Key Takeaway
Palm cooling between sets allowed subjects to perform 144% more pull-up volume over 6 weeks, with corresponding greater strength gains.
Summary
This Stanford study demonstrated the remarkable effects of palm cooling on training capacity. Subjects who used palm cooling between sets of pull-ups were able to perform dramatically more volume over a 6-week training program.
The cooling group increased their total pull-up volume by 144% compared to a passive rest control group. More importantly, this increased training volume translated to greater strength gains - the cooling group nearly tripled their initial pull-up capacity while controls only doubled theirs.
This study established that heat is often the limiting factor in training and that cooling the palms is an efficient way to extract core heat.
Methods
- 24 subjects completed 6 weeks of pull-up training
- Cooling group used palm cooling device between sets
- Control group rested passively between sets
- Training performed 3x/week with sets to failure
Key Results
- Cooling group: 616 ± 104 pull-ups total
- Control group: 254 ± 91 pull-ups total
- Cooling group did 144% more total volume
- Cooling group went from 9 to 24 reps max; controls from 9 to 18
Limitations
- Relatively small sample size
- Only one exercise studied
- Commercial device used (not DIY methods)
- Young healthy subjects may not generalize to all populations