The Effects of Recovery Duration During High-Intensity Interval Exercise on Time Spent at High Rates of Oxygen Consumption, Oxygen Kinetics, and Blood Lactate

In conclusion, aerobic metabolism attains its upper functional limits with either 2, or 3 or 4 minutes of recovery during the 4 × 4-minute HIIE; thus, all rest durations could be used for the enhancement of aerobic capacity in sports, fitness, and clinical settings. The short (2 minutes) compared with longer (4 minutes) recovery, however, evokes greater cardiovascular and metabolic stress and activates to a greater extent anaerobic glycolysis and hence, could be used by athletes to induce greater overall physiological challenge.
Source: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research - Category: Sports Medicine Tags: Original Research Source Type: research