The dichotomy of active versus passive recuperation is worthy of debate. Ohya et al12 demonstrated
that active recuperation can result in a poorer performance and low muscle reoxygenation. Our data differ,
which could be due to the low number of participants in both studies or the different types of exercises used. Greco et al7 studied types of active and passive recuperation in prolonged, intermittent exercises, observing no differences between them.
Ali Rasooli et al1 studied different types of active and passive recuperation in swimmers and found that active recuperation increases the clearance of lactate on a greater scale than do massages and rest. These data are analogous to our study, which was performed in a similar group of participants (professional swimmers).
There are limitations to our study, including that it may not be generalizable to swimmers with different experience levels or training regimens.
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Conclusion
Swimmers subjected to active recuperation exercises
may have better athletic performance and lower blood lactate values than those subjected to passive recuperation.