes in mean power output (∆MPO, P = 0.024) and heart rate (∆HR, P = 0.029) during heat acclimation were lower for CON (∆MPO − 2.6 ± 8.1%, ∆HR − 7 ± 7 bpm), compared with PRECOOL (∆MPO + 2.9 ± 6.6%, ∆HR − 1 ± 8 bpm). HR during constant-paced cycling was decreased from the pre-acclimation test in both groups (P < 0.001). Only PRECOOL demonstrated lower rectal temperature (Tre) during constant-paced cycling (P = 0.002) and lower Tre threshold for sweating (P = 0.042). However, skin perfusion and total sweat output did not change in either CON or PRECOOL (all P > 0.05). MPO (P = 0.016) and finish time (P = 0.013) for the 20-km TT were improved in PRECOOL but did not change in CON (P = 0.052 for MPO, P = 0.140 for finish time).

Conclusion

Precooling maintains day-to-day training intensity and does not appear to attenuate adaptation to training in the heat.

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Abbreviations

∆:

Delta change

CON:

Control

CVC:

Cutaneous vascular conductance

CWI:

Cold water immersion

HR:

Heart rate

LSR:

Local sweat rate

MPO:

Mean power output

PRECOOL:

Precooling

PU:

Perfusion units

RH:

Relative humidity

RPE:

Rating of perceived exertion

T arm :

Forearm skin temperature

T ca :

Calf skin temperature

T re :

Rectal temperature

T sk :

Weighted mean skin temperature

T st :

Sternal skin temperature

TT:

Time trial

T th :

Thigh skin temperature

USG:

Urine specific gravity

\({\dot{\text{V}}\text{O}}_{{{\text{2max}}}}\) :

Maximal oxygen uptake

\({\dot{\text{V}}\text{O}}_{{{\text{2peak}}}}\) :

Peak oxygen uptake

WBS:

Whole body sweat loss

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Acknowledgements

The experiments were carried out at Singapore Sport Institute. The authors wish to thank all the participants for volunteering. The authors also thank Man Tong Chua, Nurul Shafiqah Binte Mohamed Saiful, and Kin Ming Chow for their assistance in data collection.

Funding

This study was funded by the School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University. At the time of the study was conducted, HCC was supported by the International Postgraduate Research Scholarship and Edith Cowan University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Exercise and Sports Science Research, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Dr, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia

    Hui C. Choo & Chris R. Abbiss

  2. Discipline of Exercise Science, College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Murdoch University, 90 South St, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia

    Jeremiah J. Peiffer

  3. Sport Science and Medicine Centre, Singapore Sport Institute, 3 Stadium Drive, Singapore, 397630, Singapore

    Joel W. J. Pang, Frankie H. Y. Tan & Abdul Rashid Aziz

  4. Research and Scientific Support, ASPETAR Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, P.O. Box 29222, Doha, Qatar

    Mohammed Ihsan

  5. Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 2 Medical Drive, Singapore, 117593, Singapore

    Hui C. Choo, Frankie H. Y. Tan & Jason K. W. Lee

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  1. Hui C. Choo
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  2. Jeremiah J. Peiffer
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Contributions

Conception and design of research: HCC, CRA, JJP, and MI; acquisition of data: HCC and JWJP; formal analysis of data: HCC; interpretation of data: HCC, CRA, JJP, JWJP, ARA, and MI; writing of the original draft: HCC; review and editing of manuscript: HCC, CRA, JJP, JWJP, FHYT, MI, ARA, and JKWL; supervision of research: CRA, JJP, ARA, FHYT, and JKWL.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hui C. Choo.

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Conflict of interest

No conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, are declared by the authors.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of Edith Cowan University Human Research Ethics Committee (Reference number: 15078 CHOO) and Institutional Review Board of the Singapore Sport Institute (Reference number: PH-ECP-022) and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Additional information

Communicated by Narihiko Kondo.

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Choo, H.C., Peiffer, J.J., Pang, J.W.J. et al. Effect of regular precooling on adaptation to training in the heat. Eur J Appl Physiol 120, 1143–1154 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-020-04353-1

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