Heat Extraction Through the Palm of One Hand Improves Aerobic Exercise Endurance in a Hot Environment

September 1, 2005

This study, “Heat Extraction Through the Palm of One Hand Improves Aerobic Exercise Endurance in a Hot Environment,” was designed to determine whether cooling the palm under slight negative pressure would increase activity duration at a constant workload. Eight subjects were asked to walk on a treadmill at a speed of 5.46 km/h with a 9% incline in an ambient temperature of 40°C.

Each subject was tested both with and without cooling under slight negative pressure. Core body temperature was measured using an esophageal probe. The test ended once subjects reached 90% of their maximal aerobic capacity.

The results showed that subjects using palm cooling were able to slow the rise in core temperature. Heart rate was directly related to core temperature and increased proportionally with it. Subjects using palm cooling were able to extend their activity duration and continued walking an average of 25% longer before reaching 90% of their maximal capacity. This indicates that endurance can be improved through cooling during exercise.