Young Swimmers’ Middle-Distance Performance Variation within a Training Season

Sara Ferreira, Diogo Duarte Carvalho, Ricardo Cardoso, Manoel Rios, Susana Soares, Argyris Toubekis and Ricardo J. Fernandes
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Sara Ferreira: Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
Diogo Duarte Carvalho: Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
Ricardo Cardoso: Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
Manoel Rios: Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
Susana Soares: Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
Argyris Toubekis: School of Physical Education & Sport Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 17233 Athens, Greece
Ricardo J. Fernandes: Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 3, 1-10

Abstract: The current study aimed to longitudinally evaluate anthropometric, physiological, and biomechanical variables related to middle-distance performance during a 45-week swimming training season. Thirty-four swimmers (age: 12.07 ± 1.14 years) performed a maximum of 400 m front crawl at the beginning (T1) and finish of the first macrocycle (T2, 15 weeks) and the finish of the second (T3, 18 weeks) and third macrocycles (T4, 12 weeks). Time-related variables, stroke rate (SR), stroke length (SL), and stroke index (SI) were recorded during the test, and blood lactate ([La]) and glucose ([Glu]) concentrations were measured post-exercise. The time of the 400 m effort decreased after each macrocycle (T2 vs. T1, 7.8 ± 5.6%; T3 vs. T2, 3.7 ± 3.1%; T4 vs. T3, 3.8 ± 3.4%; p < 0.01). Four hundred meter speed changes between T1 and T2 were positively related to variations in [La], [Glu], SL, and SI ( r = 0.36–0.60, p < 0.05). Changes between T2 and T3 were related to SI only ( r = 0.5, p < 0.05), and modifications between T3 and T4 were associated with SL and SI variations ( r = 0.34 and 0.65, p < 0.05). These results indicate that a well-structured year plan including three macrocycles leads to a significant age-group swimming performance improvement, mostly connected with an increase in technical proficiency.

Keywords: macrocycle; swimming; lactate; glucose; technique (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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