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Influence of Cooling on the Effect of Strength Training

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Strength Training Effects
Interventions
Other: cold water immersion
Registration Number
NCT03332446
Lead Sponsor
Universität des Saarlandes
Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to investigate if regular cold water immersion after strength training has a negative influence on the desired training-induced performance enhancement.

Detailed Description

Recovery strategies represent a not sufficiently investigated chance in elite training control to optimize the complete training process. Coaches and athletes are confronted with numerous potentially effective recovery methods, e.g. cooling, warming, active recovery, compression, massage or power naps. However, the effectivity of these methods has rarely been investigated under controlled scientific conditions. Based on the state of the art,so far hardly any definite practical conclusions regarding effective recovery methods can be drawn, especially regarding sport-specific strategies and settings. Currently, cold water immersion is a particularly popular recovery strategy. However, there are hints that repeated cooling interventions after training can impair the training effect. This could potentially be caused by a faster reconstitution of homeostasis due to cooling. For fast recovery of performance, this effect would be desirable, but at the same time these homeostatic disturbances are the basis of signal processes leading to training adaptations.

The aim of this study is to investigate if regular cold water immersion after strength training has a negative influence on the desired training-induced performance enhancement.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
11
Inclusion Criteria
  • healthy, 18-40 years, strength training experience, 8 weeks no leg strength training
Exclusion Criteria

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
CROSSOVER
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
coolingcold water immersionstrength training and cold water immersion
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
1 Repetition Maximum8 weeks

Maximum weight in kg that can be successfully moved in a leg press

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
blood parameters8 weeks

CRP, CK, IL-6, IGF-1

muscle biopsy8 weeks

p70S6, PAX7+, NCAM+

time in bed2 weeks

Questionnaire recording time of going to bed (time in hh:mm), sleep onset latency (duration in min), waking time (time in hh:mm), and time of getting up (time in hh:mm). From these items, the average time in bed per day is calculated, starting at "time of going to bed" and ending at "time of getting up".

Counter Movement Jump8 weeks

Maximum jump height in cm in a counter movement jump, measured with a force plate

subjective restfulness of sleep2 weeks

5-point Likert scale on subjective restfulness of sleep (1: very, 5: not at all)

sleeping time2 weeks

Questionnaire recording time of going to bed (time in hh:mm), sleep onset latency (duration in min), waking time (time in hh:mm), and time of getting up (time in hh:mm). From these items, the average sleeping time per day is calculated, starting at "time of going to bed + sleep onset latency" and ending at "waking time".

muscle thickness8 weeks

upper leg circumference in cm

questionnaire on recovery and stress2 weeks

Short Recovery and Stress Scale for Sport (SRSS): assessing recovery (physical performance capability, mental performance capability, emotional balance, overall recovery) and stress (muscular stress, lack of activation, negative emotional state, overall stress), each item is rated on a 7-point rating scale (0: does not apply at all, 6: fully applies). For evaluation, two outcome values ("recovery" and "stress") are calculated as the sum of the corresponding subvalues, i.e. each outcome value is on a 25-point scale (0: does not apply at all, 24: fully applies).

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Saarland University

🇩🇪

Saarbrücken, Saarland, Germany

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