Recovery after exercise

Background: Ice hockey is a popular sport comprised of high-intensity repeated bouts of activity. Light activity, as
opposed to passive rest, has been shown to improve power output in repeated sprinting and could potentially
help to offset venous pooling, poor perfusion, and the risk of an ischemic event. The objective of our study was,
thus, to examine the efficacy of low-intensity lower body activity following a simulated hockey shift for altering
hemodynamic function.
Methods: In a cross-over design, 15 healthy hockey players (23 ± 1 years, 54 ± 3 mL/kg/min) performed two
simulated hockey shifts. In both conditions, players skated up to 85 % of age-predicted heart rate maximum,
followed by either passive recovery or active recovery while hemodynamic measures were tracked for up to
180 s of rest.
Results: Light active recovery within the confines of an ice hockey bench, while wearing skates and protective gear,
was effective for augmenting cardiac output (an average of 2.5 ± 0.2 L/min, p = 0.03) at 45, 50, and 120 s. These
alterations were driven by a sustained elevation in heart rate (12 bpm, p = 0.05) combined with a physiological relevant
but non-significant (11.6 mL, p = 0.06) increase in stroke volume.
Conclusions: Standing and pacing between shifts offers a realistic in-game solution to help slow the precipitous drop
in cardiac output (heart rate and stroke volume) that typically occurs with passive rest. Prolonging the duration of an
elevated cardiac output further into recovery may be beneficial for promoting recovery of the working skeletal muscles
and also avoiding venous pooling and reduced myocardial perfusion.
Key Points:

Evidence that light activity in the form of standing/pacing is effective for maintaining cardiac output, and thus
venous return

Increased cardiac output and venous return may help reduce the chances of poor perfusion (ischemia) and could
also promote recovery for performance

This is a simple, low-risk, intervention demonstrated for the first time to work within the confines of a player’s
bench while wearing hockey gear