Dubai’s ‘coolest fitness class’: gimmick or science?
A new and eye-catching fitness experience has recently emerged in Dubai, UAE – the GymNation fitness chain has launched a course known as “The Coolest Class in Dubai”.
This move is due to the local hot summer: the outdoor temperature can easily reach 43°C and the humidity exceeds 70%, making traditional outdoor exercise almost impossible. In order to help people stay fit in the hot summer , this course ingeniously moves the training scene into a “low-temperature environment”. Specifically, this is a hybrid course that combines high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and low-temperature elements, with many icy challenges : for example, students need to sprint in front of a giant fan to resist the “storm” (Blizzard Sprints), do squats in a weighted vest with a built-in ice pack (Frosted Reps), push a sled loaded with ice (Polar Push), and lift heavy objects filled with ice buckets (Glacier Grip).
During the whole process, there was a cool breeze and ice cubes, and at the end, there was even an ice bath for “Chill Zone Recovery” to help the body cool down and eliminate inflammation. To ensure safety and comfort, GymNation also thoughtfully provided trainees with equipment such as heat-insulating gloves, warm head covers, and cold towels to prevent the skin from being directly exposed to the cold during training.
Is this special low-temperature fitness environment just a marketing gimmick to attract attention, or an innovative move based on sports science? Let’s take a look from the perspective of sports physiology and industry trends.
The principles and benefits of exercising in cold environments
From a physiological perspective, exercising in a cold environment does produce some different responses and potential benefits to the body than exercising at normal temperatures.
First of all, maintaining core body temperature itself requires additional energy consumption. When exposed to low temperatures, the human body will start the heat production mechanism to resist the cold, which means that the body has to “work part-time” to generate heat to keep the body temperature stable while exercising. This extra load requires the cardiopulmonary system, such as the heart and lungs, to work harder – studies have shown that compared to warm environments, exercise in cold conditions increases cardiac output and oxygen utilization, and the amount of oxygen transported in the blood can increase by 5% to 11%, thereby enhancing endurance performance. In other words, cold environment training can force the cardiopulmonary function to improve, which helps to improve aerobic capacity.
Secondly, low temperatures also activate the brown adipose tissue (BAT) in the body . Brown fat is known as the human body’s “fat-burning heater” and accelerates the burning of fat and sugar to produce heat under cold stimulation. According to statistics, if an adult fully activates a small amount of brown fat in the body, he or she can consume an additional 300 calories per day. Therefore, at the same exercise intensity, a cold environment may consume more calories than a warm environment , which is undoubtedly an attractive news for those who want to lose fat.
Dr. Nadya Swedan, a sports medicine expert in New York, pointed out: “Exercising in a cold environment can burn more calories, because the body is not only exercising, but also trying to raise its core body temperature, and both aspects consume energy at the same time.” She emphasized that as long as you pay attention to replenishing water and not letting your body get too cold (avoid hypothermia), exercising in a cool gym is no more dangerous than exercising at normal temperature . On the contrary, as long as it is not too cold, exercising in a cold environment is beneficial to both the body and mind – “Studies show that the heart and lungs must also work harder in cold environments.” Many people who have experienced it personally also reported that exercising at a lower temperature is less likely to overheat, so they can focus more on exerting force, persist for longer without feeling overly tired, and feel better about exercising.
In addition, psychological toughness is also a major benefit of low-temperature training. The discomfort caused by the cold requires willpower to overcome, and after long-term adaptation, the exerciser’s tolerance to pain and fatigue will be improved. Some sports scientists have expressed the opinion that athletes who are accustomed to training in cold environments can increase their pain tolerance threshold by up to 17%, and their subjective fatigue (RPE) is significantly reduced. This means that cold environment training not only exercises muscles, but also tempers willpower and concentration. The ice and snow challenges (such as winter swimming and long-distance running in the snow) advocated by some extreme sports enthusiasts take advantage of this “psychological tempering” effect.
Of course, it is necessary to emphasize the principle of moderation and safety measures. The lower the temperature, the better. Excessive cold can be dangerous. The expert consensus report of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) reminds that the risk of exercise in extreme low temperatures increases sharply: for example, the risk of injury is about 2.5 times higher when exercising in an environment below -15°C than at normal temperatures; under low temperature conditions, more than 40% of sports injuries are related to a rapid drop in core body temperature, and common problems include muscle strain and joint stiffness. Coldness can also induce asthma or respiratory discomfort.
