Monitoring Master Swimmers’ Performance and Active Drag Evolution along a Training Mesocycle

Henrique P. Neiva, Ricardo J. Fernandes, Ricardo Cardoso, Daniel A. Marinho and J. Arturo Abraldes
Additional contact information
Henrique P. Neiva: Department of Sport Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6201-001 Covilhã, Portugal
Ricardo J. Fernandes: 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
Daniel A. Marinho: Department of Sport Sciences, University of Beira Interior, 6201-001 Covilhã, Portugal
J. Arturo Abraldes: Research Group MS&SPORT, Faculty of Sport Science, University of Murcia, 30720 San Javier, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 7, 1-10

Abstract: This study aimed to analyze the effects of a swimming training mesocycle in master swimmers’ performance and active drag. Twenty-two 39.87 ± 6.10 year-old master swimmers performed a 25 m front crawl at maximal intensity before and after a typical four-week training mesocycle. Maximum, mean and minimum speeds, speed decrease and hip horizontal intra-cyclic velocity variation were assessed using an electromechanical speedometer, and the active drag and power to overcome drag were determined using the measuring active drag system. Maximum, mean and minimum front crawl speeds improved from pre- to post-training (mean ± 95% CI: 3.1 ± 2.8%, p = 0.04; 2.9 ± 1.6%, p = 0.01; and 4.6 ± 3.1%, p = 0.01; respectively) and the speed decrease along the 25 m test lowered after the training period (82.5 ± 76.3%, p = 0.01). The training mesocycle caused a reduction in the active drag at speeds corresponding to 70% (5.0 ± 3.9%), 80% (5.6 ± 4.0%), and 90% (5.9 ± 4.0%), but not at 100% (5.9 ± 6.7%), of the swimmers’ maximal exertions in the 25 m test. These results showed that four weeks of predominantly aerobic training could improve master swimmers’ performance and reduce their hydrodynamic drag while swimming mainly at submaximal speeds.

Keywords: swimming; training control; biomechanics; speed; power (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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