Physiology of Responses to Active and Passive Recovery Strategies After Maximal Exercise: A Study in Track and Field Athletes
Main Article Content
Abstract
Purpose: The accumulation of lactic acid in muscle cells during intense exercise can decrease muscle and blood pH, leading to weakened muscle contractions and fatigue. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of active recovery (jogging) on reducing blood lactate levels after a 400-meter sprint in male college students.
Materials and Methods: An experimental study with a randomized control group and a pretest-posttest design was used. Twenty subjects were randomly divided into two groups of 10: a treatment group with active recovery (jogging) and a control group with passive recovery (sitting). Lactate levels were measured twice: after running and after a 5-minute recovery period. Data analysis used in this study included descriptive tests, normality tests, paired-samples t-tests, and independent-samples t-tests.
Result: The research results show that active recovery significantly reduces lactate levels from an average of 16.88±3.28 mMol/L to 9.97±1.28 mMol/L, whereas passive recovery reduces them only from 16.55±2.37 mMol/L to 15.63±2.08 mMol/L. The paired t-test results showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the two recovery methods.
Conclusion: These findings indicate that active recovery is more effective in accelerating the reduction of lactic acid levels, reducing the risk of muscle fatigue, and enhancing athletes' readiness for subsequent training or competitions.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
References
Bartoloni, B., Mannelli, M., Gamberi, T., & Fiaschi, T. (2024). The multiple roles of lactate in the skeletal muscle. Cells, 13(14), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13141177
Bonora, M., Patergnani, S., Rimessi, A., De Marchi, E., Suski, J. M., Bononi, A., Giorgi, C., Marchi, S., Missiroli, S., Poletti, F., Wieckowski, M. R., & Pinton, P. (2012). ATP synthesis and storage. Purinergic Signalling, 8(3), 343–357. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11302-012-9305-8
Brooks, G. A. (2018). The science and translation of lactate shuttle theory. Cell Metabolism, 27(4), 757–785. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2018.03.008
Cai, X., Ng, C. P., Jones, O., Fung, T. S., Ryu, K. W., Li, D., & Thompson, C. B. (2023). Lactate activates the mitochondrial electron transport chain independently of its metabolism. Molecular Cell, 83(21), 3904-3920. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2023.09.034
Cairns, S. P., & Lindinger, M. I. (2025). Lactic acidosis: Implications for human exercise performance. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 125(7), 1761–1795. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-025-05750-0
Cicchella, A. (2022). The problem of effort distribution in heavy glycolytic trials with special reference to the 400 m dash in track and field. Biology (Basel), 11(2), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11020216
Duffield, R., Dawson, B., & Goodman, C. (2005). Energy system contribution to 400-metre and 800-metre track running. Journal of Sports Sciences, 23(3), 299–307. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410410001730043
Fajar, M. K., Hariyanto, A., Wahjuni, E. S., Hamzah, S. H., Wijono, Sidik, R. M., Wulandari, F. Y., Hafidz, A., Pramono, B. A., Mustar, Y. S., & Kusuma, I. D. M. A. W. (2024). Cold-water immersion as an effective recovery method: its impact on heart rate and lactate levels post-exercise. Retos, 61, 440–447. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v61.108794
Gladden, L. B. (2000). Muscle as a consumer of lactate. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 32(4), 764–771. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005768-200004000-00008
Gough, L. A., Brown, D., Deb, S. K., Sparks, S. A., & McNaughton, L. R. (2018). The influence of alkalosis on repeated high-intensity exercise performance and acid-base balance recovery in acute moderate hypoxic conditions. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 118(12), 2489–2498. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-018-3975-z
Hasegawa, T., Muratomi, K., Furuhashi, Y., Mizushima, J., & Maemura, H. (2024). Effects of high-intensity sprint exercise on neuromuscular function in sprinters: The countermovement jump as a fatigue assessment tool. PeerJ, 12, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17443
Huang, T., Liang, Z., Wang, K., Miao, X., & Zheng, L. (2025). Novel insights into athlete physical recovery concerning lactate metabolism, lactate clearance, and fatigue monitoring: A comprehensive review. Frontiers in Physiology, 16¸1-12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2025.1459717
