The effect of post-exercise water immersion on muscular performance in athletes.

A session will consist of performing resistance training exercise followed by a water immersion or control condition. Exercise sessions will involve a combination of weightlifting (snatch OR clean and jerk, and associated derivatives) and traditional unilateral/bilateral resistance training exercises e.g. [vertical counter-movement jump; barbell front squat; barbell Romanian deadlift; single-leg Bulgarian squats; single-leg Romanian deadlift; single-leg knee extension and single-leg leg curl (for hypertrophic responses only). These exercises will be performed for 3-5 sets until (technical) failure, with a variety of loads ranging from of 1-12 repetitions maximum (RM)]. Each session will differ in the post-exercise water immersion condition only and will be performed at the same time of day for each participant. The post-exercise water immersion conditions will be either CWI (15 mins at 15 degrees Celsius), HWI (15 mins at 40 degrees Celsius), NWI (15 mins at 34.5 degrees Celsius), beginning 30 mins post-exercise. Immersion will be passive seated, up to a depth of shoulder height. All sessions (exercise and treatment conditions) will be supervised and withdrawn if participants do not perform repetitions in accordance with test protocols. A wash-out period of minimum 5 days will be used.