Competitive sport
Recovery takes longer than training?
Recovery and resilience in training.
EECP in competitive sport in brief.
Peak performance is created not only in training but in recovery. EECP Cardio Pulse addresses one of the foundations of recovery: blood flow. Vascular training while lying down, without additional strain on muscles and heart.
Situations athletes know.
- Recovery between hard sessions takes longer
- The legs stay heavy, even though the plan calls for rest
- Between competitions there is no time to recover
- After injury or a break, the base needs to come back
- You are looking for recovery that does not place additional demands on the body
What recovery has to do with blood flow.
Performance is built in training and in recovery. How quickly the body recovers depends on blood flow: oxygen in, metabolic waste out.
How EECP can complement recovery in sport.
Recovery is part of training: sleep, nutrition, easy spinning, cold, massage, compression. All of that remains important. EECP Cardio Pulse can complement these elements. The flow in the vessels increases while you lie down. The pulse stays calm, the muscles do not work. So recovery gets the blood flow it needs.
What EECP can do for recovery.
EECP Cardio Pulse increases the flow in the vessels, right down to the finest, while you lie down. Passively, without straining the muscles or driving up the pulse. Like a deep vascular massage in the rhythm of your heart. The aim is faster recovery.
Recovery: what EECP does for athletes.
Blood flow without strain
Intensive training tires. EECP sets a strong blood-flow impulse and opens the smallest vessels, passively while lying down, without further demands on muscles or pulse.
Metabolism in rhythm
The timed counterpulsation works like a deep vascular massage in the rhythm of the heart. Metabolic by-products can be cleared faster, and recovery can be shorter.
From cardiology into sport
What improves blood flow in cardiac medicine when vessels are narrowed, athletes use for recovery and endurance: more blood flow, more elastic vessels, more oxygen where it is needed.
Who EECP can make sense for in sport.
Endurance sport
Running, cycling, triathlon, rowing: disciplines in which vascular function and oxygen transport determine performance.
High training density
Several hard sessions per week, competitions in quick succession. Recovery needs to keep up.
Rebuilding
After injury, illness or a break. Vessels and circulation need to return to their level before the load increases.
What speaks for EECP in sport.
Passive, lying down, no training load
More oxygen for muscles and heart
Aim: faster recovery
Lasting effect of EECP therapy in sport.
The effect does not end with the last session: more elastic vessels remain as long as they are challenged, and training challenges them. That is why a course can carry into the training phases that follow.
What EECP does not do in sport.
EECP Cardio Pulse replaces neither training nor sleep. It acts on vascular function and blood flow, not on muscles or hormones. It makes sense as one element of a plan. You agree that plan with your coach or sports physician.
Your path with EECP Cardio Pulse.
- 01
Cardio Check-Up
cardiac diagnostics.
- 02
First session
One hour lying down.
- 03
Series
35 sessions, one hour each.
- 04
Final check-up
The check-up.
View related research
A meta-analysis of 19 randomised trials with 1,647 patients showed that EECP measurably improves vascular function, recorded as flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery. Patients were studied, not athletes. For athletes the benefit is physiologically plausible; dedicated studies are pending.
Yin Q et al. Influence of enhanced external counterpulsation on endothelial function: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Scand Cardiovasc J. 2023;57(1):2273223. PMID 37876280
Questions about EECP in competitive sport.
Does EECP fit into my training plan?
EECP Cardio Pulse places no strain on the body and can be scheduled on recovery days. A session lasts one hour lying down, and afterwards you are immediately ready to go again. The course of treatment makes sense in the base or transition phase, not on competition day.
What does EECP do for performance?
Better vascular function and more blood flow have been demonstrated in randomised studies. The people studied were heart patients. For competitive athletes there are still hardly any studies. What changes for you is shown by your own values and how you feel in training.
How many sessions make sense?
The standard in cardiology is 35 sessions over around seven weeks. In sport, the number depends on your goals and your plan. We set this in the initial consultation.
Do I need to be examined beforehand?
For athletes too, the course of treatment is preceded by the Cardio Check-Up with a cardiac diagnostics. It checks that the heart and valves tolerate the increased return flow well, and it also gives you a complete cardiac assessment.
Will I feel anything during the session?
A firm, rhythmic pressure on the calves, thighs and pelvis, in time with your heartbeat. Many people experience it like a deep massage. The pulse stays calm, and you can read or listen to music.
General information, not a promise of cure. Whether EECP is suitable for you is something we clarify after a cardiac examination.
Just give us a call.
We answer your questions and arrange an appointment together.
Private service under the GOÄ fee schedule: about 100 euros per session.