Effect of cold ambient temperature on heat flux, skin temperature, and thermal sensation at different body parts in elite biathletes.

Autor: Blokker T; Section for Elite Sport, Swiss Federal Institute of Sport, Magglingen, Switzerland., Bucher E; Section for Elite Sport, Swiss Federal Institute of Sport, Magglingen, Switzerland., Steiner T; Section for Elite Sport, Swiss Federal Institute of Sport, Magglingen, Switzerland., Wehrlin JP; Section for Elite Sport, Swiss Federal Institute of Sport, Magglingen, Switzerland.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Frontiers in sports and active living [Front Sports Act Living] 2022 Nov 02; Vol. 4, pp. 966203. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Nov 02 (Print Publication: 2022).
DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2022.966203
Abstrakt: Introduction: When exercising in the cold, optimizing thermoregulation is essential to maintain performance. However, no study has investigated thermal parameters with wearable-based measurements in a field setting among elite Nordic skiers. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the thermal response and sensation measured at different body parts during exercise in a cold environment in biathletes.
Methods: Thirteen Swiss national team biathletes (6 females, 7 males) performed two skiing bouts in the skating technique on two consecutive days (ambient temperature: -3.74 ± 2.32 °C) at 78 ± 4% of maximal heart rate. Heat flux (HF), core (T core ) and skin (T skin ) temperature were measured with sensors placed on the thigh, back, anterior and lateral thorax. Thermal sensation (TS) was assessed three times for different body parts: in protective winter clothing, in a race suit before (PRE) and after exercise (POST).
Results: HF demonstrated differences ( p < 0.001) between sensor locations, with the thigh showing the highest heat loss (344 ± 37 kJ/m 2 ), followed by the back (269 ± 6 kJ/m 2 ), the lateral thorax (220 ± 47 kJ/m 2 ), and the anterior thorax (192 ± 37 kJ/m 2 ). T core increased ( p < 0.001). T skin decreased for all body parts ( p < 0.001). Thigh T skin decreased more than for other body parts ( p < 0.001). From PRE to POST, TS of the hands decreased ( p < 0.01).
Conclusion: Biathletes skiing in a race suit at moderate intensity experience significant heat loss and a large drop in T skin , particularly at the quadriceps muscle. To support the optimal functioning of working muscles, body-part dependent differences in the thermal response should be considered for clothing strategy and for race suit design.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2022 Blokker, Bucher, Steiner and Wehrlin.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
Externí odkaz: