Effects of a Cooling Vest on Core and Skin Temperatures Following a Soccer-Specific Exercise Protocol

Background/Objectives: Cooling strategies are critical for optimizing athlete recovery and performance in team sports, yet practical, accessible solutions remain underexplored. This study evaluated the efficacy of a cool vest during a 15 min recovery period following 45 min of simulated soccer match...

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Main Authors: Carlos Lorente-González, Jose Vicente Beltran-Garrido, Abraham Batalla-Gavaldà, Francisco Corbi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Sports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/13/7/235
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author Carlos Lorente-González
Jose Vicente Beltran-Garrido
Abraham Batalla-Gavaldà
Francisco Corbi
author_facet Carlos Lorente-González
Jose Vicente Beltran-Garrido
Abraham Batalla-Gavaldà
Francisco Corbi
author_sort Carlos Lorente-González
collection DOAJ
description Background/Objectives: Cooling strategies are critical for optimizing athlete recovery and performance in team sports, yet practical, accessible solutions remain underexplored. This study evaluated the efficacy of a cool vest during a 15 min recovery period following 45 min of simulated soccer match play on core and skin temperature regulation. Methods: Forty-seven physically active males completed an exercise protocol replicating the physiological demands of a soccer half-match. Participants were randomized into an experimental group using a cool vest during recovery (IG, n = 24) or a control group (CG, n = 23) without cooling intervention. Results: Compared to CG, IG exhibited small but significant reductions in skin temperature (31.46 ± 0.67 °C vs. 32.40 ± 1.04 °C; ES = −0.24, 95% CI: −0.40 to −0.08; <i>p</i> = 0.003) and tympanic temperature (35.99 ± 0.45 °C vs. 36.54 ± 0.66 °C; ES = −0.43, 95% CI: −0.67 to −0.18; <i>p</i> < 0.001) 10 min post-exercise. These differences intensified to small and moderate effects at 15 min post-exercise for skin (31.07 ± 0.67 °C vs. 32.51 ± 0.91 °C; ES = −0.37, 95% CI: −0.53 to −0.21; <i>p</i> < 0.001) and tympanic temperatures (35.70 ± 0.42 °C vs. 36.65 ± 0.58 °C; ES = −0.71, 95% CI: −0.96 to −0.46; <i>p</i> < 0.001), respectively, with IG maintaining consistently lower values. No temperature changes were observed in CG. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that a 15 min cool vest application during halftime effectively reduces core and skin temperatures, compared to passive recovery. This supports its utility as a practical, low-cost strategy for thermoregulatory management in soccer, warranting further investigation into its long-term performance benefits.
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spelling doaj-art-d732ce26a0274e9caec10d2125ec89c62025-08-20T03:56:49ZengMDPI AGSports2075-46632025-07-0113723510.3390/sports13070235Effects of a Cooling Vest on Core and Skin Temperatures Following a Soccer-Specific Exercise ProtocolCarlos Lorente-González0Jose Vicente Beltran-Garrido1Abraham Batalla-Gavaldà2Francisco Corbi3Institut Nacional d’Educació Física de Catalunya, Facultat de Lleida, Universitat de Lleida, Complex de La Caparrella, s/n, 25192 Lleida, SpainDepartment of Education Science, School of Humanities and Communication Sciences, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, 12006 Castellón de la Plana, SpainUniversity School of Health and Sport (EUSES), Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43870 Amposta, SpainDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, 08907 L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, SpainBackground/Objectives: Cooling strategies are critical for optimizing athlete recovery and performance in team sports, yet practical, accessible solutions remain underexplored. This study evaluated the efficacy of a cool vest during a 15 min recovery period following 45 min of simulated soccer match play on core and skin temperature regulation. Methods: Forty-seven physically active males completed an exercise protocol replicating the physiological demands of a soccer half-match. Participants were randomized into an experimental group using a cool vest during recovery (IG, n = 24) or a control group (CG, n = 23) without cooling intervention. Results: Compared to CG, IG exhibited small but significant reductions in skin temperature (31.46 ± 0.67 °C vs. 32.40 ± 1.04 °C; ES = −0.24, 95% CI: −0.40 to −0.08; <i>p</i> = 0.003) and tympanic temperature (35.99 ± 0.45 °C vs. 36.54 ± 0.66 °C; ES = −0.43, 95% CI: −0.67 to −0.18; <i>p</i> < 0.001) 10 min post-exercise. These differences intensified to small and moderate effects at 15 min post-exercise for skin (31.07 ± 0.67 °C vs. 32.51 ± 0.91 °C; ES = −0.37, 95% CI: −0.53 to −0.21; <i>p</i> < 0.001) and tympanic temperatures (35.70 ± 0.42 °C vs. 36.65 ± 0.58 °C; ES = −0.71, 95% CI: −0.96 to −0.46; <i>p</i> < 0.001), respectively, with IG maintaining consistently lower values. No temperature changes were observed in CG. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that a 15 min cool vest application during halftime effectively reduces core and skin temperatures, compared to passive recovery. This supports its utility as a practical, low-cost strategy for thermoregulatory management in soccer, warranting further investigation into its long-term performance benefits.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/13/7/235cool vestcryotherapysoccerrecoveryskin temperature
spellingShingle Carlos Lorente-González
Jose Vicente Beltran-Garrido
Abraham Batalla-Gavaldà
Francisco Corbi
Effects of a Cooling Vest on Core and Skin Temperatures Following a Soccer-Specific Exercise Protocol
Sports
cool vest
cryotherapy
soccer
recovery
skin temperature
title Effects of a Cooling Vest on Core and Skin Temperatures Following a Soccer-Specific Exercise Protocol
title_full Effects of a Cooling Vest on Core and Skin Temperatures Following a Soccer-Specific Exercise Protocol
title_fullStr Effects of a Cooling Vest on Core and Skin Temperatures Following a Soccer-Specific Exercise Protocol
title_full_unstemmed Effects of a Cooling Vest on Core and Skin Temperatures Following a Soccer-Specific Exercise Protocol
title_short Effects of a Cooling Vest on Core and Skin Temperatures Following a Soccer-Specific Exercise Protocol
title_sort effects of a cooling vest on core and skin temperatures following a soccer specific exercise protocol
topic cool vest
cryotherapy
soccer
recovery
skin temperature
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/13/7/235
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