An Experimental Investigation of Physiological Responses in Semiprofessional Athletes: Comparing the Impact of Climatic Conditions, Physical Activity, and Gender
Phase: NA
Conditions: Physiological Stress, Heat Stress, Sports Injury, Heat Stress, Exertional
Sponsor: University of the Punjab

Protocol_V2.0 12August23 
 
 
Study Protocol 
 
 
Validation of heat stress limit values for the athletic 
performance (HSL-AP) 
 
Version V2.0 12August23 
 
Principal Investigator: Dr. Muhammad Salman Butt 
Email: sames_butt@hotmail.com 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Protocol_V2.0 12August23 
FULL TITLE 
An Experimental Investigation of Physiological Responses in 
Semiprofessional Athletes: Comparing the Impact of Climatic 
Conditions, Physical Activity, and Gender  
SHORT TITLE 
Validation of heat stress limit values for the athletic 
performance (HSL-AP) 
Protocol version/date 
Version V2.0 12August23 
Methodology 
Experimental research design 
Study Duration 
6 months 
Study Centres 
Thermal Environment Laboratory, Department of Design Sciences, 
Faculty of Engineering (LTH), Lund University 
Main Objectives 
 
Primary Outcome Measure 
Objective 1: Rate of change of skin temperature (Tsk) of semi-
professional athletes during walking 5km/hr and Jogging 8km/hr for 
70 minutes in hot wet (Ta 40 C & 70% RH) and hot dry (Ta 31C & 
20% RH) test conditions.  
Objective 2: Rate of change of core body temperature (Tcore) of semi-
professional athletes during walking 5km/hr and Jogging 8km/hr for 
70 minutes in hot wet (Ta 40 C & 70% RH) and hot dry (Ta 31 C & 
20% RH) test conditions.  
Objective 3: Rate of change of Heart Rate (HR bpm) of semi-
professional athletes during walking 5km/hr and Jogging 8km/hr for 
70 minutes in hot wet (Ta 40 C & 70% RH) and hot dry (Ta 31 C & 
20% RH) test conditions. 
Objective 3: Consumption of oxygen (VO2 Max ml/min/kg) of semi-
professional athletes during walking 5km/hr and Jogging 8km/hr for 
70 minutes in hot wet (Ta 40 C & 70% RH) and hot dry (Ta 31 C & 
20% RH) test conditions. 
Secondary Outcome Measures 
Objective 4: Gender based comparison of physiological basis semi-
professional athletes in performing walking 5km/hr and Jogging 
8km/hr for 70 minutes in hot wet (Ta 40 C & 70% RH) and hot dry 
(Ta 31 C & 20% RH) test conditions. 
Objective 4: Comparison of Physiological Heat Strain (PHS) and Wet 
Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index for evaluating heat stress in 
sports settings based on the physiological responses from semi-
professional athletes. 
No. of Participants 
Six semiprofessional athletes including three males and three females 
with a mean age of (24.7 ± 2.1 years) and a body surface area mean 
of (1.8 ± 0.2 m2) participated in this study. 

Protocol_V2.0 12August23 
Main Eligibility Criteria 
 
Inclusion Criteria 
• 
Semiprofessional aged 22-27 years of both genders.  
• 
Body surface area between 1.5 to 2.5 m2 
• 
Semiprofessional participating in regional competition 
level, receive monetary compensation for their sports 
participation, participating in sports activity in the last six 
year, and skill level.  
• 
Semiprofessional demonstrating a higher level of skill and 
performance than recreational or amateur participants. 
Exclusion Criteria 
• 
Subjects should not have any known heart disease or 
circulatory disorder. 
• 
No known respiratory disease or heat allergy. 
• 
No habitual smoker or drug user. 
Statistical Methodology 
and Analysis 
 
The Boruta package is available from the comprehensive R archive 
network at https://cran.r-roject.org/web/packages/Boruta/index.html 
and was used in the R studio for statistical analysis. Regression 
analysis and ANOVA statistical model will be applied to analyze the 
data.  
 
 
 

Protocol_V2.0 12August23 
 
Informed Consent Form 
Validation of Heat Stress limits Values for athletic performance in Sports 
 
Importance of Study 
Defining thermal limitations, recording physiological profiles of athletes under various environmental 
situations, and researching the effects of clothing and physical exercise on thermoregulation will help 
in anticipating unfavorable events in hot environments. This would reduce the number of cases of heat 
illness at sporting activities. 
Purpose 
This study aims to examine the physiological thermoregulatory responses using the PHS model 
parameters skin temperature (Tsk), core body temperature (Tcore), body temperature (Tb), heart 
rate (HR), and oxygen uptake (VO2max) among semi-professional athletes of both genders 
during physical activity of walking (6 km/hr) and jogging (8 km/hr) in different climatic 
conditions (hot wet and hot dry) accounted for WBGT 28 C.   
 
