Recovery posture post HIIT exercise in the active population

Introduction: By stimulating the sympathetic nervous system during a high intensity cycle HIIT workout, the effects of body posture on heart rate recovery can be recorded as the body is returning to a resting state. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the physiology of recovery related to different body positions after high intensity exercise in order to account for the quickest recovery. Design: Original research. Methods: 18 healthy college aged individuals, 9 males, 8 females, mean age 21.7 ± 2.22, performed a submaximal HIIT workout on a cycle ergometer with a metabolic cart to record respiratory data. Each participant was randomly assigned a different rotation of recovery positions: hands on knees (HK), hands on head (HH), and seated with hands on hips (HI). The workout consisted of 8 bouts of 20 seconds on 10 seconds off cycling at 85 rpm. This was repeated 3 times assuming a different recovery posture after each round. Results: The VCO2 (p = .068) and VE (p = .053) for HH vs. HK posture revealed trends towards significance. There was an effect of order (first versus third positions) for HRR (p = .007). Conclusions: The hands on knees position shows trends towards greater ventilation volume and VCO2 compared to hands on head or hands on hips. In order for athletes to eliminate more CO2 after a HIIT workout a HK position should be assumed. Key words: HIIT, heart rate recovery, recovery posture, ventilation rate, spirometr