In 17 trained young men on a cycle ergometer, pedalling at 60% of lactate-threshold intensity in the 4-min recoveries between three 30-s bouts at 90% of peak power, instead of sitting, raised the peak power of a closing Wingate test by 6.6% and its mean power by 5.3%, with lower blood lactate and higher blood pH; the pH difference did not correlate with the gain. From the full text

Nalbandian, Radak and Takeda (Kyoto University, University of Physical Education in Budapest, Doshisha University) asked whether active recovery between high-intensity bouts changes the performance that follows, and whether blood pH, bicarbonate and lactate explain any change.

After two weeks of familiarisation and tests of VO2max, lactate threshold and Wingate peak power, 17 men did the same session twice, a week apart and in random order: three 30-s bouts at 90% of Wingate peak power at 90 rpm, each followed by 4 min of either pedalling at 60% of lactate-threshold intensity at 60 rpm or sitting, then a Wingate test and 4 min of passive recovery.

With active recovery 15 of the 17 had a higher Wingate peak power and 16 a higher mean power. Blood lactate was lower after the second bout onward, blood pH higher, bicarbonate different at two time points, and VO2 higher throughout.

The difference in pH before the Wingate did not correlate with the difference in performance, while VO2max correlated with Wingate power in both conditions. The authors suggest that greater blood flow and faster phosphocreatine resynthesis, not pH, may explain the gain; they did not measure either.

n = 17 healthy, well-trained young men: 20.6 ± 1.9 yr, 69.3 ± 6.7 kg, 174.3 ± 5.7 cm, body fat 13.4 ± 1.6%, VO2max 59.5 ± 5.8 mL/min/kg of fat-free mass; university rugby and baseball club members with at least four years of training and at least four sessions a week; VO2max did not differ significantly by sport.