ORIGINAL ARTICLE Effectiveness of low-frequency vibration recovery method on blood lactate removal, muscle contractile properties and on time to exhaustion during cycling at VO 2max power output Luis Carrasco • Borja San ˜udo • Moise ´s de Hoyo • Francisco Pradas • Marzo E. Da Silva Received: 21 July 2010 / Accepted: 20 January 2011 Ó Springer-Verlag 2011 Abstract The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of low-frequency vibration recovery (LFV- rec) on blood lactate removal, muscle contractile properties, and on time to exhaustion during cycling at maximal oxy- gen uptake power output (pVO 2max ). Twelve active males carried out three experimental sessions. In session 1, par- ticipant’s maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2max ) and pVO 2max were determined, and in sessions 2 and 3, the partici- pants performed a fatiguing exercise (2 min of cycling at pVO 2max ) and then a 15 min recovery period using one of two different methods: LFV-rec which consisted on sitting with feet on the vibratory platform (20 Hz; 4 mm) and passive recovery (P-rec), sitting without vibration stimulus. After that, participants performed an all-out exercise test on cycle ergometer at pVO 2max . In the recovery period, vari- ables such as heart rate (HR), blood lactate concentration [Lac], and tensiomyographic parameters (D m : maximal radial displacement; T s : time of contraction maintenance, and T r : relaxation time) were measured. In an all-out exercise test, mean time to exhaustion (TTE), total distance covered (TD), mean cycling velocity (V m ), and maximal HR (HR max ) were also assessed. The results showed no effect of recovery strategy on any of the assessed variables; nevertheless, higher values, although not significant, were observed in TTE, TD, and V m after LFV-rec intervention. In conclusion, LFV-rec strategy applied during 15 min after short and intense exercise does not seem to be effective on blood lactate removal, muscle contractile properties, and on time to exhaustion during cycling at pVO 2max . Keywords Recovery Á Low-frequency vibration Á TMG Á Lactate clearance Á All-out exercise performance Introduction Muscle recovery after physical activity is very important, especially in sports competitions. In many sports events, athletes must exercise at high intensities two or more times within the same competitive session and with limited rest periods between efforts. This may be the case of some qualification systems in sports where an athlete must complete several rounds during the same day. This often occurs in modalities in which athletes perform exercises lasting 2 min such us alpine skiing (downhill, super- combined), track and field (women 800 m), and speed skating (1,000–1,500 m inline/ice skating). Therefore, fast muscle recovery is needed in order to maintain or even increase performance in the subsequent efforts. In order to restore muscular function, a variety of postexercise recovery interventions are often employed to improve recovery from training and competition bouts (Mika et al. 2007). It is proposed that the use of recovery strategies ensures per- formance in subsequent exercise sessions (training and/or competition) is not unduly compromised by lingering muscle soreness or decrements in power, flexibility, speed, Communicated by Susan A. Ward. L. Carrasco (&) Á B. San ˜udo Á M. de Hoyo Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Seville, Pirotecnia Campus. Pirotecnia St., s/n, 41013 Seville, Spain e-mail: lcarrasco@us.es F. Pradas Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain M. E. Da Silva Andalusian Sport Medical Center, Co ´rdoba, Spain 123 Eur J Appl Physiol DOI 10.1007/s00421-011-1848-9