TriggerPoint Cool Point Reusable Handheld Core Cooling Pack with Stay-Cool Technology for Athletic Endurance (4 oz)

I stumbled upon a scientific result that elevated core body temperature limits exercise performance; it is your body's natural protection to keep you from damaging yourself by overheating. Combined with that is a result from professor H. Craig Heller and senior research scientist Dennis Grahn that you can effectively reduce core body temperature by applying cold water to the palms of the hands. There are apparently special capillaries in the non-hairy skin surfaces that transmit temperature very efficiently. So Heller and Grahn did a startup and offer a high tech sports medicine device called the RTX (Rapid Thermal Exchange) for $4000, and the follow-on device the AvaCore CoreControl for only $1000. Fabulous, but I don't have a grand to burn on exotic exercise gear. So instead I spent $15 on these hand-held freezer packs. I have no clue if these are as effective as the thousand-dollar products, as I have no way to do a direct comparison, but I definitely DO see a huge improvement in my performance, both in aerobic workouts and in strength training. I can do the same lifts but with much less rest period in between. I can run harder and longer without collapsing from over heating. I need less water while working out. Super-cheap by comparison to the exotic gizmo, and highly effective!

Hand gel packs are great for keeping athletes cool, and thus, they are able to train for longer periods of time--a professor at Berkeley has confirmed the results through tests with hard core, professional athletes. But I'm not a pro-athlete, I am just a daily runner in the deep, humid southeastern part of the US, so I figured why not try it on my 48-year old self, especially since even the morning and late evening hours here can remain in the mid-upper 80 degrees in the summer. In addition, my palms seem to sweat a lot, and I hate the clammy feeling on my hands. When I took the them out of the packaging, my initial thought was that they felt rather heavy, and I wasn't sure I was going to want that much weight on my hands while running. However, after they were frozen solid (I put them in freezer overnight), they seemed lighter. The packs swelled when they were frozen and seemed rather bulky, and when I put them on my concern became that the hardness and bulkiness of the frozen pack would be uncomfortable. In addition, I wondered whether the thin velcro straps (about 1/2" wide) and their rather short length would keep the packs in place. Nonetheless, I put them on and took off. Turns out they were quite comfortable and did not slip at all while I was running. HOWEVER, I am a woman with slender hands and would warn men with large hands that the velcro straps are very, very short, and it could be a problem for anyone with large hands to get the straps to reach all the way around the hands. The label states that the packs stay cold for "60+" minutes. I ran six miles, which takes me about an hour, but they were pretty much melted after three miles, elapsed time of about :30 minutes. I suppose the manufacturer really means they'll stay cold as long as you just let them sit out without using them for athletic activity! It was great to have the cold on my body for the time that it lasted, and after they were no longer cold, they were comfy enough for me to keep them on--at least to stop any sweat from clamming up my hands. I would have given them five stars except for the fact that they just simply do not stay cold long enough, which is unfortunate. :-( But I will keep using them for the time being. I do think that slipping a small gel pack inside a fingerless neoprene glove would be equally effective for less money; but, overall, I'd say they were pretty cool.

I've now ordered two of these, one for each hand--they look kind-of dorky, but they help me endure summer runs in Texas. The pack only stays frozen for about 35 minutes, but remains cool for around an hour. As it warms up, it gets soft, and I squeeze it during the most intense parts of the run--feels good, relieves tension.

It was a gift to someone else. The product was not the quality she was expecting. It may work for someone else.

It really helps with my hand pain... no need to bandage the whole hand, thus limiting activity

I was hoping it would be more gel-like than frozen solid. However, I really like them. I got one for each hand and would recommend it. Just make sure it will fit into your workout routine since you won't be able to use your hands. Nice for jogs! Jogging on a treadmill indoors they stayed cool for about 45 mins.

This works for short runs, I would say 40 mins or less. I live in Southern Maryland, it's really hot here in the summer, so I was excited to try this product. I found that it does keep you cool for the first 30 minutes of your run, but after that it just becomes a nuissance, and starts to get warm. So after all the cool is gone, and the gel is no longer frozen, you are left with a warm, wet, pillowy thing in your hand. If you do not have a pocket (it's summer, your hot & wearing as little as possible) or a place to stash it on the road, it is just annoying after 30-40 minutes.

I really wish it lasted longer. Also, as it melts you need to adjust how tight it is on your hand. I also put it on my wrist instead if I need both hands (cycling, tennis, etc). It definitely does something (even if you're just walking around on a really hot day), but it maybe lasts an hour. I know it's to slow down the rise in body temperature but I wish I could wear one to maintain a lower body temp for 4+ hours (riding a century when it's 90 deg sucks without any cooling help).