[Effects of cold wind on the response to muscular exercise].

The purpose of the present studies was to determine if the response to exercise is modified by a cold wind. When the subjects exercised in the cold (with or without wind), cheek and forehead temperatures were higher, but the temperature of the nose was lower than in the resting state. The decrease in heart rate, normally observed when cold wind is blown on the face at rest, persisted and even became greater during exercise up to a heart rate of 150 beats/minute. However, this decrease was progressively eliminated as heart rate increased further up to maximum. These results have shown that a cold wind can diminish the heart rate response to submaximal exercise in comparison with a no wind condition (delta up to 20 beats/minute at a heart rate of 150 beats/minute).