School of Health and Human Sciences, Southern Cross University, Hogbin Dr, Coffs Harbour, NSW, 2450, Australia.
ASPETAR, Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Athlete Health and Performance Research Centre, Doha, Qatar.
Sports Med. 2017 May;47(5):829-841. doi: 10.1007/s40279-016-0625-7.
It is well established that endurance performance is negatively affected by environmental heat stress due to a complex interaction of physical, physiological and psychological alterations. Numerous scientific investigations have attempted to improve performance in the heat with pre-cooling (cooling prior to an exercise test), and as such this has become a well-established ergogenic practice for endurance athletes. However, the use of mid-cooling (cooling during an exercise test) has received considerably less research attention in comparison, despite recent evidence to suggest that the advantage gained from mid-cooling may outweigh that of pre-cooling. A range of mid-cooling strategies are beneficial for endurance performance in the heat, including the ingestion of cold fluids and ice slurry, both with and without menthol, as well as cooling of the neck and face region via a cooling collar or water poured on the head and face. The combination of pre-cooling and mid-cooling has also been effective, but few comparisons exist between the timing and type of such interventions. Therefore, athletes should experiment with a range of suitable mid-cooling strategies for their event during mock competition scenarios, with the aim to determine their individual tolerable limits and performance benefits. Based on current evidence, the effect of mid-cooling on core temperature appears largely irrelevant to any subsequent performance improvements, while cardiovascular, skin temperature, central nervous system function and psychophysiological factors are likely involved. Research is lacking on elite athletes, and as such it is currently unclear how this population may benefit from mid-cooling.
众所周知，由于身体、生理和心理变化的复杂相互作用，环境热应激会对耐力表现产生负面影响。许多科学研究试图通过预冷却（在运动测试前冷却）来提高在热环境中的表现，因此这已成为耐力运动员的一种行之有效的方法。然而，与预冷却相比，中冷却（在运动测试期间冷却）的使用受到的研究关注要少得多，尽管最近有证据表明，从中冷却中获得的优势可能超过预冷却。一系列中冷却策略对热环境中的耐力表现有益，包括摄入冷液体和冰沙，同时含有和不含有薄荷醇，以及通过冷却领或将水倒在头和脸上冷却颈部和面部区域。预冷却和中冷却的结合也很有效，但这些干预措施的时间和类型之间很少进行比较。因此，运动员应在模拟比赛场景中尝试各种适合自己项目的中冷却策略，目的是确定自己的个人耐受极限和表现收益。基于目前的证据，中冷却对核心温度的影响似乎与任何随后的性能提高都没有太大关系，而心血管、皮肤温度、中枢神经系统功能和心理生理因素可能参与其中。针对精英运动员的研究还很缺乏，因此目前尚不清楚这一人群如何从中冷却中受益。
