A systematic review of 26 studies in 471 professional, collegiate and competitive adult athletes found the findings too varied for firm conclusions: active recovery lasting 6-10 min had consistently positive effects on performance, the best intensity was unclear, blood lactate clearance looked unreliable as a marker of recovery, and the evidence for active recovery after exercise, particularly for performance, was weak. From the abstract

Ortiz and colleagues reviewed whether active recovery after exertion improves athletic performance in professional, collegiate and competitive adult athletes.

They searched four databases for English-language studies published between 1998 and 2014; after removing overlap and screening abstracts 150 studies remained, and after full review 26 studies with 471 participants were kept, the main reason for exclusion being no active recovery of interest or no performance measure.

The approaches and outcome measures varied so much that specific conclusions were hard to draw. Active recovery lasting 6-10 min showed consistently positive effects on performance; the right intensity was inconclusive; blood lactate clearance rate seemed unreliable as a recovery marker.

The authors also report positive psychological outcomes, call for study of whether active recovery should be individualised, describe the evidence for post-exercise active recovery, especially for performance, as weak, and call for better markers of fatigue, recovery and performance.

26 studies, 471 professional, collegiate and competitive adult athletes; sports and sexes not given in the abstract.