Active Versus Passive Recovery in High-Intensity Intermittent Exercises in Children: An Exploratory Study

in Pediatric Exercise Science
Georges Baquet * , 1 , Gregory Dupont * , 1 , 2 , François-Xavier Gamelin * , 1 , Julien Aucouturier * , 1 and Serge Berthoin * , 1
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  • 1 URePSSS—Unité de Recherche Pluridisciplinaire Sport Santé Société
  • 2 Liverpool John Moores University
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/pes.2018-0218
Keywords:
interval training; aerobic fitness; maximal oxygen uptake; field tests
In Print:
Volume 31: Issue 2
Pages:
248–253
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This study aimed to compare the effect of active recovery (AR) versus passive recovery (PR) on time to exhaustion and time spent at high percentages of peak oxygen uptake (peakV˙O2) during short, high-intensity intermittent exercises in children. Twelve children (9.5 [0.7] y) underwent a graded test and 2 short, high-intensity intermittent exercises (15 s at 120% of maximal aerobic speed) interspersed with either 15 seconds of AR (50% of maximal aerobic speed) or 15-second PR until exhaustion. A very large effect (effect size = 2.42; 95% confidence interval, 1.32 to 3.52) was observed for time to exhaustion in favor of longer time to exhaustion with PR compared with AR. Trivial or small effect sizes were found for peakV˙O2, peakHR, and peak ventilation between PR and AR, while a moderate effect in favor of higher average V˙O2 values (effect size = −0.87; 95% confidence interval, −1.76 to −0.01) was found using AR. The difference between PR and AR for the time spent above 80% (t80%) and 90% (t90%) of peakV˙O2 was trivial. Despite the shorter running duration in AR, similar t80% and t90% were spent with AR and PR. Time spent at a high percentage of peakV˙O2 may be attained by running 3-fold shorter using AR compared with using PR.

Baquet, Dupont, Gamelin, Aucouturier, and Berthoin are with the Univ. Lille, Univ. Artois, Univ. Littoral Côte d’Opale, URePSSS—Unité de Recherche Pluridisciplinaire Sport Santé Société, Lille, France. Dupont is also with The Football Exchange, Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom.

Baquet (georges.baquet@univ-lille.fr) is corresponding author.

Pediatric Exercise Science

Cover Pediatric Exercise Science
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