Palm cooling as a strategy to increase performance in a near maximal effort barbell bench press of sub-elite powerlifters.

Abstract: Introduction: Previous studies have examined the performance enhancing effects on training volume by inter-set palm cooling. No previous studies have measured average velocity to determine the increases in performance by utilizing palm cooling in a near maximal bench press. Purpose: The purpose was to investigate whether palm cooling increases the performance in the barbell bench press, tested at a near-maximum effort corresponding to 85% of an estimated repetition maximum (1RM) in a population of experienced powerlifters at the sub-elite level. Methods: This study used a randomized experimental crossover design. Five male and three female subjects performed a set of four repetitions on a load of 85% of the estimated 1RM, with the goal of a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) estimated at 9. Participants were randomized to either 1; holding in a cooled metal cylinder (CMC) at -18°C or 2; as a control a non-cooled metal cylinder (NCMC) at 21°C. At the next test session, subjects held the opposite cylinder from the first session. Participants were instructed to hold the cylinder for up to one minute. When the cold metal cylinder was held the subjects rated perceived discomfort on the Borg CR-10. The tests were performed separated by six days. Data was collected with Musclelab Encoder. Results: Palm cooling had a positive effect on the mean percentage difference in average velocity with 16%; P=0.06; Cohen’s D=0.88 being the highest difference during the fourth repetition. Likewise, the stability of the cooling effect was also confirmed regardless of individual absolute strength as average power resulted in a mean percentage difference of 14.6%; P=0.1; Cohen’s D=0.65 of the fourth repetition. No statistical significance was observed between any repetition.  Conclusions: Palm cooling could have a possible effect to increase overall performance during a four-repetition set of 85% of 1RM.