Effect of Whole-, Upper-, and Lower-Body High-Intensity Rowing Exercise on Skin Temperature Measured by Thermography.

Purpose: Despite the growing works analyzing exercise-induced thermoregulatory adjustments through thermography, the skin temperature (Tsk) response of the same muscle groups underwent to different exercise demands has not been investigated. This study analyzed the behavior of Tsk of the same muscle groups when exercised with different demands in rowing. Methods: Eighteen men underwent three performance tests on a rowing ergometer: whole-body 2,000 m test (RT WB ), upper-body (RT UB ), and lower-body (RT LB ) tests. In each condition, thermograms were recorded before (pre), immediately after test (post), and at 10 (REC 10 ), 20 (REC 20 ), and 30 (REC 30 ) minutes post-exercise recovery. Tsk was measured at the pectoral (control body region), upper back, quadriceps, brachial biceps, and forearm. Results: Pectoral-Tsk reduced comparably in response to all testing conditions ( p < .05). Upper back-Tsk decreased post ( p < .001) and returned to baseline in the RT UB (REC 10 , p = 1.0) and RT WB (REC 30 , p = .128), while remained reduced in the RT LB ( p < .001). Quadriceps-Tsk reduced post ( p < .05) and returned to baseline in the RT WB and RT LB at REC 10 ( p = 1.0), remaining reduced in the RT UB during recovery ( p < .05). Regarding the upper limbs, Tsk increased more markedly in the RT UB versus RT WB during the recovery period ( p < .05); in the RT LB , biceps-Tsk remained below baseline over time ( p < .05), whereas the forearm-Tsk was restored at REC 10 ( p = 1.0). Conclusion: Manipulating the muscle groups involved in rowing alters the Tsk response within equal ROI. Exercise-induced Tsk changes can reflect local hemodynamic and thermoregulatory adjustments.