Abstract
Purpose: Examine the effect of synthetic fabrics (SYN, 60% polyester: 40% nylon) vs. 100% cotton fabric (CTN) on the 20-km cycling time trial (20 kmCTT) performance of competitive cyclists and triathletes.Methods: In this randomized controlled crossover study, 15 adults (5 women) aged 29.6 ± 2.7 years (mean ± SE) with a peak rate of O2 consumption of 60.0 ± 2.0 ml/kg/min completed a 20 kmCTT under ambient laboratory conditions (24.3 ± 0.7°C and 17 ± 7% relative humidity) with a simulated wind of ~3 m/s while wearing SYN or CTN clothing ensembles. Both ensembles were of snowflake mesh bi-layer construction and consisted of a loose-fitting long-sleeved shirt with full-length trousers.Results: Participants maintained a significantly (p < 0.05) higher cycling speed and power output over the last 6-km of the 20 kmCTT while wearing the SYN vs. CTN ensemble (e.g., by 0.98 km/h and 18.4 watts at the 20-km mark). Consequently, 20 kmCTT duration was significantly reduced by 15.7 ± 6.8 sec or 0.8 ± 0.3% during SYN vs. CTN trials (p < 0.05). Improved 20 kmCTT performance with SYN vs. CTN clothing could not be explained by concurrent differences in esophageal temperature, sweat rate, ratings of perceived exertion and/or cardiometabolic responses to exercise. However, it was accompanied by significantly lower mean skin temperatures (~1°C) and more favorable ratings of perceived clothing comfort and thermal sensation during exercise.Conclusion: Under the experimental conditions of the current study, athletic clothing made of synthetic fabrics significantly improved the 20 kmCTT performance of endurance-trained athletes by optimizing selected thermoregulatory and perceptual responses to exercise.
Highlights
In humans, body temperature is regulated under conditions of physical and/or environmental heat stress through the control of net heat loss via evaporative and dry heat exchange (SteudelNumbers, 2003; Kenny and Jay, 2013)
Evaporation of sweat from the skin surface accounts for ∼55% of heat loss during exercise in human subjects (Plowman and Smith, 2011), and when the ambient temperature is equal to skin temperature, sweat evaporation accounts for almost all heat loss (Sawka and Wenger, 1988)
The results from earlier studies concerning the effect of clothing made of synthetic vs. natural fabrics on exercise performance and perceptual responses are inconsistent and inconclusive, with most but not all studies reporting no demonstrable effect (Gavin et al, 2001; Gavin, 2003; Brazaitis et al, 2010; Davis and Bishop, 2013; Sperlich et al, 2013; De Sousa et al, 2014; Abdallah et al, 2015; Corbett et al, 2015), or an effect that was observed among females only (Hooper et al, 2015)
Summary
Body temperature is regulated under conditions of physical and/or environmental heat stress through the control of net heat loss via evaporative and dry heat exchange (SteudelNumbers, 2003; Kenny and Jay, 2013). Any intrinsic and/or extrinsic factor capable of facilitating evaporative heat loss and preventing excessive increases in skin temperature has the potential to improve exercise performance This is of special importance for endurance-trained athletes who, by virtue of their capacity to exercise at relatively high power outputs and metabolic rates, are able to achieve and sustain high net rates of body heat production, i.e., endogenic thermal strain. With advancements in textile technologies, clothing made of synthetic fabrics can be designed to allow for lower water vapor and thermal resistance, in addition to superior moisture management capacity compared to traditional natural fabrics such as cotton or wool (Wang et al, 2014, 2016) These synthetic fabrics have the potential to enhance exercise performance by optimizing thermoregulatory and perceptual responses to exercise (Jiao and Yao, 2017). A recent study focused on synthetic fabrics with body-mapping design reported improved exercise performance (shorter run time) compared to common synthetic running clothing ensembles (Jiao and Yao, 2017)
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