Investigation of the effects of the pre-cooling on the physiological responses to soccer-specific intermittent exercise

Whole-body cooling prior to activity has the potential to reduce thermal st rain and fatigue during subsequent endurance exercise. Intermittent activit y is associated with greater increases in rectal temperature compared with continuous exercise. Thus, the effect of pre-cooling on thermoregulatory re sponses was examined during an intermittent test under "normal" environment al conditions. Six male university soccer players [mean (SD) age 27 (2) yea rs; height 1.77 (0.3) m; mass 72.2 (1.5) kg; maximal oxygen consumption 58. 9 (3.5) ml . kg(-1) . min(-1)] completed a 90-minute soccer-specific interm ittent exercise protocol on a non-motorised treadmill. The run was complete d with and without precooling under normal laboratory conditions (20 degree s C) and without pre-cooling in a heated laboratory (26 degrees C). The pre -cooling strategy involved exposure to a cold shower (26 degrees C) for 60 min. The pre-cooling manipulation lowered rectal temperature prior to exerc ise [-0.6 (0.6)degrees C, range -1.5 degrees C; P < 0.05]. The rectal tempe rature response to exercise was significantly lower following precooling th an in the heated condition [pre-cooled 38.1 (0.6)degrees C, heated 38.6 (0. 3)degrees C]. The increase in rectal temperature during the second half of the protocol following pre-cooling was significantly greater than the incre ase observed under normal or heated conditions (P < 0.05). No significant d ifferences were observed between the three conditions for oxygen consumptio n, heart rate, minute ventilation, rating of perceived exertion and plasma lactate, glucose or free fatty acid concentrations. Based on the current in vestigation, it can be concluded that there is no evidence for the benefici al effects of pre-cooling on the physiological responses to soccer-specific intermittent exercise under normal environmental conditions.