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Cold-water immersion blunts and delays increases in circulating testosterone and cytokines post-resistance exercise

European Journal of Applied Physiology volume 119, pages 1901–1907 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

Introduction

Cold-water immersion (CWI) is often used to promote recovery by reducing exercise-induced muscle damage, soreness, and inflammation. However, recent reports have cautioned that CWI may attenuate the adaptive response to resistance training.

Purpose

To determine the effect of post resistance-exercise CWI on circulating free testosterone (T) and cytokine (IL-6 and TNF-α) response.

Methods

Using a randomized and counterbalanced repeated-measures design, 11 resistance-trained men completed two workouts (6 sets of 10 repetitions of back squats at 80% of maximum load) a week apart after which they took part in either 15 min of CWI (15 °C) or passive recovery. T, IL-6, and TNFα were measured in blood samples taken before (PRE) and 5 (5POST), 15 (15POST), 30 (30POST), and 60 (60POST) min post-exercise and compared between treatments and over time.

Results

For T, a significant interaction effect of condition over time (p = 0.030) as well as greater relative concentrations of T in CON (Δ9.2%) than CWI (Δ-0.5%, p = 0.049) at 30POST were observed. In addition, at 60POST, T dropped below PRE values in CWI (Δ-10.4%, p = 0.028) but not in CON (Δ-1.6%, p = 0.850). A suppressed cytokine response was observed after CWI in IL-6 at 30POST (CWI: Δ4.9%, CON: Δ47.5%, p = 0.041) and TNFα at 15POST (CWI: Δ5.3%, CON: Δ17.0%, p = 0.022).

Conclusions

CWI blunted the T and cytokine response after a bout of resistance exercise. These results indicate that CWI results in an altered anabolic response and may help to explain the previous observation of attenuated hypertrophy when CWI is used after resistance exercise.

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Abbreviations

1RM:

Back squat one repetition maximum

BM:

Body mass

CON:

Passive control condition

CWI:

Cold-water immersion condition

IL-6:

Interleukin-6

POST:

Post-exercise time point (5, 15, 30 or 60 min)

PRE:

Pre-exercise time point

T:

Free testosterone

TNFα:

Tumor necrotic growth-factor alpha

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Acknowledgements

Partial financial support for this study was provided by an Enhancement of Graduate Research Award from the University of Rhode Island.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Kinesiology, University of Rhode Island, 25 West Independence Way, Kingston, RI, 02881, USA

    Jacob E. Earp, Disa L. Hatfield & Andrew Sherman

  2. Department of Kinesiology, University of Connecticut, 2095 Hillside Road, U-1110, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA

    Elaine C. Lee

  3. Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, 305 Annie & John Glenn Ave, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    William J. Kraemer

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  1. Jacob E. Earp
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Correspondence to Jacob E. Earp.

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Communicated by Philip D. Chilibeck.

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Earp, J.E., Hatfield, D.L., Sherman, A. et al. Cold-water immersion blunts and delays increases in circulating testosterone and cytokines post-resistance exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 119, 1901–1907 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04178-7

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Keywords

  • Cryotherapy
  • Inflammation
  • Hypertrophy
  • Anabolic
  • Recovery
  • Ice