Body Posture

Background: In football, research on halftime recovery methods is limited. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of three different recovery postures during the half-time break on blood lactate and pH, RPE and body temperature of football players. Materials and Methods: Thirty-four male division I Tabriz football players, with an average age of 25.82±4.1 years and Vo2max of 56.30±8.61 ml/kg/min were randomly assigned to three recovery posture groups: (1) seated posture (Sit, n=11), (2) supine posture (Sup, n=11), and (3) supine posture with elevated legs (Sup Lu, n=12). Each group followed their specific recovery protocol 10 min after a simulated half-football game. Measurements were taken before (T1), immediately after (T2), and five minutes after (T3) recovery. Results: Both the Sup and Sup-Lu groups exhibited a significant decrease in blood lactate and an increase in pH from T1 to T3, but there was no significant difference between these two groups (P> 0.05). Body temperature did not show significant variation within or between the groups (P>0.05). A significant difference was observed in the mean changes of RPE from T1 to T3 between the groups (P<0.05). Conclusion: Both the Sup and Sup Lu recovery postures were found to effectively reduce the fatigue level of football players during the half-time break compared to sitting, without lowering body temperature.