Journal of Sport and Exercise Physiology

Journal of Sport and Exercise Physiology

Effect of cooling down through hypoxic-hypercapnia and normoxia on lactate, fatigue and recovery in elite triathletes and swimmers after an exhausting exercise

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Vahid Keshavarz Taghvaei 1
Hamid Rajabi 1
Mahdi Goudarzi 2
Mohammad Ali Gharaat 3
1 Faculty of Sport Sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Sport Management, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
3 Department of Physical Education, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran
10.48308/joeppa.2025.237665.1315
Abstract
Background and Purpose: Cooling-down after an intensive exercise has been studied widely, while evidence on the role of hypoxia in optimal cooling-down are rare. Present study aimed to compare the effects of cooling-down through hypoxia-hypercapnia or normoxia on fatigue and blood lactate concentration in elite triathletes and swimmers after an exhaustive swimming activity.
Materials and Methods: Ten elite swimmers (age, 21.4 ± 4.16 years; height, 187.1 ± 6.3 cm; weight, 76.3 ± 6.4 kg) from the triathlon and swimming men’s national team (at least 3 years of experience as a member of national team) performed an exhaustive swimming protocol followed by either hypoxia-hypercapnia or normoxia recovery, in two separate sessions, with one week intervening. The exhaustive swimming protocol included 4×50 meters all-out swimming with 10 s rest between the intervals. Afterward, subjects in hypoxia-hypercapnia grouphad 8 min active recovery in hypoxia-hypercapnia,  while, subjects in normoxia group had 8 min active recovery in normoxia condition. Blood lactate level and rate of fatigue (ROF) were measured immediately after, 5 min and 8 min after recovery. ANCOVA was used to analyze the data at p≤ 0.05 significance level.
Results: Cooling-down through hypoxia-hypercapnia resulted in lower blood lactate level 5 and 8 min after recovery compared to normoxia condition (P = 0.02 and P = 0.03, respectively). Moreover, ROF was significantly lower after 8 min in hypoxia-hypercapnia condition than normoxia condition (P = 0.04).
Conclusions: It seems that cooling-down in hypoxia-hypercapnic condition resulting in better recovery after exhaustive swimming than normoxia condition. However, further studies are needed to understand possible mechanisms of this type of recovery.
Keywords
Active cooling
Recovery
Hypoxia
Fatigue
Elite Swimmer
Subjects
  1. Calder A. Recovery training. Sports Med Australia. 2003;23(11):312-322.
  2. Ingram J, Dawson B, Goodman C, Wallman K, Beilby J. Effect of water immersion methods on post-exercise recovery from simulated team sport exercise. J Sci Med in Sport. 2009;12(3):417-21.
  3. Gharaat MA, Agha Alinejad H, Eidi Abarghani L, Mehri Alvar, Y. Effect of Caffeine on Recovery from Ergometer Rowing. J Sport Biosci. 2016;8(1):77-94. doi: 10.22059/jsb.2016.58240
  4. Lorentze W, Savage M. Cold water immersion. Sports Med. 2002;1(13):11-20.
  5. Bartel C, Coswig VS, Protzen GV, Del Vecchio FB. Energy demands in high-intensity intermittent taekwondo specific exercises. Peer J. 2022;10: e13654.
  6. Sheykhlouvand M, Khalili E, Agha-Alinejad H, Gharaat MA. Hormonal and physiological adaptations to high-intensity interval training in professional male canoe polo athletes. J Strength Condit Res. 2016; 30(3): 859–866.
  7. Gharaat MA, Sheykhlouvand M, Eidi LA. Performance and recovery: effects of caffeine on a 2000-m rowing ergometer. Sport Sci Health. 2020; 16:531–542. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-020-00643-5.
  8. Samadi M, Nazem F, Gharaat MA. Designing the simulation training of taekwondo competition according to heart rate, blood lactate and rating of perceived exertion. Med Dello Sport. 2014;67(4):581-592.
  9. Peeters MJ. The effect of recovery strategies on high-intensity exercise performance and lactate clearance (T). University of British Columbia. 2008; Retrieved from https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/ubctheses/24/items/ 1.0066771
  10. Gharaat MA, Kashef M, Eidi L, Sheykhlouvand M. Effect of beta alanine on Lactate and Performance of rower. J Sabzevar Uni Med Sci. 2019;27(1):73-81 (Persian).
  11. Castagna C, Abt G, Manzi V, Annino G, Padua E, D'Ottavio S. Effect of Recovery Mode on Repeated Sprint Ability in Young Basketball Players. J Strength Condit Res. 2008; 9: 220-28.
  12. Veiga S, Pla R, Qiu X, Boudet D, Guimard A. Effects of Extended Underwater Sections on the Physiological and Biomechanical Parameters of Competitive Swimmers. Frontiers in Physiol. 2022; 13: 815766.
  13. Kappenstein J, Engel F, Fernández-Fernández J, Ferrauti A. Effects of active and passive recovery on blood lactate and blood pH after a repeated sprint protocol in children and adults. Pediatr Exerc Sci. 2015;27(1):77-84.
  14. Greenwood J, Moses G, Bernardino F, Gaesser G, Weltman A. Intensity of Exercise Recovery, Blood Lactate Disappearance, and Subsequent Swimming Performance. J Sport Sci. 2008; 26:29-34.
  15. Dahl S, Cotrel C, Leleu C. Optimal Active Recovery Intensity in Standardbreds After Submaximal Work. Equine Veterin J Suppl. 2006; 36:102-05.
  16. Toubekis A, Smilios I, Bogdanis C, Mavridis G, Tokmakidis P. Effect of Different Intensities of Active Recovery on Sprint Swimming Performance. J Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2006; 31:709-16.
  17. Monedero J, Donne B. Effect of Recovery Interventions on Lactate Removal and Subsequent Performance. J Sport Med. 2000; 21:593-97.
  18. Zandvoort CS, de Zwart JR, van Keeken BL, Viroux PJF, Tiemessen IJH. A customised cold-water immersion protocol favours one-size-fits-all protocols in improving acute performance recovery. Eur J Sport Sci. 2018;18(1):54-61. doi:10.1080/17461391.2017.1386718
  19. Neric FB, Beam WC, Brown LE, Wiersma LD. Comparison of swim recovery and muscle stimulation on lactate removal after sprint swimming. J Strength Cond Res. 2009;23(9):2560-2567.
  20. Dawson B, Gow S, Modra S, Bishop D, Stewart G. Effects of immediate post-game recovery procedures on muscle soreness, power and flexiblity levels over the next 48 hours. J Sci Med Sport. 2005;8(2):210-21.
  21. Fabrízio D, Masi R, Estelio H, Martin D, Ana C, Lopes B, Jefferson SN, Victor MR. Is blood lactate removal during water immersed cycling faster than during cycling on land? J Sports Sci Med. 2007; 6:188-92.22. Lucertini F, Gervasi M, D'Amen G, Sisti D, RocchiMBL, StocchiV, et al. Effect of water-based recovery on blood lactate removal after high-intensity exercise. PLoS One. 2017;12(9): e0184240.
  22. Jimenez-Perez I, Gil-Calvo M, Vardasca R, Fernandes RJ, Paulo Vilas-Boas J. Pre-exercise skin temperature evolution is not related with 100 m front crawl performance. J Thermal Biol. 2021; 98:102926.
  23. Bailey DM, Davies B. Physiological implications of altitude training for endurance performance at sea level: a review. British J sports med. 1997;31(3):183-90.
  24. Faul F, Erdfelder E, Lang AG, Buchner A. G*Power 3: a flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behav Res Methods. 2007; 39(2),175–191.
  25. Kang H. Sample size determination and power analysis using the G*Power software. J Educ Eval Health Prof. 2021; 18:17.
  26. Czuba M, Zając A, Maszczyk A, Roczniok R, Poprzęcki S, Garbaciak W, et al. The effects of high intensity interval training in normobaric hypoxia on aerobic capacity in basketball players. J Hum Kinet. 2013;39(4):103–114.
  27. Ramezanpoor MR, Lamir AR, Hesari M. Comparison of the effect of three methods of returning to the initial state (gentle swimming, sitting and massage) on the heart rate and blood lactate of adult swimmers. J Sports Biomotor Sci. 2011; 2(4): 37-46. doi: 10.22034/sbs.2011.165286
  28. Monedero J, Donne B. Effect of recovery interventions on lactate removal and subsequent performance. Int J Sports Med. 2000;21(8):593-597. doi:10.1055/s-2000-8488
  29. Oriishi M, Matsubayashi T, Kawahara T, Suzuki Y. Short-Term Hypoxic Exposure and Training Improve Maximal Anaerobic Running Test Performance. J Strength Condit Res. 2018;32(1):181-188. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001791.
  30. Manoj KM, Nirusimhan V, Parashar A, Edward J, Gideon DA. Murburn precepts for lactic-acidosis, Cori cycle, and Warburg effect: Interactive dynamics of dehydrogenases, protons, and oxygen. J Cell Physiol. 2022;237(3):1902-1922. doi:10.1002/jcp.30661

