Calf skin temperature during ergometer exercise: effect of intensity

The purpose of this investigation was to characterize the calf skin temperature response as an index of vasomotor tone to upright ergometer cycling at four levels of intensity. At cadences of 20, 40, 60, or 80 rpm the load was adjusted to maintain respective intensities of 45%, 60%, 75%, or 90% of maximum heart rate. Pre-exercise heart rate was 59 bpm and average calf skin temperature was 32.6°C (n=60 observations from one subject). It was found that following an initial fall in calf skin temperature the rate of rise was directly related to exercise intensity. At the end of the exercise a further after-rise in calf skin temperature occurred. This investigation shows the complexity of the demands for thermoregulatory dissipation of heat through vasodilatation when coupled with the demands of the exercising muscle.