Katoch, R., Farooque, S., Dhar, K., & Das, P. K. (2025). Effectiveness of two different recovery processes on the blood lactate removal pattern of soccer players. Pedagogy of Physical Culture and Sports, 29(1), 62–67. https://doi.org/10.15561/26649837.2025.0107
Kojima, C., Morishima, T., Ito, R., Yasunaga, S., Shimogaki, T., Hashimoto, T., Isaka, T., & Iemitsu, M. (2025). Blood and salivary lactate responses to active rest following circuit exercise. Frontiers in Physiology, 16, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2025.1534668
Kumar, S., Sahu, N., Jawaid, T., Jayasingh, C. H. S., & Upadhyay, P. (2025). Dual role of lactate in human health and disease. Frontiers in Physiology, 16, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2025.1621358
Li, S., Kempe, M., Brink, M., & Lemmink, K. (2024). Effectiveness of recovery strategies after training and competition in endurance athletes: An umbrella review. Sports Medicine - Open, 10(1), 55-66. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-024-00724-6
Liakou, C. A., Fatouros, I. G., Poulios, A., Tsatalas, T., Karampina, E., Karanika, P., Kaloudi, D., Rosvoglou, A., Tsimeas, P., Kamperi, A., Syrou, N., Gatsas, A., Papanikolaou, K., Draganidis, D., Tsaklis, P., Giakas, G., Jamurtas, A. Z., & Deli, C. K. (2024). Recovery kinetics following sprint training: resisted versus unresisted sprints. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 124(3), 881–896. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-023-05317-x
Liu, H., Wang, S., Wang, J., Guo, X., Song, Y., Fu, K., Gao, Z., Liu, D., He, W., & Yang, L.-L. (2025). Energy metabolism in health and disease. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 10(1), 69-77. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-025-02141-x
Menzies, P., Menzies, C., McIntyre, L., Paterson, P., Wilson, J., & Kemi, O. J. (2010). Blood lactate clearance during active recovery after an intense running bout depends on the intensity of the active recovery. Journal of Sports Sciences, 28(9), 975–982. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2010.481721
Nalbandian, H. M., Radak, Z., & Takeda, M. (2017). Active recovery between interval bouts reduces blood lactate while improving subsequent exercise performance in trained men. Sports (Basel, Switzerland), 5(2), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports5020040
O’Connor, E., Mündel, T., & Barnes, M. J. (2022). Nutritional compounds to improve post-exercise recovery. Nutrients, 14(23), 5069-5077. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14235069
Ortiz, R. O., Sinclair Elder, A. J., Elder, C. L., & Dawes, J. J. (2019). A systematic review on the effectiveness of active recovery interventions on athletic performance of professional-, Collegiate-, and competitive-level adult athletes. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 33(8), 2275–2287. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002589
Özsu, İ., Gurol, B., & Kurt, C. (2018). Comparison of the effect of passive and active recovery, and self-myofascial release exercises on lactate removal and total quality of recovery. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 6(9a), 33-41. https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v6i9a.3511
Rabinowitz, J. D., & Enerbäck, S. (2020). Lactate: The ugly duckling of energy metabolism. Nature Metabolism, 2(7), 566–571. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-020-0243-4
Tauffenberger, A., Fiumelli, H., Almustafa, S., & Magistretti, P. J. (2019). Lactate and pyruvate promote resistance to oxidative stress through hormetic ROS signaling. Cell Death & Disease, 10(9), 653-665. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-019-1877-6
Theofilidis, G., Bogdanis, G., Koutedakis, Y., & Karatzaferi, C. (2018). Monitoring exercise-induced muscle fatigue and adaptations: Making sense of popular or emerging indices and biomarkers. Sports, 6(4), 153-166. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports6040153
Wang, Z., & Zhu, L. (2025). New insights into lactate in exercise adaptations: does protein lactylation play a role? American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, 329(3), 405–419. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00225.2025
Yamaguchi, K., Kasai, N., Hayashi, N., Yatsutani, H., Girard, O., & Goto, K. (2020). Acute performance and physiological responses to repeated-sprint exercise in a combined hot and hypoxic environment. Physiological Reports, 8(12), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.14466
Zhao, R., Wu, R., Jin, J., Ning, K., Wang, Z., Yi, X., Kapilevich, L., & Liu, J. (2023). Signaling pathways regulated by natural active ingredients in the fight against exercise fatigue: A review. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 14, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1269878