Abstract
BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of sex on the efficacy of intermittent post-exercise sauna bathing to induce heat acclimation and improve markers of temperate exercise performance in trained athletes.MethodsTwenty-six trained runners (16 female; mean ± SD, age 19 ± 1 years, V̇O2max F: 52.6 ± 6.9 mL⋅kg−1⋅min−1, M: 64.6 ± 2.4 mL⋅kg−1⋅min−1) performed a running heat tolerance test (30 min, 9 km⋅h−1/2% gradient, 40 °C/40%RH; HTT) and temperate (18 °C) exercise tests (maximal aerobic capacity [V̇O2max] and lactate profile) pre and post 3 weeks of normal exercise training plus 29 ± 1 min post-exercise sauna bathing (101–108 °C) 3 ± 1 times per week.ResultsFemales and males exhibited similar reductions (interactions p > 0.05) in peak rectal temperature (− 0.3 °C; p < 0.001), skin temperature (− 0.9 °C; p < 0.001) and heart rate (− 9 beats·min−1; p = 0.001) during the HTT at post- vs pre-intervention. Only females exhibited an increase in active sweat glands on the forearm (measured via modified iodine technique; F: + 57%, p < 0.001; M: + 1%, p = 0.47). Conversely, only males increased forearm blood flow (measured via venous occlusion plethysmography; F: + 31%, p = 0.61; M: + 123%; p < 0.001). Females and males showed similar (interactions p > 0.05) improvements in V̇O2max (+ 5%; p = 0.02) and running speed at 4 mmol·L−1 blood lactate concentration (+ 0.4 km·h−1; p = 0.001).ConclusionsThree weeks of post-exercise sauna bathing effectively induces heat acclimation in females and males, though possibly amid different thermoeffector adaptations. Post-exercise sauna bathing is also an effective ergogenic aid for both sexes.
Highlights
IntroductionAthletes can use repeated bouts of heat stress (i.e. heat acclimation) to improve exercise performance in the heat, as heat acclimation induces a myriad of integrative adaptations that improve cardiovascular and thermoeffector function and lowers skin and core body temperatures [2]
Hot ambient temperatures adversely impact endurance performance [1]
We have previously demonstrated the sauna bathing intervention (SAUNA) intervention to be superior to normal training (i.e., control group (CON)) for both heat acclimation indices and temperate exercise performance markers in a subset of participants [7], and confirmed these findings in the current, larger dataset using a two-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), with change scores (Δ; difference from Pre-intervention tests (Pre) to Post-intervention tests (Post)) as the dependent variable and baseline absolute data as a covariate
Summary
Athletes can use repeated bouts of heat stress (i.e. heat acclimation) to improve exercise performance in the heat, as heat acclimation induces a myriad of integrative adaptations that improve cardiovascular and thermoeffector function and lowers skin and core body temperatures [2]. Data from our laboratory [7] and the literature [8, 9] demonstrate that repeated bouts of post-exercise sauna bathing elicit heat acclimation adaptations. A post-exercise sauna bathing protocol may elicit different acute and/or adaptive responses in females compared to males for a number of reasons. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of sex on the efficacy of intermittent postexercise sauna bathing to induce heat acclimation and improve markers of temperate exercise performance in trained athletes. Methods: Twenty-six trained runners (16 female; mean ± SD, age 19 ± 1 years, VO2max F: 52.6 ± 6.9 mL⋅kg−1⋅min−1, M: 64.6 ± 2.4 mL⋅kg−1⋅min−1) performed a running heat tolerance test (30 min, 9 km⋅h−1/2% gradient, 40 °C/ 40%RH; HTT) and temperate (18 °C) exercise tests (maximal aerobic capacity [VO2max] and lactate profile) pre and post 3 weeks of normal exercise training plus 29 ± 1 min post-exercise sauna bathing (101–108 °C) 3 ± 1 times per week
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