Effects of cold water immersion and protein intake combined recovery after eccentric exercise on exercise performance in elite soccer players

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of the combined re-covery method of cold water immersion (CWI) and protein supplement intake after eccentric exercise that causes muscle fatigue in elite soc-cer players. Eleven semiprofessional soccer players participated in this study. Participants were divided into CWI group, combined protein and CWI group (PCWI), and passive resting group (CON). The participants completed the eccentric exercise for one hour and performed one of three recovery methods. The muscle strength of the quadriceps and hamstring muscles significantly decreased at 48-hr postexercise com-pared to before exercise in all recovery groups (<i>p</i><0.05), with no signifi-cantly different between the recovery groups. The time required to sprint 40 m was significantly longer in all groups at 24 hr and 48 hr after exercise than before exercise (<i>p</i><0.05). The vertical jump height was significantly decreased at 48 hr after exercise compared to before ex-ercise in the CON and CWI groups (<i>p</i><0.05). The muscle soreness val-ues were higher at 6 hr, 24 hr, and 48 hr after exercise than before exer-cise in all groups (<i>p</i><0.001). The perceived recovery quality was re-duced after exercise in the PCWI (<i>p</i><0.01) and CON groups (<i>p</i><0.001) compared to before exercise; it was unchanged in the CWI group. The recovery quality decreased at 6 hr, 24 hr, and 48 hr after exercise in all recovery groups (<i>p</i><0.01). In conclusion, the combined recovery meth-od was less effective than CWI alone for the recovery of exercise per-formance.