Why Do I Get Cold After Exercise? And Why It Hits Hardest After Open Water Swimming

Why Exercise Makes You Cold

During exercise, the body generates a significant amount of heat. To manage that heat, blood vessels near the surface of the skin dilate and sweat is produced to cool things down. The body is essentially running its own temperature control system at full capacity.

The moment exercise stops, that system doesn’t switch off immediately. Blood is still near the surface of the skin. Sweat is still on the body. But the heat source, which was your muscles working hard, has suddenly stopped. The result is rapid heat loss from the skin surface, which is exactly what the post workout chill feels like from the inside.

Add wind into the equation and the effect accelerates. Moving air pulls heat away from damp skin faster than still air. Which is why standing around after training on a cool day, even in summer, can leave you shivering within minutes of finishing.

Why Open Water Swimming Makes It Worse

Every athlete experiences the post workout chill to some degree. But open water swimmers get it hardest, and there are specific reasons for that.

The water temperature. Open water is almost always colder than a pool, often significantly so. The body works hard to maintain its core temperature during a swim, which means blood is being actively directed away from the skin surface and toward the vital organs. When the swim ends and the athlete climbs out, the contrast between water temperature and air temperature is immediate and sharp.

The wind. Open water venues are rarely sheltered. The combination of cold, wet skin and exposed air means heat loss begins almost instantly on exit. Even on a warm summer day, the wind chill after an open water swim can be startling.

The distance from changing facilities. Pool swimmers can be in a warm changing room within minutes of finishing. Open water swimmers are often standing on a riverbank, a beach or a field, with nothing between them and the elements except whatever they thought to bring in their kit bag.

And the kit itself. A standard towel absorbs surface water but stops insulating the moment it’s wet. A changing robe adds warmth but doesn’t deal with moisture on the skin underneath. Neither fully solves the problem in the critical minutes after climbing out.

What Actually Stops the Post Workout Chill

The post workout chill happens because two things occur at the same time. The skin is damp, which accelerates heat loss. And the body has stopped generating the warmth it was producing during exercise. To stop the chill properly, both problems need to be solved at the same time.

That means something that absorbs moisture away from the skin immediately, and holds warmth in at the same time. Not a towel first and then a layer on top. Both at once, from the moment training stops.

For open water swimmers this is particularly important because the window between getting out of the water and the chill taking hold is short. The solution needs to work immediately, not after you’ve dried off and changed.

The BambooLayer™ Recovery Top and BambooLayer™ Recovery Joggers were built for exactly this. The bamboo towelling lining absorbs moisture from the skin on contact, up to 60% faster than cotton. The wind resistant outer holds warmth in while the lining works underneath. They go on straight after training, over a swimsuit, over kit, over whatever you finished in. Warm and dry within seconds of putting them on.

For open water swimmers, that means on the riverbank before you’ve even thought about changing. For runners and outdoor athletes, it means on within two minutes of finishing, before the chill gets a hold.

The Moment After Sport Is the One Most Athletes Miss

Getting cold after exercise isn’t inevitable. It’s a gap in the recovery plan that most athletes don’t think to fill because nobody really talks about it.

Training gets planned. Nutrition gets thought about. Kit for the session gets packed carefully. What happens in the twenty minutes after finishing is an afterthought for most people, which is exactly why the post workout chill catches so many athletes off guard.

Pack for the session. Pack for the moment after it too.

Shop the BambooLayer™ Recovery Top and BambooLayer™ Recovery Joggers at www.dryrz.co.uk