Metabolic Habituation Following Repeated Resting Cold-Water Immersion Is Not Apparent During Low-Intensity Cold-Water Exercise

This project examined the effects of repeated, resting cold-water immersion on metabolic heat production and core temperature defence during subsequent rest and exercising immersions. Seven males undertook 15 days of cold-water adaptation, immersed to the fourth intercostal space, with cold-water stress tests (CWST) on days 1, 8 and 15 (18.1 SD 0.1°C: 60 min seated, followed by 30 min cycling (1 W·kg-1)), and 90-min resting immersions (18.4 SD 0.4°C) on each of the intervening days. Adaptation elicited an habituated thermogenic response during the rest phase of CWST3 beyond 20 min, compared to CWST1 (P