
A number of years ago we showed that one could extend the metabolic window by consuming a second dose of a recovery drink such as Endurox R4. Normally this is not necessary. However during national and international competitions athletes are often competing on consecutive days so recovery becomes critical. As a result we developed a protocol for the US wrestling team after weighing where following a workout they consumed a recovery drink then exercised at a low intensity on a stationary cycle for 30 minutes and consumed a second recovery drink. The rationale was to extend insulin release and maintain a heighten level of metabolic activity.
Now a recent study show that active recovery can be as short as four minutes. In the study investigators had two groups of subjects, after a defined exercise protocol one group underwent a passive recovery and the second cycled for 4 minutes at a low intensity (active recovery). The researchers found the active recovery group had improved endurance adaptations particularly in terms of power measurements.
The bottom line – with a four minute active recovery you can gain greater training benefits with a minimal increase in total training commitment.