Upper Body Compression Garment: Physiological Effects While Cycling in a Hot Environment

Objective. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of an upper body compression garment (UBCG) on physiologic and perceptual responses while cycling in a hot environment. Methods. Twenty recreational road cyclists were pair-matched for age, anthropometric data, and fitness level (VO2 max) and randomly assigned to a control (CON) group (n=10) of cyclists who wore a conventional t-shirt or to a group (n=10) of cyclists who wore UBCG. Test session consisted of cycling at a fixed load (similar to 50% VO2max) for 30 minutes at an ambient temperature of similar to 40 degrees C (39.9 +/- 0.4 degrees C), followed by 10 minutes of recovery. Results. Significantly greater (P = .002) rectal temperature (T-rec) was observed at the end of exercise in the UBCG group (38.3 +/- 0.2 degrees C) versus CON group (37.9 +/- 0.3 degrees C). Significantly greater heart rate (BR) was observed in the UBCG group at minute 15 (P = .01) and at the end of exercise (187 +/- 9 vs 173 +/- 10 beats/min; P = .004) for UBCG and CON, respectively. Furthermore, participants who wore UBCG perceived a significantly greater (P = .03) thermal sensation at the end of exercise. During recovery HR and Tree remained significantly greater (P < .05) in the UBCG group. Conclusions. The use of an UBCG increased cardiovascular and thermoregulatory strain during cycling in a hot environment and did not aid during recovery.