Abstract
This study examined the effects of regular post-exercise cold application on muscular
and vascular adaptations induced by moderate-intensity resistance training. 14 male
subjects participated in resistance training: 5 sets of 8 wrist-flexion exercises
at workload of 70–80% of the single repetition maximum, 3 times a week for 6 weeks.
7 subjects immersed their experimental forearms in cold water (10±1°C) for 20 min
after wrist-flexion exercises (cooled group), and the other 7 served as control subjects
(noncooled group). Measurements were taken before and after the training period; wrist-flexor
thickness, brachial-artery diameter, maximal muscle strength, and local muscle endurance
were measured in upper extremities. Wrist-flexor thicknesses of the experimental arms
increased after training in both groups, but the extent of each increase was significantly
less in the cooled group compared with the noncooled group. Maximal muscle strength
and brachial-artery diameter did not increase in the cooled group, while they increased
in the noncooled group. Local muscle endurance increased in both groups, but the increase
in the cooled group tended to be lower compared to the noncooled group. Regular post-exercise
cold application to muscles might attenuate muscular and vascular adaptations to resistance
training.
Key word
ice treatment - cryotherapy - exercise - hypertrophy - vascular remodeling
