Effects of partial-body cryotherapy (− 110 °C) on muscle recovery between high-intensity exercise bouts.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a single partial-body cryotherapy bout between training sessions on strength recovery. 12 young men (23.9 ± 5.9 years) were randomly exposed to 2 different conditions separated by 7 days: 1) Partial-body cryotherapy (subjects were exposed to 3 min of partial-body cryotherapy at − 110 °C between 2 high-intensity training sessions); 2) Control (subjects were not exposed to partial-body cryotherapy between 2 high-intensity training sessions). Subjects were exposed to partial-body cryotherapy after the first training session. The 2 knee extension highintensity training sessions were separated by a 40-min rest interval. Knee extension training consisted of 6 sets of 10 repetitions at 60 °.s − 1 for concentric actions and 6 sets of 10 at 180.s − 1 for eccentric actions. The decrease in eccentric peak torque and total work was significantly (p < 0.05) less after partial-body cryotherapy (5.6 and 2 %, respectively) when compared to control (16 and 11.6 %, respectively). However, the decrease in concentric peak torque and total work was not different (p > 0.05) between partial-body cryotherapy (9.4 and 6.5 %, respectively) and control (7.5 and 5.2 %, respectively). These results indicate that the use of partial-body cryotherapy between-training sessions can enhance eccentric muscle performance recovery.