To All NFL Players: The Science of staying warm in the playoffs
jasonrulo • January 9, 2017
After watching ESPN over the last month or so and listening to former NFL players explain what these football players do to stay warm and still look mocho it has become comical to me. I am amazed that many of them don’t really understand with is important and what is a good idea and what it not.
The list below is the “skinny” on maintaining body heat during these cold weather football games but they are not in any particular order but will go from head to toe:
One of the biggest keys is to keep as many of your “pulse points” covered and warm as possible!
- When you aren’t actively in the game take the helmet off and put on a skull cap
- Wear a balaclava under helmet or at least a neck buff/neck gaiter
- Wear a Neptune Thermoregulation System under your shoulder pads. This base layer will replace your current one and it provides circumferential external heat through body warmers that will last all day. This system will also block wind and will allow for better mobility and temperature control that using a wetsuit
- Your normal Nike Dri-fit long sleeve compression shirt can be worn over the Neptune if you are opting for sleeves.
- If you chose to go without sleeves or forearm protectors then wear a wrist sweat bands. The wrist is a pulse point so you want it covered if at all possible
- If you wear gloves then place a Hot Hands Body Warmer (same type that goes in the Neptune) in the back of your gloves
- Wear Nike Dri-Fit Thermal Tights under your pants
- Wear full length compression socks with a Smartwool base layer running sock underneath. This added layer will help keep your feet dry and warm
Other points to consider that are not apparel related:
- Make sure you are thoroughly warm before the game
- Put on the large game jacket as soon as you come out of the game
- Drink warm liquids throughout the game
- Keep your feet warm by using the foot warming heaters. There are multiple pulse points in your ankles and feet so keeping these warm is essential
- Use Vaseline on your arms and face. It will help hold in heat and protect from wind burn
- Get as thoroughly warm as you can at half time. Warm those pulse points with warm towels
- ALCOHOL WILL NOT MAKE YOU WARMER. It can actually decrease your core temperature due to sending blood to the skin
- ICY HOT ON YOUR SKIN WILL NOT INCREASE CORE BODY TEMPERATURE
If you have any other questions please contact me. It’s better than using Cayenne pepper!
Thermal Regulation for Performance: Understanding the Best Ways To Heat or Cool the Body
On the BROCR Supercast we discuss the current world of OCR (Obstacle Course Racing), the people in it, and hot topics of the week. The BROCR Supercast is a no frills dive into the mud for the die hard athletes that are the OCR community. 9/23/19- This week's episode= It’s getting Cold in here- so put on all your clothes WRONG! Join Jacob and Leah as they speak with Jason Rulo- the inventor of the Neptune Thermoregulation System, and expert in cold weather prep! Headed to Tahoe this weekend? Or perhaps the upcoming Sweden Ultra or World’s Toughest Mudder? You won’t want to miss this episode to learn all about what you can do to prepare for the cold and ensure you finish your race as intended! Find the podcast on Google Podcast here: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy85MzIzZjgwL3BvZGNhc3QvcnNz&episode=NjM0N2E3MDUtOTM0Yy02NzVkLTM1ZGUtOTJhZTFlZmY2YTBh
When the Neptune Thermoregulation System made it's debut at the 2016 World's Toughest Mudder it marked a new age of temperature regulating clothing. Until that time nearly all of the clothing that provided external assistance in thermoregulation was outerwear in the form of a jacket, sweater type long sleeved shirt, or a down jacket/vest. The Neptune base-layer brought in a new type of product and still the only waterproof option. Wearing temperature assisting clothing close to the skin allows for a lot more flexible clothing options by selecting more traditional apparel to wear over it if necessary. Companies love to use technology to address this issue...even if "high tech" may not be the best approach. Sony has recently developed a new product called the Reon Pocket through their crowdfunding site. This product claims it can lower your body temperature 23 degrees F or raise it by 14 degrees F. This of course isn't actually true. Dropping your actual body temp by more than a few degrees puts you on the road to hypothermia and is really no fun at all. On the opposite end, you would not be able raise your body temperature much over 100 degree F before triggering a heat related illness response. They aren't painting the entire picture. Probably a better way to describe the effect of the Reon Pocket is that it lowers/ raises the SKIN temperature AT THE SITE OF THE DEVICE. The Neptune will actually produce AT LEAST similar results but it utilizes a much more low tech and more reliable method... Why? because I can never seem to find a charging port out in the woods or on a race course when I get that dreaded low battery warning! The method of application is another topic. However, given the fact that the Neptune shirt can actually hold up to six body warmers or even six Reon Pocket devices and the fact they are around the core only serves to increase the benefit. I will caution users that the more insulation you put over a warming device the more localized heat will be retained. At localized temperatures over about 115 degrees F you can burn the skin. I am guessing Sony limited the heat output of the device to help prevent this. However, I hypothesize the unit could get hotter than the 115 degrees F unless it has it's own "governor" if you will to prevent it from continueing to produce heat above a certain measure temperature. This is actually why we recommend our customers place the body warmers in the pouches during EVERY use even when when they will not be getting wet. I actually also question the cooling claims as well given the fact that in order to use the Reon Pocket you must wear the undershirt. Wearing a shirt under a shirt automatically makes you warmer because it both limits airflow around the skin as well as providing another layer in which to trap air thereby making the environment inside your shirt warmer. The Reon Pocket now has to overcome this in order to make you cooler. One might argue that simply wearing a lighter shirt and no undershirt might be a better choice. Bottom line, I believe thermoregulatory clothing is here to stay. Heck you can even go further than base layer clothing if you are looking for a heating or cooling effect. There are even cooling bras for women as well as underwear for men . Consumers really need to look into some of these options when they are shopping for solutions. That being said, potential customers do need to beware of ridiculous claims (see the Eddie Bauer claim in the pic below where it's impossible for there to be less heat loss in arms than that of the core in the non Evertherm jacket). Just know there are options out there. If you have questions about these products feel free to contact me. I am happy to help in any way I can. Godspeed and happy trails!
Nike has a prototype cooling vest that is similar in design to the Neptune Thermoregulation System
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