The practice of synchronized swimming at the elite level has become increasingly demanding physically, combining high-intensity exercise with large hourly training volumes. In this context, improving postexercise recovery between sessions is a priority in order to manage fatigue and optimize performance ability across successive performances. The present study investigated the effect of whole body cryostimulation (WBC), contrast-water therapy (CWT), active (ACT) and passive (PAS) recovery protocols on parasympathetic reactivation and metabolic parameters of recovery between two full length competition ballets (B1 and B2). Methods: 11 elite synchronized swimmers performed all 4 trials in randomized order, one week apart. Peak oxygen consumption ( VO2peak 400) and blood lactate concentrations ([La-]b 400) were determined during a 400m swim time trial. Heart rate variability (HRV) was measured at rest (PreB1), 5min after B1 (PostB1), just before B2 (PreB2), and 5min after B2 (PostB2). Mean heart rate (HRmean), time-varying vagal-related indices (rMSSD and SD1), and power spectral density indices (HF, LF, LF/HF) were retained. VO2peak was measured at the end of B1 and B2, and [La-]b were obtained at PostB1, PreB2, and PostB2. Results: At the end of B1 and B2, VO2peak values were similar to VO2peak 400, and [La-]b was higher than [La-]b 400. B1 and B2 caused significant decreases in rMSSD, SD1, HF and LF and increase in HRmean. At PreB2, all HRV indices had returned to PreB1 values with CWT, PAS, and ACT, while WBC yielded a 2 to 4-fold increase in vagal-related HRV indices compared to PreB1 (rMSSD, p= 0.01; SD1, p=0.01; HF, p= 0.04). [La-]b was significantly decreased during recovery with WBC and ACT compared to PAS (-9.2±2.2, -8.8±1.7, and -8.0±1.4 mmol/L, respectively). Further, WBC and ACT enabled a significant increase in O2peak during B2, compared to B1 (+5.4%, p=0.003, and +3.4%, p= 0.008), while CWT led to no change, and PAS to a significant decrease (-3.6%, p=0.003). Conclusion: Even though each ballet required maximal aerobic energy production with large anaerobic contributions, elite swimmers displayed full parasympathetic reactivation 70 minutes postexercise, attesting to their highly trained status (Seiler et al. 2007). While cold water immersion techniques have been shown to accelerate postexercise parasympathetic reactivation after maximal exercise bouts (Buccheit et al. 2009, Stanley et al. 2011) WBC is the first method to show a large augmentation of vagal-related HRV indices beyond resting levels. WBC also results in similar effects as ACT on metabolic parameters of recovery and subsequent exercise capacity, and therefore appears as an effective recovery method in this context.
© Copyright 2012 17th Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science (ECSS), Bruges, 4. -7. July 2012. Veröffentlicht von Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. / Übersetzt mit https://www.DeepL.com/Translator