Heat is a major factor in muscle fatigue. Muscles produce heat as they are used, and overheating inhibits their function. Much of the body's excess heat is expelled through the head and hands. When this is not enough, sweat is produced to facilitate evaporative cooling. If our muscles produce heat faster than sweat can remove it, then we quickly tire out. A more efficient method of cooling would obviously allow muscles to work longer.
Scientists at Stanford University have found such a method. They are developing a device, dubbed the “cool glove”, that can increase someone's workout time by as much as 100%. The glove has an air-tight seal around the wrist and applies mild suction to the hand. The lower air pressure draws more blood into the hand than is usual. The surface in contact with the palm of the hand is cooled to about sixty degrees Fahrenheit with ice water. The temperature is crucial because the blood vessels contract and reduce blood flow if exposed to anything colder. The glove cools the blood in the hand through conduction, and the cooled blood flows back to the heart. This process can effectively decrease the body's core temperature to back to normal after a period of intense exercise. Imagine a long jog that leaves you hot and exhausted. After a few minutes of using the cool glove, you feel refreshed and ready for another session. Using this technology to extend workouts, you can drastically improve your strength and endurance.
In the future people will be able exercise two or three times as long but with roughly the same amount of fatigue. Physical fitness for some could reach astounding levels without the use of steroids. This technology also has a potential application for people in hot climates. Soldiers in desert environments could last much longer as their blood is kept at healthy temperatures. Perhaps the cool glove might become an alternative to conventional air conditioners, as well as an indispensable exercise aid.
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