 

  1. Türkmen D, Günay E, Güdücü Ç, Öniz A, Bediz CŞ. Effect of Post-Warm-Up Three Different Duration Self-Selected Active Rests on 100 Meter Swimming Performance: Preliminary Findings. Mont J Sports Sci Med. 2022;11(2),57-64. https://doi.org/10.26773/mjssm.220907
  2. Joulia F, Steinberg JG, Wolff F, Gavarry O, Jammes Y. Reduced oxidative stress and blood lactic acidosis in trained breath-hold human divers. Resp Physiol Neurobi. 2002; 133: 121–130.
  3. Poprzęcki S, Czuba M, Zając A, Karpiński J, Wilk R, Bril G, et al. The blood antioxidant defence capacity during intermittent hypoxic training in elite swimmers. Biol Sport. 2016;33(4):353–360. https://doi.org/ 10.5604/20831862.1221607 PMID: 28090139.35.
  4. van Hall G, Stømstad M, Rasmussen P, Jans O, Zaar M, Gam C, et al. Blood Lactate is an Important Energy Source for the Human Brain. J Cereb Blood Flow Metabol. 2009; 29(6):1121-1129.

  • Receive Date 22 November 2024
  • Revise Date 07 February 2025
  • Accept Date 21 February 2025
  • First Publish Date 22 February 2025
  • Publish Date 22 June 2025