Active recovery has recently been shown to impair intermittent performance
and repeated sprint ability (RSA) during cycling. This is thought to be due to
the reduction in oxygen availability that occurs with active recovery, which may
limit muscular PCr and ATP resynthesis in the early recovery phase (within 20
to 30 seconds) following exercise. However, in all pre-cited RSA studies,
participants exercised exclusively on standard or front-access cycle
ergometers neither of which replicates specific team sport movements. Since
exercise mode can influence muscle recruitment patterns, the proportion of
anaerobic system participation and RSA4, an assessment of the muscle
deoxygenation levels during repeated sprint running was necessary to fully
understand the effects of recovery type under conditions resembling those
experienced during team sport activity. The purpose of the present study was
to compare the effect of active (AR) versus passive recovery (PR) on muscle
oxygenation during short repeated maximal running.