Purpose: To examine the efficacy of intermittent sequential pneumatic compression (ISPC) on exercise recovery and subsequent performance, when implemented between a 20-min cycling bout (simulated scratch race) and a 4-min cycling test (simulated individual pursuit), as experienced during an Omnium track cycling competition. Methods: Twenty-one (13 male and 8 female, mean [SD]: age = 36 [14] y) trained cyclists completed a familiarization trial followed by 2 experimental trials in a counterbalanced, cross-over design. Participants performed a fixed-intensity 20-min cycling bout on a Wattbike cycle ergometer, followed by a 30-min recovery period where ISPC recovery boots or passive recovery was implemented. At the conclusion of the recovery period, participants performed a 4-min maximal cycling bout (4-min time trial [TT]). Average power (watts) for the 4-min TT, blood lactate concentration, and perceived total quality recovery (TQR) during the recovery period were used to examine the influence of ISPC. Results: There were no significant differences between trials for the 4-min TT (P=.08), with the effect deemed to be trivial (d=-0.08). There was an unclear effect (d [±90% confidence interval] =0.26 [±0.78], P=.57) for ISPC vs passive recovery in the clearance of blood lactate during the recovery period. There was a small but not significant difference for perceived TQR in favor of ISPC (d [±90% confidence interval] =0.27 [±0.27], P=.07). Conclusion: There was little additional benefit associated with the use of ISPC to enhance recovery and subsequent performance when used during the recovery period between 2 events in a simulated Omnium track cycling competition.
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