Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT03332446

Influence of Cooling on the Effect of Strength Training

The aim of this study is to investigate if regular cold water immersion after strength training has a negative influence on the desired training-induced performance enhancement.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Age range

18 year–40 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Saarland University

Saarbrücken, Saarland, 66123, Germany

About this study

Recovery strategies represent a not sufficiently investigated chance in elite training control to optimize the complete training process. Coaches and athletes are confronted with numerous potentially effective recovery methods, e.g. cooling, warming, active recovery, compression, massage or power naps. However, the effectivity of these methods has rarely been investigated under controlled scientific conditions. Based on the state of the art,so far hardly any definite practical conclusions regarding effective recovery methods can be drawn, especially regarding sport-specific strategies and settings. Currently, cold water immersion is a particularly popular recovery strategy. However, there are hints that repeated cooling interventions after training can impair the training effect. This could potentially be caused by a faster reconstitution of homeostasis due to cooling. For fast recovery of performance, this effect would be desirable, but at the same time these homeostatic disturbances are the basis of signal processes leading to training adaptations.

The aim of this study is to investigate if regular cold water immersion after strength training has a negative influence on the desired training-induced performance enhancement.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • healthy, 18-40 years, strength training experience, 8 weeks no leg strength training

Exclusion criteria

-

Treatment and study plan

Cold Water Immersion

Other

10 min at 12-15°C

Primary outcomes

  1. 1 Repetition Maximum

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    Maximum weight in kg that can be successfully moved in a leg press

Secondary outcomes

  1. Counter Movement Jump

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    Maximum jump height in cm in a counter movement jump, measured with a force plate

  2. blood parameters

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    CRP, CK, IL-6, IGF-1

  3. muscle biopsy

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    p70S6, PAX7+, NCAM+

  4. muscle thickness

    Time frame: 8 weeks

    upper leg circumference in cm

  5. subjective restfulness of sleep

    Time frame: 2 weeks

    5-point Likert scale on subjective restfulness of sleep (1: very, 5: not at all)

  6. time in bed

    Time frame: 2 weeks

    Questionnaire recording time of going to bed (time in hh:mm), sleep onset latency (duration in min), waking time (time in hh:mm), and time of getting up (time in hh:mm). From these items, the average time in bed per day is calculated, starting at "time of going to bed" and ending at "time of getting up".

  7. sleeping time

    Time frame: 2 weeks

    Questionnaire recording time of going to bed (time in hh:mm), sleep onset latency (duration in min), waking time (time in hh:mm), and time of getting up (time in hh:mm). From these items, the average sleeping time per day is calculated, starting at "time of going to bed + sleep onset latency" and ending at "waking time".

  8. questionnaire on recovery and stress

    Time frame: 2 weeks

    Short Recovery and Stress Scale for Sport (SRSS): assessing recovery (physical performance capability, mental performance capability, emotional balance, overall recovery) and stress (muscular stress, lack of activation, negative emotional state, overall stress), each item is rated on a 7-point rating scale (0: does not apply at all, 6: fully applies). For evaluation, two outcome values ("recovery" and "stress") are calculated as the sum of the corresponding subvalues, i.e. each outcome value is on a 25-point scale (0: does not apply at all, 24: fully applies).

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Universität des Saarlandes

Other

Registry information

Acronym: IceAge

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2017
Study completion
2017
First posted
Nov 6, 2017
Registry last updated
Nov 17, 2017

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.