The Effects of Pre-Cooling for Athletes

How can cooling garments help athletes perform at the top of their games?

This study, from the European Journal of Applied Physiology in 2007, explored whether pre-cooling procedures improved both maximal sprint and sub-maximal work during exercise. In the tests, nine male rugby players performed a familiarization session and three testing sessions of a 2 × 30-min intermittent sprint protocol. This protocol consisted of a 15-m sprint every min separated by free-paced hard-running, jogging and walking in 32°C and 30% humidity.

The study found that over greater distances covered in workouts, participants who used ice baths or cooling vests had increasingly lower heart rates, lower sweat loss, and more thermal comfort overall during their activities.

The study can be accessed here.