Energetic responses of head-out water immersion at different temperatures during post-exercise recovery and its consequence on anaerobic mechanical power

Purpose While exercise recovery may be beneficial from a physiological point of view, it may be detrimental to subsequent anaerobic performance. To investigate the energetic responses of water immersion at different temperatures during post-exercise recovery and its consequences on subsequent anaerobic performance, a randomized and controlled crossover experimental design was performed with 21 trained cyclists. Method Participants were assigned to receive three passive recovery strategies during 10 min after a Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT): control (CON: non-immersed condition), cold water immersion (CWI: 20 ℃), and hot water immersion (HWI: 40 ℃). Blood lactate, cardiorespiratory, and mechanical outcomes were measured during the WAnT and its recovery. Time constant ( τ ), asymptotic value, and area under the curve (AUC) were quantified for each physiologic parameter during recovery. After that, a second WAnT test and 10-min recovery were realized in the same session. Results Regardless the water immersion temperature, water immersion increased τV̇_O_2 (+ 18