Core temperature afterdrop following cold water immersion has previously been shown to be greater during treadmill exercise than shivering (J. Appl. Physiol. 1987; 63:2375-9). To test the hypothesis that this results from increased transfer of heat from the core to exercising muscles, we quantified the changes in leg temperature and heat content during cooling and exercise/shivering protocols. Upper and lower leg muscle temperatures were measured at multiple depths in five thin healthy male subjects immersed in 8 degrees C water until core temperatures reached 32.8-34.9 degrees C. In these thin subjects there was a significant but small difference between exercise and shivering afterdrop (approximately 0.2 degrees C), and total leg heat content was unchanged during this period with both protocols. Subsequent heat gain was similar in both treatments but, in the lower leg, was greater during exercise than shivering, suggesting that shivering is less effective than exercise in increasing lower leg heat content.