Impact of airflow on body cooling in exercise: an exploratory study

Objective: To analyze the body heat dissipation by thermography during indoor running treadmill with different airflow conditions. Materials and method: Nine male participants (23.0±2.5 years old) underwent three 45-minute moderate-intensity running sessions (60-70% reserve heart rate) on a treadmill. At each session, a different experimental condition was applied in a crossover design: without airflow (NF), and with low (LF) and high airflow (HF) generated by a fun. Thermograms were obtained with a thermal camera before exercise, during (every 10 minutes), and after exercise. Skin temperature (Tsk) was measured on regions of interest of the upper body: pectoral, brachial biceps, and upper back. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare Tsk over time and between conditions, considering p<0.05 as statistically significant. Results: In pectoral and brachial biceps, LF and HF conditions provided greater reductions in Tsk at all moments when compared to the NF (p<0.05). There was a higher reduction in Tsk to the HF vs LF in biceps at 30, 40, and 45 min during exercise (p<0.05). In the upper back, Tsk remained below baseline at all moments during exercise only in the HF condition (p<0.05). In NF and LF conditions, Tsk returned to baseline at 30 min during exercise (p>0.05). Conclusion: The frontal wind flow enhances body heat dissipation during moderate-intensity running in the pectoral, brachial biceps, and upper back, with a direct relationship of flow speed and Tsk reduction during exercise.