The Effects of using Deep Heat on Enhancing Aerobic Performance

Abstract

Most studies have shown that athletes use deep heat cream for rehabilitative and pain-relief purposes for pre-, post- and during exercise. However, limited studies have indicated the effects of deep heat on enhancing aerobic performance. Purpose To determine whether the application of deep heat cream on the skin before exercise will allow individuals to prolong the duration of their aerobic activity. Methods Nine healthy male participants ((age: 23.78 ± 1.20 years, height: 1.71 ± 0.08 m, weight (WT): 65.53 ± 8.14 kg, body mass index (BMI): 22.43 ± 2.30 kg·m-2, 80% of maximal oxygen consumption(80%VO2max): 25.35 ± 10.32 mL·kg-1·min-1)) who engaged in aerobic exercise at least 3 times a week participated in this study. All participants underwent an incremental cycling test to determine VO2max. Subsequently, they completed two treatment tests – deep heat application (DH) and placebo cream application (PC). Each treatment required the participants to cycle at their 80%VO2max workload (175.56 ± 17.40 W) until volitional exhaustion. The time-to-exhaustion (TE) was recorded. Polar heart rate (HR) transmitters were used to measure HR and participants rated their rate of perceived exertion (RPE) using Borg's RPE scale. HR and RPE were recorded throughout both DH and PC. Using a power of 0.90, an a of 0.05, and an effect size of 0.9, it was determined that a minimum of 9 participants were required to test interaction effects. Results Results indicated no significant differences between both tests for last stage of HR (LSHR) and RPE (LSHR: DH: 170.00 ± 17.46 beats·min-1 vs. PC: 167.63 ± 20.09 beats·min-1, p = 0.63; RPE: DH: 18.88 ± 1.89 vs. PC: 18.25 ± 1.28, p = 0.42). There were positive significant correlations between WT and BMI (WT: 65.53 ± 8.14 kg vs. BMI: 22.43 ± 2.30 kg·m-2, r = 0.71, p = 0.03); DHLSHR and DHTE (DHLSHR: 172.44 ± 17.90 beats·min-1 vs. DHTE: 510.22 ± 231.66 secs, r = 0.85, p = 0.00); PCLSHR and PCTE (PCLSHR: 167.63 ± 20.09 beats·min-1 vs. PCTE: 391.67 ± 211.44 secs, r = 0.82, p = 0.01). There was also significant difference between DHTE and PCTE (DHTE: 510.22 ± 231.66 secs vs. PCTE: 391.67 ± 211.44 secs, p = 0.02). Conclusion The application of deep heat cream before exercise has shown to significantly improve endurance performance. Athletes or sports enthusiasts may consider using deep heat before exercise to achieve optimal endurance performance. More studies are needed to explore the benefits of the application of deep heat on exercise performance.