Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption and Substrate Oxidation Following High-Intensity Interval Training: Effects of Recovery Manipulation.

The recovery manipulation during high-intensity interval training (HIIT) may have the potential to modulate the responses of post-exercise energy metabolism. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the type ( i.e ., passive and active) and duration ( i.e ., short and long) of the recovery between the intervals in HIIT affect the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) and oxidation of fats and carbohydrates during the post-exercise recovery. Eight physically active men performed a maximal incremental test, to determine the peak oxygen consumption (V̇O ₂ peak) and the first ventilatory threshold (VT), and four HIIT exercise sessions on a treadmill. The HIIT exercise sessions consisted of 5 intervals interspersed with 4 recovery periods; each interval was sustained until exhaustion, and the intensity was set at the V̇O ₂ peak velocity; recoveries were passive, active (VT velocity), short (2-min), or long (8-min). The HIIT exercise sessions were performed in a random and crossed manner. After the HIIT exercise sessions, EPOC and oxidation of fats and carbohydrates were measured during the 120-min of post-exercise recovery. There were no differences in the EPOC among the exercise sessions ( p = 0.56). There were no differences among the exercise sessions in the amount of energy expended on the oxidation of fats ( p = 0.78) and carbohydrates ( p = 0.91) during the post-exercise recovery. The recovery manipulation during HIIT does not affect the EPOC and post-exercise fat and carbohydrate oxidation. One can choose the type and duration of recovery, knowing that the post-exercise substrate oxidation and EPOC responses will be preserved.