Chapter 3: Per-cooling (DURING training and race); what are the benefits

Per-cooling studies predominantly demonstrated improvements in exercise performance. Studies have shown that the best cooling strategy DURING endurance exercise is to combine different cooling methods. Wearing a cool vest during exercise is the most effective way (+21.5% increase in performance) and is significantly more effective in improving exercise performance compared with cold water ingestion (+11%). (*4).

Multiple studies have examined the effects of a combination of pre- and per-cooling on endurance exercise performance. An overall improvement in exercise performance of up to 23% was found. (*10)

The ambient temperature seems to impact the effects of per-cooling. Surprisingly there is a greater performance benefit in moderate than in hot ambient temperatures: (*10)

Per-cooling has been shown to be more effective than pre-cooling in providing thermoregulatory benefits and reducing cardiovascular strain (*26), (*27)

Cooling the skin DURING exercise with cooling garments significantly lowered the heart rate, elicited an increased preload and cardiac filling and allowed a sustained cardiac output. (*27), (*19)

Taken together, the majority of per-cooling techniques are effective in improving exercise performance in hot ánd moderate temperate conditions. It is advisable to use sufficient cooling power during exercise to reach an optimal effect. Hence, the effectiveness of the cooling intervention during exercise increases when the volume of cooling and the exposure time to that cooling increases. (*19)

In conclusion: per-cooling is extremely effective, provided that the chosen cooling method uses sufficient cooling power ánd continuous cooling exposure during the exercise to reach an optimal effect. (*10)

Obviously per-cooling needs to be practical and until now, this was the biggest problem. Some products work, but are not practical (hinder the athletes in their movement, are to heavy, can not cool for long enough etc) while others seem practical but do not work effectively. The Tri-excellence CoreCooling solves this issue, by providing both effective and practical CoreCooling that can be applied as pre-cooling, DURING training and racing as well as for post cooling. But more about this in later chapters.