Effects of Recovery Method After Exercise on Performance, Immune Changes, and Psychological Outcomes

Abstract

A widespread belief among many coaches and athletes is that relatively large volumes of intense training must be performed to maximize gains in pera common training model used by coaches and athletes is based on the "overload principle" or "physical stress theory." 14 An essential component of the model is that high-intensity physical exercise creates a disturbance in cellular homeostasis. This disturbance then acts as a stimulus that initiates physiological responses to restore homeostasis and induce training adaptations. 14 t stUDY DesiGn: Randomized controlled trial using a repeated-measures design.t obJeCtiVes: To examine the effects of commonly used recovery interventions on time trial performance, immune changes, and psychological outcomes.t baCKGroUnD: The use of cryotherapy is popular among athletes, but few studies have simultaneously examined physiological and psychological responses to different recovery strategies.t MethoDs: Nine active men performed 3 trials, consisting of three 50-kJ "all out" cycling bouts, with 20 minutes of recovery after each bout. In a randomized order, different recovery interventions were applied after each ride for a given visit: rest, active recovery (cycling at 50 W), or cryotherapy (cold tub with water at 10°C). Blood samples obtained during each session were analyzed for lactate, IL-6, total leukocyte, neutrophil, and lymphocyte cell counts. Self-assessments of pain, perceived exertion, and lower extremity sensations were also completed.t resUlts: Time trial performance averaged 118  10 seconds (mean  SEM) for bout 1 and was 8% and 14% slower during bouts 2 (128  11 seconds) and 3 (134  11 seconds), respectively, with no difference between interventions (time effect, P.05). Recovery intervention did not influence lactate or IL-6, although greater mobilization of total leukocytes and neutrophils was observed with cryotherapy. Lymphopenia during recovery was greater with cryotherapy. Participants reported that their lower extremities felt better after cryotherapy (mean  SEM, 6.0  0.7 out of 10) versus active recovery (4.8  0.9) or rest (2.8  0.6) (trial effect, P.05).t ConClUsion: Common recovery interventions did not influence performance, although cryotherapy created greater immune cell perturbation and the perception that the participants' lower extremities felt better.t leVel oF eViDenCe: Performance enhancement, level 2b.

Short term effects of various water immersions on recovery from exhaustive intermittent exercise

“…These Wndings are in accordance with previous research on recreational subjects utilising CWT (CoVey et al 2004;Versey et al 2010) or CWI (Stacey et al 2010) therapy following similar exercise intensities and/or bouts. To the best of the authors knowledge, no previous research uses a subject population of such international (elite) calibre, and accordingly, where the highly trained status of the subject population may predispose them to a faster recovery than untrained populations (Ravier et al 2006).…”

“…Thus, the lower CK concentrations via the reduction of cellular, lymphatic and capillary permeability may be explain by localised vasoconstriction induced by the cooler temperature (Eston and Peters 1999) of CWI condition. Further, this reduced diVusion rate may assist in reducing acute inXammation from muscle damage and immune activation (Coté et al 1988;Stacey et al 2010). In turn, the reduced inXammation can reduce pain, swelling and the loss of force generation that is also often associated with the inXammatory process (Goodall and Howatson 2008;Smith 1991).…”

Cold-water immersion alters muscle recruitment and balance of basketball players during vertical jump landing

“…Bleakley and Costello (2013) reported some concern regarding the return to exercise after cooling and advised more careful use of cryotherapy before activities that demand good sensory-motor control in order to protect the physical integrity of the athlete. Bleakley and Costello (2013) also referred to a growing trend in the application of cold prior to exercise; however, these authors suggested that the benefits of its use should compensate for any deleterious physiological effect, as it is associated with a decrease in nerve conduction velocity (Herrera, Sandoval, Camargo, & Salvini, 2011) and muscle contraction (Bleakley et al, 2007) and changes in training and physical performance (Stacey, Gibala, Ginis, & Timmnos, 2010). In contrast, no changes were observed after cooling in the joint proprioception function (Costello, Algar, & Donnelly, 2012), balance (Rupp, Herman, Hertel, & Saliba, 2012) or in the EMG response (Berg, Hart, Palmieri-Smith, Cross, & Ingersoll, 2007).…”

Recovery After High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise in Elite Soccer Players Using VEINOPLUS Sport Technology for Blood-Flow Stimulation

“…In athletes, several techniques have been proposed to achieve this result. Of these, active recovery, 8,9 contrast water therapy, 10 compression garments, 11 low-level laser therapy, 12 and lowfrequency electromyostimulation 13 have been investigated and compared with passive recovery (PAS). 6,14 The results of these studies provide no definitive consensus on the ability to improve explosive strength and anaerobic capacity performance or clear muscle damage markers after exercise.…”