Description of test  
Each person will perform a test inside the climatic chamber of the Thermal Environment Laboratory in 
the Department of Design Sciences, Faculty of Engineering (LTH), Lund University – Sweden. The 
test includes the measurement of height, weight, heart rate, sweat evaporation rate, skin temperature, 
and core body temperature variation under hot environmental conditions. The temperature inside the 
climatic chamber will be set at 40 ᵒC and 31 ᵒC at a relative humidity of 20% and 70% respectively to 
count for a WBGT level of 28 ᵒC. The subject will have activities of walking at 5 km/ h and jogging at 
8 km/h for less than 2 hours inside the chamber. During the test, we will measure various physiological 
and subjective variables periodically. Body temperature, skin temperature, and heart rate were recorded 
for at least 10 seconds. Energy turnover will be determined by measuring the oxygen consumption 
during the first 10 minutes of experiments. Subjectively perceived exertion and heat stress are recorded 
every ten minutes. Sweat evaporation and water loss are determined by weighing personnel and 
equipment before and immediately after the test. You have the right to cancel the test at any time and 
skip the trial without giving any reason 
 
Information for volunteers  
You must not drink alcohol 24 hours or smoke or drink coffee or tea 2 hours before the experiment. We 
request that you should not eat or exert yourself (sports) for two hours before the experiment.  
 
Procedure  
1. Subjects will be given the information about the test (20 minutes before the start of the test) 
and sign the written consent form. The subject’s weight and height will be recorded. 
2. The subject is requested to insert the rectal probe. 
3. The subject is weighted, and instrumented with skin temperature sensors and Polar Sports 
Tester. 
4. The subject will be dressed in sportswear and shoes. 
5. The subject will be weighed with all equipment. 
6. The subject will enter the chamber, is connected to the recording system, recordings start and 
the subject starts walking or jogging.  
7. Every subject will perform four Climatic chamber experiments: combinations of hot-dry and 
hot-wet environments with 5 km/h walking and 8 km/h jogging. Each experiment lasts 
maximally for 70 minutes.  
8. After the test subject will be weighed again with all equipment, de-instrumented, and then 
weighted without the clothes (Just Having Brief). The experiment is accomplished. 
Measurements  
1. Deep body temperature (YSI rectal probe, 10 cm above anal sphincter).  

Protocol_V2.0 12August23 
2. Skin temperature (sensors will be attached to the left side of the body at four locations i.e. 
chest, lateral upper arm, anterior thigh front, and posterior calf).  
3. Heart rate (Polar Sports Tester).  
4. Oxygen uptake (Cortex Metamax I gas analysis equipment).  
5. Weighing the subject and clothing (Mettler-Toledo, accuracy 2 g).  
6. Subjectively perceived exertion and heat stress (scales).  
Experimental conditions  
 
There will be four test conditions to which a subject will be exposed please see Table 1 for complete 
test conditions. The subject will expose to one condition at a time in a day. 
 
Table 1: Test Conditions 
 
 
Table 2: Feasible Test Time 
 
Date 
Time 
Date 
Time 
1 
 
3 
 
2 
 
4 
 
5 
 
6 
 
 
 
Our telephone number at the university:  
073-871 3363 Muhammad Salman Butt (Investigator) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I, ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... agrees to participate in the 
above-described experiments.  
 
 
 
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...                                                      .. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...  
Subject signature -Date  
 
           Investigator Signature-Date 
 
 
Test Conditions 
Variable 
Test Condition 1 
Test Condition 2 
Test Condition 3 
Test Condition 4 
WBGT 
28 C  
28 C 
28 C 
28 C   
Clothing 
High Visibility 
High Visibility 
High Visibility 
High Visibility 
Air 
Temperature 
40 C 
40 C 
31 C 
31 C 
RH % 
20 % 
20 % 
70 % 
70 % 
Vapor Pressure 
2.3 kPa 
2.3 kPa 
3.1 kPa 
3.1 kPa 
Walking Speed 
5 km/h 
Jogging 8 km/h 
5 km/h 
Jogging 8 km/h 
Time  
70 min 
70 min 
70 min 
70 min