Effect of active or passive recovery on performance and muscle oxygenation during short-duration intermittent exercise

Abstract

We compared the eff ect of recovery condition and durations on performance and muscle oxy- genation during short-duration intermittent sprint exercise. 8 subjects performed a graded test and ten 5-s maximal sprints with 25-, 50-, and 100-s passive recovery (PR) or active recov- ery (AR) on a cycle ergometer. Peak power and percent decrease in power were determined. Oxygen uptake and blood lactate were meas- ured during the sprint exercise. Oxyhemoglobin (O 2 Hb) and deoxyhemoglobin were measured using near-infrared spectroscopy. Peak power values were higher for PR than AR for the 25-s (2–9 sprints) and 50-s (2–6, 9, or 10 sprints) but not for the 100-s durations. Percentage decrease in peak power was lower for PR than AR in the 25-s (8.5 ± 2.5 vs. 11.5 ± 3.6 %, P = 0.008, ES = 0.66) and 50-s (2.7 ± 1.4 vs. 6.2 ± 3.5 %, P = 0.007, ES = 0.67) but not 100-s durations (2.1 ± 1.3 vs. 3.1 ± 2.6 %, P > 0.05). O 2 Hb variations were signifi - cantly higher for PR than AR for the 25-s and 50-s durations. AR was associated with reduced sprint performance and lower muscular reoxygenation. Performance was not aff ected over longer recov- ery durations regardless of recovery condition.