Video·2 min read·May 2026

Unlocking Resilience: The Metabolic Impact of Cold Exposure on Exercise

Cold Therapy • 3 min read • Based on research by Jung Hee Hong, Hyun Jeong Kim, Ki Jin Kim, Katsuhiko Suzuki, In Seon Lee (2008)

Have you ever stepped outside on a crisp morning, ready to embrace the day, only to feel your muscles tighten against the cold? For many athletes and fitness enthusiasts, cold exposure is a part of their training regimen. But what does exercising in colder temperatures really do to our bodies?

A recent study sheds light on the metabolic changes that occur when we push ourselves in chilly conditions. Conducted with short track and inline skaters, the research reveals how cold exposure can influence our energy levels and even increase the risk of muscle injuries. Here, we’ll break down these findings and explore how you can harness this knowledge to optimize your training and recovery protocols.

The Science of Cold Exposure and Energy Metabolism

The study involved 19 skaters who exercised under two different temperature conditions: cold (around 5°C) and warm (approximately 21°C). Researchers measured various metabolic markers to understand how the body responds to these environments. They found that during exercise in cold conditions, levels of triglycerides and free fatty acids increased significantly. This indicates that our bodies shift towards using fat as a fuel source when exposed to cold.

In simpler terms, exercising in the cold encourages your body to tap into its fat reserves more efficiently. This can be beneficial for endurance athletes looking to improve their performance. However, it also presents a challenge, as the body must work harder to maintain heat, leading to increased physical strain.

Muscle Injury Risks in Cold Conditions

While the metabolic shift to fat utilization can be advantageous, the study also highlighted a concerning aspect: the risk of muscle injuries. The researchers noted elevated levels of muscle injury markers, such as creatine kinase (CK) and myoglobin (Mb), during recovery in cold conditions. This suggests that exercising in the cold can lead to greater physical strain and potential muscle damage.

In essence, while the cold can enhance fat utilization, it can also compromise muscle integrity. For athletes, this means being mindful of the training environment and adjusting recovery protocols accordingly. Understanding these risks allows you to cultivate resilience and protect your body during colder training sessions.

Key Takeaways

Cold exposure during exercise can enhance your body's ability to utilize fat as a fuel source, potentially improving endurance.
Be aware of the increased risk of muscle injuries when training in cold environments, and adjust your recovery protocols to mitigate this risk.

Based on: Comparison of Metabolic Substrates between Exercise and Cold Exposure in Skaters
Jung Hee Hong, Hyun Jeong Kim, Ki Jin Kim, Katsuhiko Suzuki, In Seon Lee (2008). J Physiol Anthropol

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Comparison of Metabolic Substrates between Exercise and Cold Exposure in

What the Paper Actually Shows

This is a small study — 19 skaters, two temperature conditions, cycling at 65 percent of VO2max. But it asks a precise question: when you exercise in the cold, what changes metabolically? And the answer is more nuanced than the headlines suggest.

Triglycerides and free fatty acids both rose significantly during cold-condition exercise. The body shifted toward fat as fuel. That sounds like a win for cold training advocates. But CK and myoglobin — the blood markers we use to estimate muscle damage — also rose, particularly during recovery. The cold didn't just change the fuel mix. It increased the physical toll of the session.

A Contested Picture

What's honest about this paper is that its authors acknowledge the contradictions in the literature. Some studies show elevated fat oxidation in cold exercise. Others show no change. A few show reduced fat utilization. The mechanisms are genuinely complex — vasoconstriction limits oxygen delivery to working muscles, shivering adds metabolic load on top of exercise, and cold-acclimatized athletes respond differently than unacclimatized ones.

This study sits in the "elevated fat oxidation" camp, but the muscle damage data complicates any simple takeaway. You might be burning more fat, but you're also stressing your muscle tissue more than you would in temperate conditions. The short track skaters — whose sport involves more explosive, eccentric loading — showed higher CK elevation than the inline group. Sport specificity matters here.

The cold doesn't care about your training goals. It introduces its own metabolic agenda, and if you're not paying attention, it collects a toll from your muscles that shows up hours later — not during the session.

Where the Research Aligns

There's consistent agreement across cold physiology research on one point: shivering thermogenesis competes with voluntary exercise for metabolic resources. When exercise-generated heat isn't sufficient to offset convective heat loss, your body recruits shivering — involuntary muscle contractions that burn carbohydrates and fats simultaneously. That dual demand raises the cumulative metabolic cost of the session well beyond what the same workout in warm conditions would require. Fatigue arrives earlier. Glycogen depletes faster. And the muscle fibers that couldn't fully recover between contractions show up in your bloodwork as CK and myoglobin.

The Practical Read

If you're training in cold environments — outdoor sessions, ice rinks, winter conditioning — extend your warm-up and extend your recovery window. The injury markers in this study were most pronounced during the recovery phase, not during exercise itself. That's the signal: your muscles are signaling distress after the fact, which means passive recovery in warm conditions after cold-environment training isn't optional — it's part of the protocol.

Don't conflate this with cold water immersion for recovery. That's a different intervention with different mechanisms. This paper is about the metabolic cost of exercising in cold ambient conditions, not using cold therapeutically afterward.

The Surprising Connection

The finding I keep returning to is this: the inline skaters showed elevated myoglobin during recovery in cold conditions, while the short track group showed it in CK. Two different injury signatures from the same protocol. That tells you that sport-specific muscle recruitment patterns interact with cold stress in distinct ways. Cold doesn't produce a uniform response — it amplifies the specific demands already present in your movement patterns. Whatever your sport asks of your muscles, cold makes that ask more expensive. That's worth building into how you program cold-weather training blocks, not just how you think about contrast therapy as a standalone modality.

Comparison of Metabolic Substrates between Exercise and Cold Exposure in Skaters

Unlocking Resilience: The Metabolic Impact of Cold Exposure on Exercise

The Science of Cold Exposure and Energy Metabolism

Muscle Injury Risks in Cold Conditions

Key Takeaways

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