Short-Term Resistance Training Supported by Whole-Body Cryostimulation Induced a Decrease in Myostatin Concentration and an Increase in Isokinetic Muscle Strength

Abstract

The study aimed to determine whether combining cryostimulation with resistance training would effectively increase muscle strength, and if so, whether this adaptation would be related to changes in circulating levels of exerkines (i.e., mediators of systemic adaptation to exercise). Twenty-five students completed 12 sessions of resistance training, each followed by either cryostimulation (n = 15, 3 min exposure at −110 °C) or passive recovery (n = 10). Prior to and post this intervention, participants performed two eccentric cycling bouts (before and after training). At these points, serum concentrations of muscle damage marker (myoglobin), exerkines (interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 15 (IL-15), irisin, brain-derived neurotrophic factor), hypertrophy-related factors (myostatin, insulin-like growth factor 1), and muscle strength were measured. The applied procedure reduced the physiological burden of the second eccentric cycling bout and myoglobin concentrations only in the group subject to cryostimulation. The same group also exhibited decreased levels of myostatin (from 4.7 ± 1.7 to 3.8 ± 1.8 ng·mL−1, p < 0.05). A significant and large interaction between the group × time was noted in IL-15 concentration (p = 0.01, ηp2= 0.27). Training and cryostimulation induced a positive and likely significant improvement of isokinetic muscle strength. Altogether, obtained results support the claim that resistance training combined with cold exposure modified muscle strength through modulation of myostatin and IL-15 concentrations.

The Specific Judo Training Program Combined With the Whole Body Cryostimulation Induced an Increase of Serum Concentrations of Growth Factors and Changes in Amino Acid Profile in Professional Judokas

“…At the same time, the frequency and duration of breaks in-between cold therapy sessions affect the change of BDNF concentration. For instance, no change in BDNF was noted in untrained students in response to 12 sessions of whole body cryostimulation performed 3 days per week, a day after a strength training session had been completed ( Jaworska et al, 2020 ). IGF-1 is involved in muscle hypertrophy ( Adams and McCue, 1998 ), reduces protein breakdown, and acts as a mediator of anabolic actions in skeletal muscles ( Lee et al, 2017 ).…”

The Use of Post-Exercise Cooling as a Recovery Strategy: Unraveling the Controversies

“…In physically active college-aged men who underwent an eccentric workout designed to induce DOMS, two-daily sessions of WBC over 5 days blunted the response of IL-1β and IL-6 while stimulating the secretion of IL-10 (Ziemann et al, 2014). Noteworthy, WBC reduced the physiological burden of an eccentric cycling bout and the rise of myoglobin and IL-15 concentrations, thus indicating the potential modulatory effects of WBC also on muscle strength (Jaworska et al, 2020). In a recent meta-analysis, reported that an acute cryostimulation exposure is a convenient tool to reduce DOMS.…”

Cryostimulation for Post-exercise Recovery in Athletes: A Consensus and Position Paper

“…In a very recent article, Jaworska et al ( 2020 ) found an improvement in the average power and isokinetic extension muscle strength when combining cryostimulation with resistance training. Twenty-five volunteers completed a 4-week protocol which included 12 sessions of resistance training lasting ~50 min, focused on the lower limbs, each session followed either by WBC exposure (3 min, −120°C) or passive recovery.…”

“…In physically active college-aged men who underwent an eccentric workout designed to induce DOMS, two-daily sessions of WBC over 5 days blunted the response of IL-1β and IL-6 while stimulating the secretion of IL-10 (Ziemann et al, 2014 ). Noteworthy, WBC reduced the physiological burden of an eccentric cycling bout and the rise of myoglobin and IL-15 concentrations, thus indicating the potential modulatory effects of WBC also on muscle strength (Jaworska et al, 2020 ). In a recent meta-analysis, Dupuy et al ( 2018 ) reported that an acute cryostimulation exposure is a convenient tool to reduce DOMS.…”

“…Another very recent study demonstrated that the combination of 12 resistance training sessions with WBC induced a positive and likely significant improvement of isokinetic muscle strength. The authors showed that the resistance training combined with cold exposure modified the muscle strength through the modulation of myostatin and IL-15 concentrations (Jaworska et al, 2020 ).…”