Essentials: Increase Strength & Endurance with Cooling Protocols | Dr. Craig Heller
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In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, my guest is Dr. Craig Heller, PhD, a professor of biology at Stanford University and a world expert on the science of temperature regulation.
We discuss how the body and brain regulate temperature in different conditions and why conventional cooling methods, such as placing ice packs on the neck, do not effectively reduce core body temperature. Dr. Heller explains why cooling glabrous skin areas—the palms, soles and upper face—efficiently releases body heat and can significantly enhance physical performance and endurance. We discuss how targeted palmar cooling improves both short-term performance and long-term training adaptation in aerobic and anaerobic exercise.
Articles
- Heat loss through the glabrous skin surfaces of heavily insulated, heat-stressed individuals (Journal of Biomechanical Engineering)
- Palm cooling delays fatigue during high-intensity bench press exercise (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise)
- Heat extraction through the palm of one hand improves aerobic exercise endurance in a hot environment (Journal of Applied Physiology)
- Enhancing thermal exchange in humans and practical applications (Disruptive Science and Technology)
Other Resources
This transcript is currently under human review and may contain errors. The fully reviewed version will be posted as soon as it is available.
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Dr. Craig Heller: Using Temperature for Performance, Brain & Body Health
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