Therefore, when exercising in a cold environment, it is important to warm up and protect yourself adequately: wear a suitable warm layer (such as functional sportswear, windproof protective gear) before exercise to ensure that your muscles are not stiff; pay attention to your own feelings during exercise, and increase warmth in time if numbness or excessive coldness occurs in your limbs ; after exercise, you should also change wet and cold clothes as soon as possible to gradually restore your body to normal temperature. GymNation’s courses provide gloves and hats for these reasons. As long as the temperature is properly controlled, cold protection is matched with the intensity of exercise, it is safe and beneficial to exercise in a relatively cool environment (not extremely cold) . For the vast majority of ordinary fitness enthusiasts, exercising in an air-conditioned room or an environment slightly below normal temperature is not only harmless, but may feel more comfortable and efficient because it is not easy to overheat.
Cold Recovery After Exercise: Ice Baths vs. Cryotherapy
After discussing the low temperature stimulation during training, let’s look at the principle and effect of using low temperature to recover after exercise . This has long been a common practice in the sports circle, and everyone from professional athletes to fitness enthusiasts enjoys it. Among them, ice bath is the most typical way: immersing the body (usually the lower body) in cold water close to freezing point for several minutes after strenuous exercise.
The principle behind it can be understood as follows: cold stimulation causes blood vessels to contract , which temporarily reduces the congestion and swelling of the micro-injuries to the muscles caused by exercise, and also slows down the metabolic activity of the tissues. Simply put, an ice bath is equivalent to “cooling and deswelling” the muscles and joints, reducing inflammatory responses and tissue decomposition. At the same time, low temperatures can also transfer metabolic waste such as lactic acid away from muscle tissue, reducing the soreness after exercise. When leaving the ice water and warming up again, blood vessels dilate, blood circulation increases , and fresh oxygen-rich blood flows quickly through the muscles, helping to remove metabolites, provide nutrients, and relax tight tissues.
This alternating process of cold and hot is believed to help speed up recovery : Studies have shown that cold water immersion can reduce the degree of muscle damage caused by exercise, reduce inflammation and delayed soreness, and thus allow athletes to recover better the next day. Many marathon runners, NBA/NFL and other professional athletes will take an ice bath immediately after the game to eliminate fatigue and recover as soon as possible.
In addition to the physiological effects of anti-inflammatory and analgesic, hypothermic recovery has other potential benefits . Many enthusiasts have reported that although immersion in ice water is instantly chilling, the body and mind feel particularly clear and refreshed within a few hours after coming out. This is not an illusion: cold stimulation has been found to activate the sympathetic nerves and release hormones such as norepinephrine , which not only increases alertness, but also helps stabilize emotions and improve depression. Some studies are even exploring the role of cold water therapy in enhancing immune function and relieving depressive symptoms. No wonder in recent years, from Europe and the United States to East Asia, the so-called “ice bucket challenge” style of daily cold water bath exercise has emerged among the people, not only for public welfare, but also as a way to temper the body and mind and improve health .
It should be pointed out that scientific research on ice baths and extreme cryogenic chambers (whole-body hypothermia, a therapy that involves standing in an environment below -100°C for 2-3 minutes) is still ongoing, and some results suggest that we should look at it dialectically. In terms of advantages , in the short term, cold therapy can indeed reduce muscle soreness and enable people to recover their athletic ability faster. For athletes who need high-frequency training (such as sports teams with intensive schedules), this means that they can get into the next round of training or competition faster without being dragged down by muscle soreness from the previous game.
But on the downside , using cold therapy too frequently after strength training may weaken the effect of muscle strengthening . For example, studies published in the Journal of Physiology and the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that subjects who often took ice baths after strength training had less muscle mass and strength gains than the group that did not take ice baths. Scientists speculate that this is because cold therapy reduces muscle inflammation and blood flow, which are signals that stimulate muscles to adapt and become stronger. Ice baths are equivalent to partially “flushing out” these signals.
Fortunately, cold therapy has not shown similar negative effects for endurance sports (such as running and cycling training). Therefore, professional coaches usually recommend that if your goal is to gain muscle, you should be cautious or reduce the use of cold recovery methods such as ice baths; but if you need to quickly restore your physical strength during the intensive competition period, or focus mainly on endurance and fatigue resistance, then ice therapy is still a very valuable tool.
