Cardiac Parasympathetic and Anaerobic Performance Recovery After High-Intensity Exercise in Rowers
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Purpose: To determine the effect of different high-intensity interval-training (IT) sessions on the postexercise recovery response and time course across varying recovery measures. Methods: A total of 13 highly trained rowers (10 male and 3 female, peak oxygen uptake during a 6-min maximal test 4.9 [0.7] L·min−1) completed 3 IT sessions on a rowing ergometer separated by 7 d. Sessions consisted of 5 × 3.5 min, 4-min rest periods (maximal oxygen uptake [VO2max]); 10 × 30 s, 5-min rest periods (glycolytic); and 5 × 10 min, 4-min rest periods (threshold). Participants were instructed to perform intervals at the highest maintainable pace. Blood lactate and salivary cortisol were measured preexercise and postexercise. Resting heart-rate (HR) variability, post-submaximal-exercise HR variability, submaximal-exercise HR, HR recovery, and modified Wingate peak and mean power were measured preexercise and 1, 10, 24, 34, 48, 58, and 72 h postexercise. Participants resumed training throughout the measurement period. Results: Between-groups short-term response differences (1 h post-IT) across IT sessions were trivial or unclear for all recovery variables. However, post-submaximal-exercise HR variability demonstrated the longest recovery time course (threshold = 37.8 [14.2], glycolytic = 20.2 [11.0], and VO2max = 20.6 [15.2]; mean [h] ± confidence limits). Conclusion: Short-term responses to threshold, glycolytic, and VO2max IT in highly trained male and female rowers were similar. Recovery time course was greatest following threshold compared with glycolytic and VO2max-focused training, suggesting a durational influence on recovery time course at HR intensities ≥80% HRmax. As such, this provides valuable information around the programming and sequencing of high-intensity IT for endurance athletes.
Holt, Plews, and Kilding are with Sports Performance Research Inst New Zealand (SPRINZ), and Merien, AUT Roche Diagnostics Laboratory, School of Science, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand. Holt is also with the Victoria Inst of Sport, Melbourne, Australia. Oberlin-Brown is with High Performance Sport New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand.
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