Gustafsson Jannik, Montiel-Rojas Diego, Romare Mattias G A, Johansson Elin, Folkesson Mattias, Pernigoni Marco, Frolova Anastasija, Brazaitis Marius, Venckunas Tomas, Ponsot Elodie, Chaillou Thomas, Edholm Peter
School of Health Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
Laboratory of Applied Biology, Research Unit in Applied Neurophysiology (LABNeuro), Faculty of Human Movement Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
Eur J Appl Physiol. 2025 Jun 11. doi: 10.1007/s00421-025-05835-w.
Cold- and hot-water immersion (CWI and HWI, respectively) are popular post-exercise recovery methods in competitive soccer. The aims of this study were to (1) compare the effect of post-exercise CWI, HWI and placebo on the recovery of physical performance in national level soccer players, and (2) investigate whether repeated use of these recovery modalities has an impact on training adaptations over a 15 week period.
For Part I, 40 male soccer players (15-19 years) were randomized to either CWI (10 °C, 10 min), HWI (42 °C, 20 min), or placebo (6 min, sham laser), applied after a 90 min simulated soccer match (SSM). Physical performance was assessed using submaximal aerobic, 20 m sprint, countermovement jump (CMJ), and knee extension strength tests [i.e., maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) and time to exhaustion (TTE) at 60% of MVIC] performed at Pre-SSM and 0, 21 and 45 h Post-SSM. For Part II, 19 participants applied their respective recovery modality (~ twice a week) in their usual training. After 15 weeks, physical performance and body composition were assessed and compared to pre-intervention.
All three modalities similarly affected the recovery of physical performance during the 21-45 h Post-SSM period (p < 0.05). Moreover, no significant effects of the recovery modalities on body composition and on development of physical performance were found over the 15 week recovery intervention (p > 0.05).
Compared to a placebo, CWI and HWI do not improve post-match recovery of physical performance and do not impact long-term training adaptations in highly trained soccer players.
冷水浸泡（CWI）和热水浸泡（HWI）是职业足球运动中常用的运动后恢复方法。本研究的目的是：（1）比较运动后CWI、HWI和安慰剂对国家级足球运动员身体机能恢复的影响；（2）研究在15周的时间内重复使用这些恢复方式是否会对训练适应性产生影响。
在第一部分中，40名男性足球运动员（15 - 19岁）被随机分为CWI组（10°C，10分钟）、HWI组（42°C，20分钟）或安慰剂组（6分钟，假激光），干预在90分钟模拟足球比赛（SSM）后进行。在SSM前、SSM后0、21和45小时进行次最大有氧运动、20米冲刺跑、纵跳（CMJ）和伸膝力量测试[即最大自主等长收缩（MVIC）以及MVIC的60%时的疲劳时间（TTE）]，以评估身体机能。在第二部分中，19名参与者在日常训练中应用各自的恢复方式（约每周两次）。15周后，评估身体机能和身体成分，并与干预前进行比较。
在SSM后21 - 45小时期间，所有三种方式对身体机能恢复的影响相似（p < 0.05）。此外，在15周的恢复干预期间，未发现恢复方式对身体成分和身体机能发展有显著影响（p > 0.05）。
与安慰剂相比，CWI和HWI并不能改善比赛后身体机能的恢复，也不会影响高水平足球运动员的长期训练适应性。
