Without a relatively robust effect on these markers following exercise, it may be difficult to assess

differences in recovery between treatments, especially with a relatively small sample of subjects, as described by Luden et al. [6]. This issue is particularly relevant with regards to our measurements of vertical jump performance. Byrne and Eston [33] reported that vertical jump performance declined to 90% of initial levels one day following Selleckchem GSK3235025 muscle damaging exercise. However, their exercise protocol produced elevations in CK that were approximately 3-4 times greater than the present study. Because our vertical jump device assessed only 0.5 inch increments, our instrument potentially lacked the sensitivity to detect realistic changes in vertical jump height. Other investigators have reported significant decrements Selleckchem mTOR inhibitor in physical performance, fatigue and/or muscle HMPL-504 in vitro soreness following periods of ITD [3, 39]. However, these studies provided 8-11 days of ITD (and relatively low post-exercise carbohydrate intake), which represented a much greater alteration in training stimulus

than the present study. Thus, it may be worthwhile for future researchers to investigate the efficacy of CM during longer, more demanding periods of ITD. Due to the practical restrictions of studying collegiate athletes, it was also not possible to add a placebo trial to the present study design. This prevented us from establishing the direct effects of the ITD period, independent of supplementation. Recovery beverages were provided immediately post-exercise, and both contained high doses of carbohydrate (>1.1 g/kg). As a result, both beverages probably produced high rates of post-exercise glycogen resynthesis [40], and potentially sustained muscle recovery and performance levels to a greater degree than if inadequate carbohydrate were provided [3, 39]. However, the relative efficacy of the ‘control’ beverage in this study (CHO) cannot be quantified without a placebo trial for comparison. Conclusions In summary, post-exercise Rapamycin CM supplementation

resulted in significantly lower serum CK levels following four days of heavy soccer training. However, other measurements of muscle recovery were generally similar between treatment beverages, and there were no differences in whole-body exercise performance between treatments. Thus, exercise recovery during short-term periods of heavy soccer training appears to be similar when isocaloric CM and CHO beverages are consumed post-exercise. It is possible that potential differences between treatments could be magnified by a greater training stimulus. Thus, it is recommended that future studies perform similar comparisons during training periods that involve greater increases in training volumes over longer periods of time.