Exercise How to Beat the Heat in Every Round

Nando De Oliveira

Every round

Ever felt like you’re melting in the middle of a round?
Whether you’re rolling in BJJ or trading strikes in MMA, your body can overheat faster than you think. Therefore, as you generate explosive power, up to 100% of that energy turns into heat. So with only 1–5 minutes between every round, sweating it out isn’t enough, and a core temperature of 39–40 °C can zap your strength, slow your reactions, and fog your brain.

Your Secret Weapon: Palms & Soles

Hidden in your hairless skin (think palms and the balls of your feet) are special blood vessels called arteriovenous anastomoses (AVAs). When you overheat, AVAs open like emergency vents, shunting hot blood straight to the surface so you can dump heat faster.

  •   Cooling palms can lower your core temperature 3× faster than chilling other areas.
  • Also gripping a 10–15 °C cold bottle or using a phase-change gel recruits those AVAs without triggering a shutdown.

Quick & Dirty Cooling Hacks

Moreover, you don’t need fancy lab gear, here are three fighter-approved methods you can try today:

Cold Water Bottle Grip

  • How: Firstly, chill a reusable bottle to 10–15 °C.
  • When: Squeeze it tight during your 1-minute break.
  • Best for: Jiu-Jitsu, where you’re glove-free.

Result: Stabilized effort (“Rate of Perceived Exertion”) at 8/10 vs. 9/10 without cooling.

Coolant-Sprayed Wraps

  • How: Spray food-grade coolant (like kitchen coolant spray) on your cotton hand wraps.
  • When: Wrap up just before stepping into the cage.

Best for: MMA & kickboxing, barrier-friendly.

Result: Reduced fatigue by about 1 RPE point by Round 3.

Pre-Cooled Gel Gloves

  • How: Slip on arthritis-style gel gloves pre-chilled to 10 °C for 5 minutes before fight time.
  • When: Pre-fight warm-up or between rounds.
  • Best for: Grapplers looking for max effect.
  • Result: Kept RPE at 7/10 across all rounds, your coolest performance yet.

Fighter’s Corner Tips

  • Skip the Ice Vest mid-bout: Too bulky. Focus on your hands and feet.
  • Don’t freeze the blood: Stay in the 10–15 °C “sweet spot”— older can shut your cooling system off.
  • Plan your pre-cool: A quick 5-10 minute gel-pack session before you start can delay
    overheating from the get-go.
  • Tournament hack: Lobby organizers to stock chilled gel packs or small cooling pads at each corner.

Level Up the Industry

  • Equipment designers: Embed slim phase-change materials right into glove liners.
  • Supplement brands: Reformulate sprays with skin-friendly additives (think aloe).
  • Gym owners & promoters: Offer “cool zones” with ready-to-use gel packs for your fighters.

Bottom line: Certainly in combat sports, every degree counts. By zeroing in on your body’s natural “heat vents”(your palms and soles), you can cut core temperature faster, push longer, and stay sharp when it matters most.

Ready to fight cooler? Therefore try these AVA-focused tactics in your next session and feel the difference!

FitByNando

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