Cardiorespiratory and metabolic alterations during exercise and passive recovery after three modes of exercise
Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate the potential variations in cardiorespiratory and metabolic parameters and running performance among 3 modes of exercise of the same duration, namely, intermittent running with active recovery, or passive recovery and continuous running and whether these variations could affect passive recovery time. The results showed that during exercise, the highest heart rate and oxygen intake values were observed in continuous running, whereas the lowest values were in passive recovery.
Blood lactate concentration was higher in passive recovery by 38% compared to that in active recovery (p less than 0.05). Among the three running protocols, only continuous running appeared to have fully challenged the cardiorespiratory system inducing maximal functional responses during exercise, yet these responses were not associated with better exercise performance compared to intermittent running.
Therefore, intermittent exercise, regardless of implementing passive or active interval, might be the preferable exercise mode particularly in activities extended over 30 minutes.