Effect of Different Recoveries During HIIT Sessions on Metabolic and Cardiorespiratory Responses and Sprint Performance in Healthy Men

Abstract Germano, MD, Sindorf, MAG, Crisp, AH, Braz, TV, Brigatto, FA, Nunes, AG, Verlengia, R, Moreno, MA, Aoki, MS, and Lopes, CR. Effect of different recoveries during HIIT sessions on metabolic and cardiorespiratory responses and sprint performance in healthy men. J Strength Cond Res 36(1): 121–129, 2022—The purpose of this study was to investigate how the type (passive and active) and duration (short and long) recovery between maximum sprints affect blood lactate concentration, O 2 consumed, the time spent at high percentages of V̇ o 2 max, and performance. Subjects were randomly assigned to 4 experimental sessions of high-intensity interval training exercise. Each session was performed with a type and duration of the recovery (short passive recovery–2 minutes, long passive recovery [LPR–8 minutes], short active recovery–2 minutes, and long active recovery [LAR–8 minutes]). There were no significant differences in blood lactate concentration between any of the recoveries during the exercise period ( p > 0.05). The LAR presented a significantly lower blood lactate value during the postexercise period compared with LPR ( p < 0.01). The LPR showed a higher O 2 volume consumed in detriment to the active protocols ( p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in time spent at all percentages of V̇ o 2 max between any of the recovery protocols ( p > 0.05). The passive recoveries showed a significantly higher effort time compared with the active recoveries ( p < 0.001). Different recovery does not affect blood lactate concentration during exercise. All the recoveries permitted reaching and time spent at high percentages of V̇ o 2 max. Therefore, all the recoveries may be efficient to generate disturbances in the cardiorespiratory system.