Effectiveness of two different recovery process on blood lactate removal pattern of soccer players

Background and Study Aim. Soccer is a high-intensity intermittent sport that requires players to alternate between explosive activity and recovery. This often leads to significant blood lactate accumulation, a by-product of anaerobic metabolism, which can impair performance by inducing muscular fatigue and reducing the ability to sustain optimal effort. This study aimed to examine the effect of two different recovery processes on the blood lactate removal pattern of soccer players in Tripura. Material and Methods. Ten male junior national soccer players from Tripura were purposively selected for the study. Participants performed graded exercise on a treadmill, followed by either active or passive recovery on two separate days. Blood samples were collected before exercise, after 10 minutes of graded exercise, and after five minutes of treadmill running at 90% intensity. Additional samples were taken immediately after five minutes of active or passive recovery and at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 minutes of rest. Data were analyzed using a paired t-test, with the level of significance set at 0.05. Results. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference in blood lactate removal between active and passive recovery (P<0.05). Active recovery led to peak removal at the 5th and 20th minutes, while passive recovery showed maxima at the 10th and 40th minutes. Neither method restored blood lactate to baseline within one hour. Active recovery facilitated the highest lactate removal between phases III-IV (28.44%) and V-VI (28.04%), while passive recovery peaked at 23% between phases IV-V. After 60 minutes, lactate clearance reached 96% with active recovery and 91% with passive recovery. Logistic model analysis (p=0.06) suggested that active recovery was more effective, though significance was observed at the 0.10 level. Conclusions. The findings of this study indicate that low-intensity active recovery is a more effective strategy for accelerating blood lactate removal in soccer players compared to passive recovery. Incorporating active recovery into training and competition protocols can enhance post-exercise physiological recovery and support sustained performance.