Manipulation of Stroke Rate in Swimming: Effects on Oxygen Uptake
                    Kinetics

Marcos Franken; Pedro Figueiredo; Ricardo De Assis Correia; Wellington Gomes Feitosa; Caetano Decian Lazzari; Fernando Diefenthaeler; Flávio Souza Castro

doi:10.1055/a-1930-5462

International Journal of Sports Medicine, Table of Contents

Int J Sports Med 2023; 44(01): 56-63
DOI: 10.1055/a-1930-5462

Training & Testing

Manipulation of Stroke Rate in Swimming: Effects on Oxygen Uptake Kinetics

Marcos Franken

¹Aquatic Sports Research Group, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

²Department of Health Sciences, Universidade Regional Integrada do Alto Uruguai e das Missões, Santiago, Brazil

,

Pedro Figueiredo

³Physical Education Department, College of Education, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

⁴Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, CIDESD, Vila Real, Portugal

,

Ricardo De Assis Correia

¹Aquatic Sports Research Group, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

,

Wellington Gomes Feitosa

¹Aquatic Sports Research Group, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

⁵Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Fortaleza, Brasil, Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil

,

Caetano Decian Lazzari

⁶Biomechanics Laboratory, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil

⁷Centro de Desportos, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil

,

Fernando Diefenthaeler

⁶Biomechanics Laboratory, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil

⁷Centro de Desportos, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil

,

Flávio Souza Castro

¹Aquatic Sports Research Group, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

The study aimed to assess the effect of different front crawl stroke rates (SRs) in the oxygen uptake (̇VO₂) kinetics and ̇VO₂ peak, the total time to exhaustion (TTE), and blood lactate concentration ([La]) at 95% of the 400-m front crawl test (T400) mean speed (S400). Twelve endurance swimmers performed a T400 and four trials at 95% of the S400: (i) free SR, (ii) fixed SR (100% of the average free SR trial), (iii) reduced SR (90% of the average free SR trial), and (iv) increased SR (110% of the average free SR trial). ̇VO₂ was accessed continuously with breath-by-breath analysis. The results highlighted: (i) the time constant at increased SR (13.3±4.2 s) was lower than in the reduced SR condition (19.5±2.6 s); (ii) the amplitude of the primary phase of ̇VO₂ kinetics in the fixed SR (44.0±5.8 ml·kg^-1·min^-1) was higher than in the increased SR condition (39.5±6.4 ml·kg^-1·min^-1); and (iii) TTE was lower in the fixed SR (396.1±189.7 s) than the increased SR condition (743.0±340.0 s). The results indicate that controlled SR could be considered a swimming training strategy, focusing on physiological parameters overload.

Key words

stroke cadence - swimmers - physiology - sports assessment - performance

Full Text

References

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