Whole-body cryotherapy does not augment adaptations to high-intensity interval training

James R Broatch,Christophe Hausswirth,François Bieuzen,Mathilde Poignard,David J Bishop

doi:10.1038/s41598-019-48518-1

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of regular post-exercise whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) on physiological and performance adaptations to high-intensity interval training (HIT). In a two-group parallel design, twenty-two well-trained males performed four weeks of cycling HIT, with each session immediately followed by 3 min of WBC (−110 °C) or a passive control (CON). To assess the effects of WBC on the adaptive response to HIT, participants performed the following cycling tests before and after the training period; a graded exercise test (GXT), a time-to-exhaustion test (Tmax), a 20-km time trial (20TT), and a 120-min submaximal test (SM120). Blood samples were taken before and after training to measure changes in basal adrenal hormones (adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol). Sleep patterns were also assessed during training via wrist actigraphy. As compared with CON, the administration of WBC after each training session during four weeks of HIT had no effect on peak oxygen uptake (dot{{rm{V}}}O2peak) and peak aerobic power (Ppeak) achieved during the GXT, Tmax duration and work performed (WTmax), 20TT performance, substrate oxidation during the SM120, basal adrenaline/noradrenaline/cortisol concentrations, or sleep patterns (P > 0.05). These findings suggest that regular post-exercise WBC is not an effective strategy to augment training-induced aerobic adaptations to four weeks of HIT.

Highlights

Whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) consists of short duration (3 to 4 min) exposures to dry, very-cold (−110 °C to −160 °C) air[1]
cold-water immersion (CWI) may be more effective in reducing muscle temperature[23], whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) has been reported to elicit comparable reductions in tissue and core temperatures as compared with CWI24, implicating it as an alternate method by which to potentially promote mitochondrial biogenesis[25]
Considering the equivocal findings with other forms of regular cryotherapy application[25], we investigated whether regular WBC may serve as a novel stimulus to augment training-induced aerobic adaptations, as measured by an improvement in endurance exercise performance

Summary

Introduction

Whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) consists of short duration (3 to 4 min) exposures to dry, very-cold (−110 °C to −160 °C) air[1]. WBC for a period of up to 14 days has been reported to attenuate exercise-induced increases in ratings of exertion[9], to improve sleep quality[9], and to improve antioxidant status[17] Taken together, these studies demonstrate that regular WBC may be a worthwhile strategy to help maintain exercise performance and recovery status, while concomitantly preventing fatigue accumulation and the exacerbation of muscle damage during short-term training periods[9]. An important limitation to date is the lack of research investigating the effects of regular WBC on physiological and performance adaptive responses to extended periods of exercise training (i.e., ≥4 wk) This is pertinent considering recent research identifying regular post-exercise cryotherapy, in the form of cold-water immersion (CWI), as a novel method to promote certain alterations towards a more aerobic phenotype[22]. Considering the equivocal findings with other forms of regular cryotherapy application[25], we investigated whether regular WBC may serve as a novel stimulus to augment training-induced aerobic adaptations, as measured by an improvement in endurance exercise performance

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