Recovery from Different High-Intensity Interval Training Protocols: Comparing Well-Trained Women and Men
Question
Do well-trained women and men differ in metabolic, cardiovascular, subjective, and performance recovery after repeated 30-second high-intensity cycling intervals with 1, 3, or 10 minutes of active recovery?
Summary
In well-trained cyclists and triathletes, repeated 30-second all-out Wingate intervals produced different recovery patterns by sex: women showed lower lactate and smaller performance decline, while men had faster heart-rate and subjective recovery.
Methodology
- Well-trained cyclists and triathletes.
- 22 participants.
- Cycle ergometer.
- Work intervals: 30 s all-out Wingate.
- Recovery: 1, 3, or 10 min active recovery.
- Intensity: All-out.
- Protocol-dependent; 2 min hard work plus active recovery and cooldown.
- Three randomized test protocols, one week apart.
- Acute crossover testing.
- Randomized-order repeated-measures laboratory crossover study
- Power output, Lactate, Heart-rate recovery, and Perceived recovery were tracked.
Outcomes
Power
Power maintenance improved as recovery duration increased; performance drop did not show a sex interaction.
Recovery-duration main effect p<0.001; performance drop x sex p=0.49.
Lactate
Men had higher lactate than women with 3 and 10 min recovery, but not 1 min recovery.
3 min p=0.04; 10 min p=0.004.
Heart-rate recovery
Women had slower heart-rate recovery with 3 and 10 min recovery.
Sex differences at 3 and 10 min p<0.001.
Subjective recovery
Perceived recovery improved with longer recovery and differed by sex in the 1 and 10 min protocols.
TQR sex differences: 1 min p<0.001; 10 min p=0.03.
Insights
- Recovery length materially changes repeated sprint performance.
- Heart-rate recovery and perceived recovery can be slower even when lactate recovery is faster.
- All-out Wingate evidence should be translated cautiously for non-athletes.
Limitations
- Small athlete-only sample
- Acute laboratory study rather than chronic training trial
- No sedentary or clinical participants
- Protocol depends on cycle ergometer Wingate testing
Safety
- No intervention-related adverse events were reported.
- Two athletes, one male and one female, dropped out because of injuries that were not related to the study intervention.
- Participants were screened by medical questionnaire and monitored continuously for heart rate/RR intervals and gas exchange during testing.