Abstract
PurposeTo investigate the effects of different recovery strategies on fatigue markers following a prolonged running exercise.Methods46 recreational male runners completed a half-marathon, followed by active recovery (ACT), cold water immersion (CWI), massage (MAS) or passive recovery (PAS). Countermovement jump height, muscle soreness and perceived recovery and stress were measured 24h before the half-marathon (pre), immediately after the recovery intervention (postrec) and 24h after the race (post24). In addition, muscle contractile properties and blood markers of fatigue were determined at pre and post24.ResultsMagnitude-based inferences revealed substantial differences in the changes between the groups. At postrec, ACT was harmful to perceived recovery (ACT vs. PAS: effect size [ES] = −1.81) and serum concentration of creatine kinase (ACT vs. PAS: ES = 0.42), with CWI being harmful to jump performance (CWI vs. PAS: ES = −0.98). It was also beneficial for reducing muscle soreness (CWI vs. PAS: ES = −0.88) and improving perceived stress (CWI vs. PAS: ES = −0.64), with MAS being beneficial for reducing muscle soreness (MAS vs. PAS: ES = −0.52) and improving perceived recovery (MAS vs. PAS: ES = 1.00). At post24, both CWI and MAS were still beneficial for reducing muscle soreness (CWI vs. PAS: ES = 1.49; MAS vs. PAS: ES = 1.12), with ACT being harmful to perceived recovery (ACT vs. PAS: ES = −0.68), serum concentration of creatine kinase (ACT vs. PAS: ES = 0.84) and free-testosterone (ACT vs. PAS: ES = −0.91).ConclusionsIn recreational runners, a half-marathon results in fatigue symptoms lasting at least 24h. To restore subjective fatigue measures, the authors recommend CWI and MAS, as these recovery strategies are more effective than PAS, with ACT being even disadvantageous. However, runners must be aware that neither the use of ACT nor CWI or MAS had any beneficial effect on objective fatigue markers.
Highlights
A long-distance running exercise such as a half-marathon or a marathon is one of the most strenuous activities because it combines a prolonged duration with an eccentric component and a relatively high exercise intensity [1]
It was beneficial for reducing muscle soreness (CWI vs. passive recovery (PAS): ES = −0.88) and improving perceived stress (CWI vs. PAS: ES = −0.64), with MAS being beneficial for reducing muscle soreness (MAS vs. PAS: ES = −0.52) and improving perceived recovery (MAS vs. PAS: ES = 1.00)
At post24, both cold water immersion (CWI) and MAS were still beneficial for reducing muscle soreness (CWI vs. PAS: ES = 1.49; MAS vs. PAS: ES = 1.12), with active recovery (ACT) being harmful to perceived recovery (ACT vs. PAS: ES = −0.68), serum concentration of creatine kinase (ACT vs. PAS: ES = 0.84) and free-testosterone (ACT vs. PAS: ES = −0.91)
Summary
A long-distance running exercise such as a half-marathon or a marathon is one of the most strenuous activities because it combines a prolonged duration with an eccentric component and a relatively high exercise intensity [1]. The use of recovery strategies seems to be required to overcome the demands of, for example, a half-marathon- or a marathon-type exertion, to increase the athlete’s well-being and allow them to return to normal training as quickly as possible without increased risk of injury or illness [4, 5]. A variety of recovery methods can help to alleviate the deleterious effects of muscle fatigue caused by strenuous exercise [6]. Numerous studies have investigated their efficacy, most have used non-functional exercises to induce fatigue. There are limited studies investigating the potential effectiveness of recovery strategies in road running. The findings of the majority of these studies may not apply to the actual practice of long-distance runners
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