Influence of Cold Bath on Maximum Handgrip Strength

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Abstract
12 female college students participated in a repeated-measures experiment, receiving an experimental treatment and a control treatment. The former was a 30-min. cold bath to the forearm while the control was a similar 30-min. period without the cold bath. Subjects' maximum handgrip strength was measured 11 times, immediately prior to treatment, immediately following treatment, and then every 20 min. for 3 hr. The subjects were tested at the same time of the day, on the same day of the week, for two consecutive weeks. Grip strength was significantly decreased immediately following the experimental treatment below pre-treatment measures and post-treatment measures for the control session. Grip strength during the experimental session significantly increased at 80 min. post-treatment when compared to the strength measures for the control at the same time interval or when compared to pre-treatment measures for either treatment. The strength measures for the two treatments remained significantly different over the rest of the testing occasions.