AUTHOR=Sousa Neto Ivo Vieira de , Sousa Nuno Manuel Frade de , Neto Frederico Ribeiro , Falk Neto Joao Henrique , Tibana Ramires Alsamir 

TITLE=Time Course of Recovery Following CrossFit® Karen Benchmark Workout in Trained Men

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2022.899652

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2022.899652

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=The establishment of fatigue following the acute exercise stimulus is a complex and multi- factorial process, that might arise due to a  range of  distinct physiological mechanisms. However, a practical method of assessing CrossFit® athletes’ recovery status has been neglected entirely in real-world sporting practice. The study describes the acute and delayed time course of recovery following the CrossFit® Benchmark Workout Karen. Eight trained men (28.4±6.4 years; 1RM back squat 139.1±26.0 kg) undertook the Karen protocol. The protocol consists of 150 Wall Balls (9 kg), aiming to hit a target 3 meters high. Countermovement jump height (CMJ), creatine kinase (CK), and perceived recovery status scale (PRS) (general, lower and upper limbs) were assessed pre, post-0h, 24h, 48h and 72h after the session. The CK concentration 24h after was higher than pre-exercise (338.4 U/L vs. 143.3 U/L; p = 0.040). At 48h and 72h following exercise, CK concentration had returned to baseline levels (p > 0.05). The general, lower and upper limbs PRS scores were lower in the 24-hours post-exercise compared to pre-exercise (general PRS: 4.7 ± 1.5 and 7.7 ± 1.7; p = 0.013; upper limbs PRS: 6.6 ± 1.3 and 7.5 ± 1.3; p = 0.037; lower limbs PRS: 3.9 ± 2.5 and 7.3 ± 0.1; p = 0.046). The PRS were reduced at 48-post exercise compared to 72-hours post-exercise scores (p ≤ 0.05). Our findings provide insights into the fatigue profile and recovery in acute CrossFit® and can be useful to coaches and practitioners when planning training programs. Moreover, recovery status can be useful to optimize training monitoring and to minimize the potential detrimental effects associated with the performance of repeated high-intensity sessions of CrossFit®.