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Swimmers who exercised between competitions had better final results
Swimmers who participated in a regeneration exercise had better results in maximal-exertion competition than those swimmers who rested, with correlating lower blood lactate values.
Researchers in Chile studied 21 swimmers (mean age, 17 years; mean body mass index, 22.22; mean fat percentage, 11.35%) who exercised to increase blood lactate over two days. In a three-stage protocol, the swimmers first had a 20-minute warm-up period, followed by a timed 100-m freestyle swim at peak performance, followed by 5 minutes of rest (pretest stage). Increasingly demanding swimming exercises followed, and serial lactatemia measurements were taken (exercise stage). In the final stage (dichotomous), swimmers were randomly selected to two groups. One group performed 20 minutes of low-intensity swimming (regeneration exercise) while the second group rested. Lactatemia was measured for both groups, followed by a 100-m freestyle swim at maximum speed.
In the exercise stage, the freestyle swim exercise increased mean lactate concentration by 4.6 mmol/L (78% of initial base level). The group that performed the regeneration exercise in the final stage had a lower lactatemia level (mean, 2.76 mmol/L) compared with the swimmers who rested (mean, 6.51 mmol/L). There was a significant difference between swimmers in the regeneration exercise group, who swam 100-m in 68.11 seconds, compared with the rested group’s time of 69.31 seconds (P=.004).
“For swimmers, the goal of training is to improve physical performance,” the researchers reported. “Training programs must balance intensity and rest periods between competitions.
“Blood lactate levels rose by up to 78% after the intensity of the training sessions was progressively increased. Regeneration exercises increased the rate in which blood lactate dissipated, in comparison with passive recuperation. The rate of lactate dissipation for regeneration exercises was 68%. This factor may have improved the physical performance of swimmers.”
Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.