Table 2.
An overview of the studies using per-cooling in relation with exercise performance.
| Study | Exercise protocol | Method of Cooling | Change in exercise performance | Change in temperature | Ambient conditions | Conclusion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ansley et al. 200846 | Cycling to exhaustion at 75% of VO2 max | Facial water spray cooling (a spray every 30 s) | 51% improvement in time to performance | No difference in Trec | 29°C 50% rh |
Facial water spray cooling improved exercise capacity |
| Barwood et al. 201542 | 16.1-km cycling time trial | Menthol spray on cycling jersey after 10 km | No difference in time trial performance | No difference in Trec | 33.5°C 33% rh |
Menthol spray cooling did not improve time trial performance |
| de Carvalho et al. 201447 | 40-km cycling time trial | Cold water ingestion (10°C, ad libitum) | No difference in time trial performance | No difference in Trec | 35°C 60% rh |
Cold water ingestion did not improve time trial performance |
| Cuttel et al. 2016102 | Cycling to exhaustion at 60% of maximal power output | Ice vest during cycling | 16.7% improvement in time to exhaustion | No difference in Trec | 35°C | Wearing an ice-vest is effective in improving exercise capacity, whereas a neck cooling collar is not effective |
| Neck cooling collar during cycling | No difference in time to exhaustion | No difference in Trec | 50% rh | |||
| Eijsvogels et al. 201436 | 5-km running time trial | Cooling vest during exercise | No difference in time trial performance | No difference in Tgi | 25°C 55% rh |
Wearing a cooling vest did not improve time trial performance |
| Hsu et al. 200549 | 30-km cycling time trial | Hand cooling (22°C) during cycling | 6.6% improvement in exercise time | No difference in Ttymp | 32°C 24% rh |
Hand cooling improved 30-km cycling time trial performance |
| Luomala et al. 201237 | 70 min cycling trial (60% VO2 max) with intermittent-sprints (80% VO2 max) | Ice vest applied after 30 min of exercise, until point of exhaustion | 21.5% improvement of exercise time until exhaustion | No change in Tc | 30°C 40% rh |
Wearing an ice-vest during exercise enhances exercise performance |
| Minetti et al. 201133 | 90 min preloaded running (75 min 60% of VO2 max and 15 min time trial) | Neck collar (−80°C, left in ambient conditions for 5 min before use) | 11.3% improvement of covered distance during 15 min time trial | No difference in Trec | 30°C 53% rh |
Neck collar cooling is effective in improving exercise performance |
| Mündel et al. 200638 | Cycling to exhaustion at 65% of peak aerobic power | Cold water ingestion (3.6°C vs. 19.4°C) | 11% improvement in time to exhaustion | Trec ∼0.25↓ in second half of exercise protocol | 33°C 28% rh |
Cold fluid ingestion improved exercise capacity in the heat |
| Mündel and Jones 201041 | Cycling to exhaustion at 65% of peak aerobic power | 25 mL menthol ingestion every 10 min | 8.6% improvement in time to exhaustion | No difference in Trec | 34°C 27% rh |
Menthol ingestion improved exercise capacity |
| Scheadler et al. 201348 | Running at 75% of VO2 max until exhaustion | Hand cooling | 11.6% impairment of exercise time until exhaustion | No difference in Tc | 30°C 50% rh |
Time to exhaustion was decreased by hand cooling |
| Schlader et al. 201139 | Cycling to exhaustion at RPE of 16 | Facial wind cooling (20°C, 0.74 m/s) | 17.8% improvement in time to exhaustion | No difference in Trec | 20°C | Facial wind cooling as well as menthol gel cooling improved time to exhaustion |
| Facial menthol gel cooling (0.5 g/100 cm2 of skin) | 20.7% improvement in time to exhaustion | No difference in Trec | 48% rh | |||
| Stevens et al. 201640 | 5-km running time trial | Facial water spray cooling (3 sprays every 0.2 km mark) | 2.4% improvement in time trial performance | No difference in Trec | 33°C 34% rh |
Water spray cooling improved time trial performance |
| Stevens et al. 201643 | 5-km running time trial | Menthol mouth rinse cooling (25 mL every 0.2 km mark) | 2.8% improvement in time trial performance | No difference in Trec | 33°C 46% rh |
Menthol mouth rinse improved time trial performance |
| Teunissen et al. 2013103 | 15-km cycling time trial performance | Wind cooling (4 m/s) during kilometers 3–12 | 4.4% improvement in time trial performance | No difference in Trec | 28°C 80% rh |
Wind cooling improved time trial performance |
| Tyler et al. 201035 | Study A: 75 min running 60% of VO2 max and a 15 min self-paced time trial | Neck collar (−80°C, left in ambient conditions for 5 min before use) | Study A: 5.9% improvement of covered distance during time trial | Study A: no difference in neck Tskin | 30°C 50% rh |
Cooling the neck can improve exercise performance in a hot environment. |
| Study B: 15 min running time trial | Study B: no difference total covered distance | Study B: Neck Tskin is lower in cooling condition | 30°C 50% rh |
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| Tyler and Sunderland 2011104 | 90 min preloaded running trial (75 min 60% of VO2 max and 15 min self-paced | Neck collar (−80°C, left in ambient conditions for 10 min before use) | 7.0% improvement in time trial performance | Neck temperature is reduced by wearing a neck collar | 30°C 53% rh |
Neck cooling improved time trial performance |
| Tyler and Sunderland 201134 | Running at 70% of VO2 until exhaustion | Neck collar (−80°C, left in ambient conditions for 5 min before use) | 13.5% improvement of exercise time until exhaustion | Neck Tskin is reduced | 32°C | Cooling the neck increased the time until exhaustion |
| Trec = 0.43↑ | 53% rh |
Tc = core body temperature; Tskin = skin temperature; Trec = rectal temperature; Ttymp = tympanic temperature; Tgi = gastrointestinal temperature;
VO2 max = maximal oxygen consumption; rh = relative humidity; RPE = rate of perceived exertion