ABSTRACT
Artistic gymnast (AG) young athletes may restrict fluid intake during training and competitions as it is assumed that avoiding body mass increase helps performance. It is also unclear whether the intensive physical training of AG athletes since prepubescent years improves thermoregulatory responses to exercise. It is then possible that a persistent hypohydration state combined with physical adaptations make thermoregulatory responses of AG athletes different from those of non-athletic girls during a continuous exercise. The purpose of this study was to compare rectal temperature (Tre), heart rate (HR) and sweating responses between AG young athletes and non-athlete girls during cycling at similar relative intensity both in a heat (HC) and in thermoneutral (TC) environment conditions.
