UKC

Bare with me on this one...

Today I was out in the cold snap, and I had my annual reminder that my hands are remarkably efficient at shutting down their blood supply. My core was warm, I'd had enough to eat and drink; it's just a problem I have. I'm one of those people that can get cold hands in summer in the office.

Anyway, it got me thinking about how I can improve the situation, and I had the idea that working to get 6-day-a-week-boulderer forearms might result in warmer hands (with the added benefit of climbing harder, and attracting hot babez of course...)

I can think of a few theoretical reasons why this might work:
- bulkier forearms probably have a lower surface area to volume ratio, reducing relative heat loss
- increased muscle mass building more extensive vasculation
- more tissue simply providing more insulation around blood vessels.

What I'm wondering is if anyone has actually found this to be the case in real life, or has an opinion on whether I'm talking mince or not? Have you made a conscious effort to get Popeye'd at the wall and noticed you could, for once, feel your fingers on the hill? Or perhaps you wasted away for a couple of months on the beer and kebab diet, then were crucified by hot aches? Opinions welcome.

In reply to Taurig:

Ask a lobster

In reply to Taurig:

No. Says the fairly large forearmed chap with hands that regularly turn to ice.

In reply to nathan79:

A challenge to the hypothesis by the second post, all good though, that's why I asked.

In reply to Taurig:

I thought that the fat is the best way to keep the heat within the body? You won't be climb harder and babez won't be staring at you.

I am just thinking... I was wearing shorts and long-sleeved shirt for most of the day today as we were playing football. I felt really cold today while some of my mates were feeling okay (I am usually the opposite, can walk with a T-shirt all winter in Glasgow). I also had a buff and a hat, but needed a jacket while resting. I am now wondering why. Lack of sleep? Check. Stressful morning? Check. High dose of caffeine in the morning? Check. I think there are so many factors (including genetics) that even studies might not show anything useful.

Just my 2p.

In reply to PPP:

I believe you're right re: fat, but unfortunately I can't eat pies and direct it all to my forearms.

I made an effort to lose some body fat over the last few months and dropped 3-4%. I genuinely think I feel the cold more now in my core. However, hands have always been the same. Probably genetics and a load of incidental factors influence reaction to cold as you say, I'm just trying to find ways round it.

In reply to Taurig:

In da pen shower block sum bluds complain its cold innit n dey have small dicks.

I has a big dick an don't get cold ballz.

In reply to Taurig:

Its a well know fact that Popeye had incredibly warm hands

In reply to browndog33:


Cough....

In reply to Taurig: Ask your doctor about Reynauds' Syndrome. What you describe sounds very much like that.

In reply to Taurig:

Not necessary so.

It's all about circulation, so something like ice-water treatment might be worth trying. That warm up hand, dip in a bucket filled with water and blocks of ice. Repeat.

In reply to Taurig:



Where were you born (country)?
Where did you live for the first 4 years of your life?
Where were your grandparents born?

In reply to Jim Fraser:

You forgot "how do you feel about your mother?"

In reply to johncook:

Reynaud's is easy to self diagnose. If the OP's fingers don't go white it's just bad circulation.

In reply to Taurig:
As mentioned, circulation is probably the main culprit (for which being fat would not be beneficial).

Circulation can be improved through exercise, both aerobic and anaerobic, so depending on your current fitness level you may be able to improve things. I'm not aware of any specific studies in this area, it would be interesting to hear of some.

Your circulation is still going to be limited by the density of capillaries in your extremities, which will be determined by genetics ( large capillary densities have been found in both Nepalese Sherpas and North Sea fishermen ). Plenty of super-fit people still get cold hands.

In reply to ScottTalbot:


As per post mentioning capillary density, this is about the body's adaption to the environment. There is a genetic component and the effects of childhood experience. The INM has been all over this in their efforts to work out why black guys were having problems passing commando training.

Similar problem when you take a scottish kid and make him spend most of his childhood in Kenya. I end up at the top of the BenN with a guy with useless swollen hands trying to rewarm him.

Most native NW Europeans who have had a robust rural childhood still have a good resistance to cold but as populations become more mixed across the world, and granny keeps turning the heating up, there will be a lot of uncomfortable people around on winter days.

In reply to Jim Fraser:

I understand what you're talking about. I just don't see how knowing this will make the OP's hands warmer!?!

I too have quite poor circulation. I avoid tight gloves, as anything that adds to impeding the circulation will obviously have a detrimental affect. Do more expensive gloves mean warmer hands? I suspect it will to an extent, but being tight, I've yet to test this theory. Maybe slightly over heating the core will force the blood to the extremities, but you then run the risk of sweating too...

In answer to the original question... No, i don't believe bigger forearms will mean warmer hands. A friend of mine is an ex competitive body builder and is built like a tank! He can't handle the cold at all...

In reply to Jim Fraser:


But is that physiological or psychological? Maybe those of us who's grannies keep turning up the heat (though in my experience it's actually grannies who turn down the heat) might think it's cold, and complain accordingly, but perhaps will in practice cope as well - or not - as did our forebears who passed down our genetic makeup.

In reply to Taurig:

Leg warmers on your forearms?

In reply to PPP:



I think I read that fat is _not_ the best thing to keep the body warm, which makes sense - because otherwise women (who on average have a much higher body% of fat than men) could be expected to feel the cold a lot less then men. The new idea IIRC is that men are better shiverers due to a higher muscle%.
So you should be bear-shaped (i.e. a thick fatty layer over a solid core of muscle) for maximum effect.