No Effect of Interset Palm Cooling on Acute Bench Press Performance, Electromyography Amplitude, or Spectral Frequencies in Resistance-Trained Men
McMahon, G., Kennedy, R., & Burden, A. (2023). No Effect of Interset Palm Cooling on Acute Bench Press Performance, Electromyography Amplitude, or Spectral Frequencies in Resistance-Trained Men. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 37(3), 555–563. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000004285
Introduction: Previous research has suggested that cooling distal to the working agonist muscles during the interset rest periods of high-intensity resistance exercise may facilitate improved performance through increased agonist activation. However, these studies have used inappropriate electromyography (EMG) normalization techniques. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare 2 palm-cooling conditions with a thermoneutral condition during high-intensity resistance exercise and subsequent effects on exercise performance, EMG amplitude, and spectral frequencies using appropriate normalization methodologies.
Methods: Eleven healthy, resistance-trained, young men (20–36 years old) performed 4 sets of bench press exercise to exhaustion at 80% 1RM each separated by 3 minutes of passive recovery. Palm-cooling (10° C [TEN] or 15° C [FTN]) or thermoneutral (28° C [CON]) conditions were applied for 60 seconds during the recovery interval of each set in a randomized, double-blind fashion, with 4 days of recovery between experimental conditions.
Results: Palm temperature was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the TEN and FTN conditions compared with CON. Number of repetitions and mean power in the bench press declined significantly after each set in all conditions (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in any bench press performance or EMG-related variables between any of the conditions. Palm cooling at either 10 or 15° C had no effects on bench press performance compared with a thermoneutral condition, with no observable effects on neuromuscular responses during exercise.
Conclusions: Therefore, cooling is not currently recommended as an ergogenic strategy to enhance acute bench press performance during high-intensity resistance training.
In Simple Terms:
This study tested whether cooling the palms between sets of heavy bench press could help with performance or muscle activation. Cooling made the palms colder, but it didn’t help with reps, power, or muscle signals. All groups got more tired after each set. Palm cooling did not improve strength performance in this workout.
Uploaded by Braeden Ostepchuk, creator of the CEU-approved course 0th Law of Physiology, co-founder of Kuhler Technologies, and inventor of Kühler.