Effects of Passive Recovery Methods After High-Intensity Cycling Exercise
RECOVER-CYCLE
Acute Effects of Five Passive Recovery Interventions Following High-Intensity Cycling Exercise: A Randomized Five-Period Crossover Trial
1 other identifier
interventional
10
0 countries
N/A
Brief Summary
This randomized crossover trial will investigate the acute effects of five passive recovery interventions following a standardized high-intensity cycling exercise protocol. Participants will complete one supervised high-intensity cycling session per week for five consecutive weeks. Immediately after each exercise session, participants will receive one of five recovery interventions: compression therapy, vacuum therapy, kinesiology taping, passive rest, or classical massage. The order of the interventions will be randomized according to a balanced crossover sequence. Each participant will experience all five recovery interventions during the study period. Outcomes related to post-exercise recovery will be assessed across intervention periods.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at below P25 for not_applicable
Started Jun 2026
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
June 10, 2026
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
June 17, 2026
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
June 20, 2026
ExpectedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
September 20, 2026
Study Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
October 30, 2027
June 17, 2026
April 1, 2026
3 months
June 10, 2026
June 16, 2026
Conditions
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Total Quality Recovery (TQR) Score
Recovery status assessed using the Total Quality Recovery (TQR) scale following each recovery intervention.
Baseline, immediately after recovery intervention, and 24 hours after exercise
Secondary Outcomes (7)
Perceived Recovery Status
Baseline, immediately after the recovery intervention, and 24 hours after exercise
Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE)
Immediately after exercise
Muscle Soreness Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
Baseline, immediately after the recovery intervention, and 24 hours after exercise
Vertical Jump Performance
Baseline, immediately after the recovery intervention, and 24 hours after exercise
Sit-and-Reach Test
Baseline, immediately after the recovery intervention, and 24 hours after exercise
- +2 more secondary outcomes
Study Arms (5)
Sequence A: Compression-Vacuum-KT-Rest-Massage
EXPERIMENTALParticipants randomized to Sequence A will complete a standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session once weekly for five consecutive weeks. Immediately after each session, they will receive recovery interventions in the following order: Week 1 compression therapy, Week 2 vacuum therapy, Week 3 kinesiology taping, Week 4 passive rest, and Week 5 classical massage.
Sequence B: Vacuum-KT-Rest-Massage-Compression
EXPERIMENTALParticipants randomized to Sequence B will complete a standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session once weekly for five consecutive weeks. Immediately after each session, they will receive recovery interventions in the following order: Week 1 vacuum therapy, Week 2 kinesiology taping, Week 3 passive rest, Week 4 classical massage, and Week 5 compression therapy.
Sequence C: KT-Rest-Massage-Compression-Vacuum
EXPERIMENTALParticipants randomized to Sequence C will complete a standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session once weekly for five consecutive weeks. Immediately after each session, they will receive recovery interventions in the following order: Week 1 kinesiology taping, Week 2 passive rest, Week 3 classical massage, Week 4 compression therapy, and Week 5 vacuum therapy.
Sequence D: Rest-Massage-Compression-Vacuum-KT
EXPERIMENTALParticipants randomized to Sequence D will complete a standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session once weekly for five consecutive weeks. Immediately after each session, they will receive recovery interventions in the following order: Week 1 passive rest, Week 2 classical massage, Week 3 compression therapy, Week 4 vacuum therapy, and Week 5 kinesiology taping.
Sequence E: Massage-Compression-Vacuum-KT-Rest
EXPERIMENTALParticipants randomized to Sequence E will complete a standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session once weekly for five consecutive weeks. Immediately after each session, they will receive recovery interventions in the following order: Week 1 classical massage, Week 2 compression therapy, Week 3 vacuum therapy, Week 4 kinesiology taping, and Week 5 passive rest.
Interventions
All participants will perform a standardized supervised high-intensity cycling exercise protocol once weekly for five consecutive weeks. The cycling protocol will be administered before the assigned recovery intervention in each study period. Exercise intensity, duration, and progression will be standardized across participants and sessions.
Compression therapy will be administered using the Doctor Life MK400L 6-chamber sequential intermittent compression device, code MK4L250-BL. The intervention will be applied immediately after the standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session. The application will be delivered according to a standardized protocol, including participant positioning, treated body region, application duration, and device settings.
Vacuum therapy will be administered using the Intelect Neo Therapy System with the Chattanooga Intelect Neo Vacuum Module. The intervention will be applied immediately after the standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session. The application will be delivered according to a standardized protocol, including participant positioning, treated body region, application duration, vacuum cup placement, and vacuum pressure settings.
Kinesiology taping will be applied immediately after the standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session by a trained physiotherapist. Tape placement, application technique, tension, target region, and wear time will be standardized across participants.
Participants will rest quietly after the standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session for a standardized duration. No manual therapy, mechanical therapy, taping, or additional recovery intervention will be administered during the passive rest condition.
Classical massage will be administered immediately after the standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session by a trained physiotherapist. The treated body region, massage techniques, sequence of techniques, pressure, and application duration will be standardized across participants.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Healthy adult volunteers aged 18-35 years
- Able to perform high-intensity cycling exercise
- No musculoskeletal injury within the last six months
- No known cardiovascular, neurological, or metabolic disease
- Not using medication that may affect exercise performance, pain perception, or recovery
- Willing to attend all five study sessions
- Willing to receive all five passive recovery interventions
- Provided written informed consent
You may not qualify if:
- Presence of acute or chronic musculoskeletal injury
- History of cardiovascular, neurological, respiratory, or metabolic disease
- Contraindication to high-intensity exercise
- Contraindication to compression therapy, vacuum therapy, kinesiology taping, passive rest, or classical massage
- Skin allergy, open wound, dermatological disease, or sensitivity to kinesiology tape
- Use of analgesic, anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxant, or performance-enhancing medication during the study period
- Participation in another exercise or recovery intervention study during the study period
- Failure to attend all study sessions or comply with study procedures
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
MeSH Terms
Interventions
Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- SINGLE
- Who Masked
- OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
- Purpose
- TREATMENT
- Intervention Model
- CROSSOVER
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Professor, Faculty of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
June 10, 2026
First Posted
June 17, 2026
Study Start (Estimated)
June 20, 2026
Primary Completion (Estimated)
September 20, 2026
Study Completion (Estimated)
October 30, 2027
Last Updated
June 17, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-04