Background and Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of active recoveries in and out of the water with and without creatine monohydrate consumption on some inflammatory markers and physical performance after six bouts of maximum intermittent swimming in young women.

Materials and Methods: Sixteen healthy non-elite swimmers in a semi-experimental study were randomly assigned to 2 groups of in and out of the water active recoveries.  They performed six repeated sprints swimming bouts of 50-m in and out of water, with rest intervals of 120 seconds. The subjects received supplementation 4 times a day for 6 days. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, Bonferroni test and also independent t-test. P<0.05 was considered significant.

Results: The results showed that there was no significant difference between the effect of in and out of the water recovery on the level of IL-6 (P=0.110) and the VCAM1 (P=0.012) following frequent maximum intermittent swimming. There were significant differences within each group in the levels of IL-6 (P=0.042) and VCAM1 (P=0.012) after creatine supplementation. The percent of speed reduction changes as a fatigue indicator in the water recovery groups showed significant difference between before and after creatine supplementation (P=0.005).  There was no significant difference between before and after creatine supplementation in the out of water recovery group (P=0.155).

Conclusion: Recovery, in particular, in water (IN) type, following short-term creatine supplementation modulates systemic inflammation and improves physical performance after high-intensity interval training.

Keywords: Vascular inflammation, Vascular adhesion molecules, Creatine supplementation, Active recovery, Physical performance, Interval swimming.

Received: Apr 17, 2016      Accepted: May 8, 2016