Individualized Active Recovery During Simulated Ice Hockey Intermissions: A Crossover Pilot Study

Whether individualized active recovery enhances the decline in blood lactate during ice hockey intermissions without increasing subsequent demand remains unclear. This randomized crossover pilot study compared cycling guided by an individualized heart-rate target informed by the Fatmax assessment (HRFatmax) with passive seated recovery and examined physiological, perceptual, and circulating biomarker responses. Ten male university-level ice hockey players completed 18 high-intensity skating bouts in three blocks simulating three game periods. Two 18 min intermissions included 15 min of HRFatmax-guided cycling or passive seated recovery. The main comparison was the absolute pre-to-post-intermission decrease in blood lactate. Heart rate, perceived exertion, and perceptual responses were assessed throughout. Six circulating biomarkers were assessed before, 30 min after, and 24 h after exercise. Blood lactate decreased more during active than passive recovery (3.89 vs. 2.83 mmol·L−1; paired difference 1.06 mmol·L−1; 95% CI 0.05–2.08; p = 0.042). No significant recovery-condition effects were detected for subsequent skating heart rate or perceived exertion. Psychological fatigue showed an exploratory condition-by-block interaction, with differences already present before the first intermission. The biomarker panel showed time-dependent changes in myoglobin and creatinine, but no recovery-condition effects or interactions were detected. In this laboratory simulation, Fatmax-informed cycling enhanced the short-term decline in blood lactate. Its implications for skating performance and perceived readiness require further study. These findings warrant confirmation in a larger trial incorporating direct performance measures.