In general, as long as the method is appropriate (such as controlling the temperature of the ice water at around 10°C and the soaking time generally not exceeding 10 minutes, etc.), cold water recovery after exercise has more advantages than disadvantages for most people . The “Chill Zone” ice bath introduced by Dubai Fitness Class is in line with this scientific principle: by cooling down the hot body, it can reduce sports injuries and help enter a faster recovery state.
Commercial products and global market trends
Whether it is cold environment training or cold therapy recovery, this wave of “cold exercise” is reshaping the fitness industry landscape and giving rise to a series of new products and business opportunities:
- Fitness venues and equipment : More and more gyms and studios are trying to introduce the concept of controlled temperature training . From the Brrrn studio in New York, USA, which keeps the classroom temperature between 10°C and 15°C, to the ice-enhanced training classes at GymNation in Dubai, fitness venues in different regions are exploring the impact of “temperature variables” on the sports experience. This brings opportunities for fitness equipment manufacturers to develop special equipment and facilities suitable for low-temperature environments. For example, special treadmills that can simulate resistance and deliver cool breezes, high-power blowers, spinning bikes with built-in cooling modules, and even smart gyms with adjustable temperature and humidity. At the same time, some basic equipment has also been given “cold elements”: such as weighted vests with built-in ice packs, training tents equipped with refrigeration devices, etc. These creative equipment not only meet special training needs, but also become a new selling point to attract customers. It can be foreseen that more products integrating temperature control technology will appear in the field of fitness equipment in the future.
- Sportswear and protection : Sports in low-temperature environments also put forward new requirements for clothing accessories. On the one hand, you need to keep warm to prevent frostbite, but on the other hand, you can’t make it too thick and heavy to hinder your performance. Therefore, sportswear brands are investing in the development of sportswear and accessories that can intelligently regulate temperature. For example, some manufacturers have launched a layered wear system suitable for winter running: sweat-wicking inner layer + warm middle layer + windproof outer layer, which can be increased or decreased as needed. For indoor cold training classes, cold-proof gloves, warm head covers and cold towels given to students in Dubai fitness classes are also popular products in the market segment. We may see more such protective gear designed for cold environments (such as non-slip and warm training shoes, anti-frostbite skin patches, etc.) enter the market. It is worth mentioning that some high-tech materials (such as phase change materials PCM) can absorb heat when heated and release heat when cooled. Used in sportswear, it can help athletes maintain a suitable body surface temperature in the alternation of hot and cold, and there is a lot of room for application in the future.
- Health and rehabilitation services : The popularity of cryotherapy has also spawned a booming commercial cryotherapy industry . At present, comprehensive fitness centers and high-end spa clubs in many cities have added ice baths or whole-body cryochamber services, providing members with a variety of gimmicky cold therapy programs such as post-exercise recovery, skin care, and even weight loss and body shaping. Statistics show that the global broad cryotherapy market size will be close to US$9.7 billion in 2024, and is expected to grow to nearly US$20 billion in 2034, with an annual compound growth rate of more than 7%. This figure covers areas such as medical cryotherapy and sports recovery cryotherapy, reflecting that the demand for cryogenic technology is rising rapidly. Among them, cryochamber equipment for sports and health care has grown particularly rapidly and is regarded as a new standard for high-end gyms and sports teams. In addition, home ice buckets and adjustable cold water baths for ordinary consumers are also popular in the market-from the popular “ice bucket challenge” on social media to the home ice bath experience shared by various Internet celebrities, they are all driving public interest in such products. It can be said that from professional athletes to mass fitness enthusiasts, “getting stronger by being cold” is becoming part of the health trend.
From the perspective of regional trends, low-temperature fitness and cold therapy recovery are flourishing in many places around the world : in the hot Middle East, pioneers such as Dubai have turned the disadvantage of scorching heat into a selling point for indoor “cool fitness”; in North America and Europe, where the four seasons are distinct, some fitness institutions have also begun to provide winter outdoor training camps or indoor cold environment courses, allowing people to embrace the benefits of winter exercise;
In places like Northern Europe and Russia, where people have long been accustomed to the cold, people have always had traditions such as winter swimming and “jumping into the snow after a sauna”. These extreme cold challenges have now been repackaged as trendy ways to exercise and heal the body and mind. It is foreseeable that low-temperature training will not only be a gimmick in the next few years : as more scientific research confirms its benefits and consumers pursue novelty and diverse experiences, perhaps more gyms in more cities will put up signs such as “Cool Summer” and “Cold Training Camp” to promote low-temperature fitness as one of the mainstream options.
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