How to best recover during rest periods in a workout
It is commonly thought that standing upright, with hands placed on head, is the best way to recover during exercise.
However, a 2019 study that compared hands on head (HH) and hands on knees (HK), and their influence on cardiorespiratory function during HIIT, suggests otherwise.
So, if you feel that HK seems to improve your recovery over HH - you might be right!
Study on recovery positions
The study sample consisted of 24 female division II soccer players. They were asked to perform HIIT sessions on a treadmill, consisting of 4min of running and 3min of recovery performed four times (4 × 4 min).
Their working intensities were set at 90 - 95% of predicted HRmax, and during recovery periods each player was assigned one of the two recovery postures.
During their recovery sets, the following functions were measured:
Heart rate recovery (HRR), which is the ‘beats per minute’ that our heart rate drops one minute into recovery.
Carbon dioxide elimination (V˙CO2), i.e. how much we exhale.
Tidal volume (VT), which is the total amount of air moved through our lungs each time we inhale and exhale.
The results from the study showed that those who recovered with HK posture experienced a greater lowering of their heart rate (by 22 bpm) than those recovering with HH. They also had greater VT and V˙CO2 readings.
A lower HR reading here likely indicates that the working muscles have been sufficiently supplied with oxygen, that muscle cells are becoming replenished with energy stores, and that the heart does not need to pump blood to the muscles as aggressively.
So, why do we think that HK offers an advantage in recovery over HH?
HK posture may offer some biomechanical advantages that optimise diaphragm function.
By contrast, HH position may reduce the ability of the diaphragm to contract effectively because of its poor position along its length–tension curve (i.e. it is in a position of too much stretch).
Interestingly, the subjects of the study exhibited an increase in thoracic flexion the further into the session they reached. Could this be our body’s natural attempt to optimise recovery?
It’s also possible that lowering our rib cage may also contribute to improvements in HRR, due to less workload pumping blood against gravity.
Their conclusion?
“The positive effects of HK posture on HRR, VT and V˙CO2 may suggest improved parasympathetic influences and cardiorespiratory mechanics when adopting this posture during a recovery period from a fatiguing exercise.”
What do we suggest?
Recover in whatever position makes you feel best and ready to go again.
If you have been trying to recover in a HH position, thinking that it’s good for you (but feeling otherwise), then you may want to try a HK position.
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