The effects of deep heat application during aerobic sporting performance.

Abstract

Background: To investigate the effectiveness of the application of deep heat cream (DH) on the skin prior to aerobic exercise.

Methods: A total of 15 healthy male participants (age: 24.40±2.26 years, height: 1.70±0.08 m, weight: 64.73±8.66 kg, Body Mass Index: 22.28±1.94 kg/m^-2, maximal oxygen consumption [VO2max]: 30.11±6.41 mL/kg^-1/min^-1) volunteered for this study. Participants were required to attend three sessions 1) cycling VO2max test conducted to determine their 80% VO2max; 2, 3) cycling at 80% of VO2peak workload till exhaustion with either treatment application of DH or placebo cream (PC) on lower extremities of body. Time-to-exhaustion (TTE), heart rate (HR) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded throughout the study.

Results: Results indicated significant differences between treatments for TTE (DH: 487.00±143.68 s vs. PC: 403.80±123.66 s, P=0.02); average RPE (DH: 15.82±1.82 vs. PC: 14.31±1.39, P=0.01). There were positive significant correlations between treatments for average HR (DH: 163.76±13.55 beats·min^-1 vs. PC: 158.42±31.76 beats·min^-1, r=0.58, P=0.02); last stage HR (DH: 176.87±15.29 beats·min^-1 vs. PC: 174.93±16.67 beats·min^-1, r=0.80, P=0.00).

Conclusions: Deep heat application 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 deep heat application during exercise performance.