Essentials: Increase Strength & Endurance with Cooling Protocols | Dr. Craig Heller
Andrew Huberman
Aug 7, 2025
Mindsip insights from this episode:
Leverage palm cooling with CoolMitt to enhance athletic performance
A company called Arteria has developed a device named the CoolMitt (coolmitt.com) that leverages palm cooling to dramatically increase athletic performance.
Avoid ice water for hand cooling to prevent vasoconstriction
Trying to cool your hands in ice water is counterproductive because the extreme cold causes vasoconstriction, sealing the heat inside your body instead of releasing it.
Utilize hands as heat portals to manage body temperature
The palms of your hands, soles of your feet, and upper face are primary sites for heat loss due to special blood vessels that bypass capillaries.
Loosen grip on handlebars or weights to enhance performance
Gripping bicycle handlebars or weights too tightly can shut off blood flow to your palms, trapping heat in your body and limiting your performance.
Cool palms and soles to rapidly lower core body temperature
Cooling the palms, soles, and face is twice as fast at lowering core body temperature than the standard medical practice of putting ice packs on the armpits and groin.
Achieve permanent performance gains through cooling between sets
The ability to do more work by cooling between sets results in a true conditioning effect, meaning you keep the strength and endurance gains even in workouts without cooling.
Recognize muscle overheating as cause of fatigue during exercise
The most immediate cause of muscle fatigue during exercise is not energy depletion, but rather the local rise in muscle temperature which shuts off its fuel supply.
Avoid cooling neck to prevent dangerous core temperature rise
Putting something cold on your neck or head can trick your brain's thermostat into feeling cool while your core body temperature continues to rise to dangerous levels.
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