PERFORMANCE
ENHANCEMENT
COOLING AIDS AND RESISTANCE
AIDS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
STARTER
COOLING AIDS
• These are used prior to an activity to reduce core body
temperature to help improve performance or after the
activity to improve the recovery process
• The main methods include cold air exposure, water
immersion/ice baths, fan cooling, cold water spraying,
body/head cooling jacket/vest, cold therapy
packs/wraps or simply packing ice into damp towels
• Cold air exposure and water immersion have been the
predominant methods used, but are not practical for
most performers
• Cooling jackets/vests are highly practical and are made
from wet suit material and packed with ice
PRE-COOLING
• Using a cooling jacket or ice-packed towels aims to reduce skin
temperature and consequently core body temperature
• It should last between 8-30 minutes during warm-ups and /or
the intervals between warm-ups and the start of performance
• Temperature guidelines vary between 5 and 16 degrees Celsius
• Pre-cooling is advisable before prolonged exercise in hot
temperatures as it helps to sustain intensity and speed, reduces
thermal strain, allows for different pacing strategies and
increases exercise intensity towards the end of performance
• Metabolic and cardiovascular responses (reduced heart rate and
inaccurate perceived exertion) can be affected during the first 15
minutes of exercise after pre-cooling
• Cooling the body too much will hamper the performance and
pose a health risk
POST-COOLING AND ICE
WRAPS/PACKETS
POST-COOLING
• Cooling treatments used as part of recovery (cryotherapy)
may be used in different ways on acute and chronic injuries
• The benefits of cooling on damaged soft tissue is now
widely accepted
• The application of ice in the treatment of injuries to soft
tissues to reduce swelling and blood leaking into the tissues
has been a long term method, accompanied by
compression, elevation and rest (RICE)
ICE WRAPS/PACKETS
• They are used as part of RICE to help provide immediate
treatment and to speed up recovery of any soft tissue
injuries
ICE BATHS
• These have been used for their pain-relieving properties in the
treatment of injuries
• More recently the belief is that:
– Blood vessels constrict and blood flow is drained away from that
muscles that have been working (removing lactic acid)
– Once out of the bath the capillaries dilate and ‘new’ blood flows back
to the muscles, bringing with it oxygen that will help the functioning of
the cells
• This process is thought to improve muscle function, reduce muscle
damage and decrease soreness associated with DOMS
• Therefore, this not only treats injury and pain, but helps with injury
prevention and exercise recovery
• Ice baths are popular in contact sports (rugby and Football) and
with endurance athletes
• Whole-body ice baths would be used for contact sports like Rugby
and for Football, running, Hockey etc, only immersion of the lower
limbs would be needed
ICE BATHS
• The process involves the performer immersing body parts at a
temperature between 5-16 degrees Celsius for 7-10 minutes (shorter for
pain relief)
• Initially start with 1 minute sessions and progress to a maximum of 10
minutes over a period of 10 weeks
• Once in the ice bath, athletes should keep moving around to prevent
warm water from forming around their limbs
• However, there are various concerns with the use of ice baths:
– Different individuals have different sensitivity to ice (some find it immediately
painful)
– If used on the chest the cold may cause muscle reaction, bringing about
angina pain from constriction of coronary arteries
– Check skin sensitivity/touch before applying ice as it may indicate nerve
impingement and ice will hide or complicate the problem
– Do not use with high blood pressure as vasoconstriction will increase blood
vessel pressure
– There is decreased efficiency with vasoconstriction (particularly affecting older
people)
– The ice burns if place directly onto skin and can cause tissue/vascular
impairment if held on the skin for too long (more than 10 minutes)
RESISTANCE AIDS
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PULLEYS
These provide a form of resistance to apply force against to
develop strength, in the same way as weights on a multigym
The main advantage of pulleys is that they better meet the
principle of specificity as they can match more closely the
actual movement patterns used in the performance of an
activity
A cheaper alternative to pulleys are elasticated resistance
bands, which do not replicate the smoothness of
movements that pulleys offer
Swimmers can benefit from pulley resistance/ergometertype machines that allow them to lay flat and replicate the
movement patterns of various strokes against a resistance
during the arm action
RESISTANCE AIDS
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PARACHUTES
These increase the resistance to apply a force against while
maintaining the movement
They are used predominantly in sprint-type running
activities
These are a better form of resistance training than lifting
weights with the legs while the body is in a sitting or
standing position
The downside is that parachutes make athletes run with a
slower arm and leg action which is not specific to sprinting
Although there is no solid evidence that parachutes
improve sprint performance in comparison to conventional
training, it provides fun and variety to a training regime
Ankle and wrist weights are two other forms of resistance
aids which are comparable with parachutes
PLENARY