Abstrakt
Purpose: To determine the effect of 2 cold-water-immersion (CWI) temperatures (15 degrees C and 8 degrees C) on repeat handgrip performance to failure. Methods: A total of 32 participants completed 3 intermittent trials to failure on a climbing-specific handgrip dynamometer on 3 laboratory visits.
For each visit, a different recovery strategy was employed: passive (PAS) recovery, CWI at 8 degrees C (CW8), or CWI at 15 degrees C (CW15). The force time integral (FTI: time of contraction multiplied by the force of contraction) was determined to assess handgrip performance.
Results: There was no significant difference between recovery strategies at the end of trial 1. In response to the PAS recovery strategy, there were 10% and 22% decreases in FTI in the second and third trials, respectively.
The PAS recovery-strategy FTI values were lower than both CWI strategies for trials 2 and 3 (P < .05). FTI increased in the second trial (up arrow 32% and up arrow 38%; P < .05) for both immersion strategies (CW8 and CW15, respectively) compared with trial 1.
During the third trial, FTI was significantly higher for CW15 than CW8 (up arrow 27% and down arrow 4% with respect to baseline trial; P < .05). Conclusions: The results suggest that CWI has potential performance advantages over PAS recovery for rock climbing.
The data show that in events where multiple recoveries are required, 15 degrees C CWI may be more beneficial for climbers than 8 degrees C CWI. Future research should focus on the optimization of protocols for sport performance.