Implications of EPOC & Recovery on Training

• Use a warm up to reduce oxygen deficit, increase blood flow and oxygen to muscles which delays OBLA
• Cool down/active recovery to speed up removal of lactic acid and maintain elevated respiration and blood flow.
• EPOC can be reduced by monitoring intensity of training to delay OBLA.
• Include breaks to allow restoration of stores - 30s for 50% of PC, 3 mins full PC restoration. Or work:relief ratio of 1:3 when training ATP-PC system during speed/sprint work.
• Using cooling aids / ice baths to speed up recovery.
• Using an active recovery between intervals , use a work:relief ratio of 1:2 when training glycolytic system.
• Methods to enhance recovery:

  • Warm up
  • Active recovery
  • Cooling aids
  • Intensity of training
  • Work:rest ratio
  • Tactics
  • Nutrition
• Warm ups

  • Engage the aerobic system to deliver O2 to the working muscles and limits the use of anaerobic system, so reduces o2 deficit.
  • Respiratory , heart and metabolic rate increases.
• Active recovery

  • Maintains elevated HR after exercise for longer
  • Flushes capillary bed with oxygen
  • Speeds up removal of lactic acid (reduces length of slow lactacid component of EPOC.
• Cooling Aids 


  • Lowers muscle and blood temp
  • Reduces muscle damage and swelling
  • Prevents DOMS
  • Encourages vasodilation of arterioles to the muscles following its use
• Ice baths / Cryotherapy 


  • Ice baths are max 15 minutes around 8 degrees
  • Cryotherapy is chamber or localised therapy at -250 degrees
• Intensity of Training 


  • High intensity training increases tolerance to lactic acid , increasing buffering capacity and delaying OBLA
  • Low - moderate intensity training increases aerobic capacity and CV efficiency
  • Earlier move to aerobic energy production minimise lactic acid production, this delays OBLA and maximises O2 delivery post-exercise during EPOC.
• Work:Rest ratio


  High anaerobic activities - 1:3 work rest ratio - allows ATP-PC to resynthesise

  Lactate tolerance (800m) - 1:2 work rest ratio- works on lactic acid buffering capacity/tolerance.
• Work:Rest ratio


  Aerobic (marathon) - 1:1 or 1:0.5 work rest ratio - delays OBLA, develop muscular endurance to fight.
• Tactics

  • Coaches use substitutions and ball retention tactics to allow recovery at key moments
  • Sports like basketball, tennis and ice hockey can call timeouts during intense play
  • Some performers delay play deliberately (tennis,football) to allow recovery
• Nutrition


  • Glycogen and creatine loading increase energy stores
  • Timings and portions pre ,during and post match
  • Bicarbonate may be used to help tolerate the effects of lactic acid
  • Use of Sports drinks - hypotonic, isotonic and hypertonic.