Effects of Intermittent Neck Cooling During Repeated Bouts of High-Intensity Exercise

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Exercise Physiology
• Thermoregulation

Background:

• Combat sports involve repeated high-intensity exercise bouts.
• Effective recovery strategies are crucial for performance and athlete well-being.
• Neck cooling is a potential method to manage exercise-induced thermal stress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of intermittent neck cooling on physiological and perceptual responses during simulated combat sport exercise.
• To compare the efficacy of wet-ice versus menthol spray for neck cooling.

Main Methods:

• Participants (n=13) completed three cycle ergometer trials simulating combat sport demands.
• Trials included high-intensity exercise (HEX) intervals and time to exhaustion (TTE) tests.
• Interventions during rest intervals were wet-ice (ICE), menthol spray (SPRAY), or no treatment (CON).

Main Results:

• Neck and chest skin temperatures were significantly lower with ICE compared to SPRAY after the first rest interval.
• ICE reduced thermal sensation compared to CON across multiple stages of the trial.
• Rating of perceived exertion was lower with ICE post-HEX2 and post-RI2.
• Time to exhaustion was not significantly affected by any treatment.

Conclusions:

• Intermittent neck cooling with ice effectively attenuates skin temperature increases during high-intensity exercise.
• Ice application improves thermal comfort and reduces perceived exertion.
• Neck cooling is a promising strategy to mitigate perceptual stress in athletes during repeated bouts of intense exercise.