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Int J Sports Med 2018; 39(11): 835-839
DOI: 10.1055/a-0608-3568
Training & Testing
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Age-related Changes in Training Stimuli and Performance in Masters Swimmers

Stephanie S. Lapierre
1   The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, Austin, United States
,
Brett D. Baker
1   The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, Austin, United States
,
Hirofumi Tanaka
1   The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, Austin, United States
› Author Affiliations
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Publication History



accepted 25 February 2018

Publication Date:
21 August 2018 (online)

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Abstract

Age-related decreases in performance are thought to be driven by decreases in exercise training stimuli. We determined the influence of changes in training stimuli with advancing age on swimming performance using cross-sectional and longitudinal data analyses. Totals of 692 and 98 competitive swimmers belonging to the US Masters Swimming Association were analyzed in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Swimming times increased with advancing age, and age was the strongest predictor of swimming performance, followed by training volume, in both the cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. In the cross-sectional data analyses, an increase in training volume by 10 km/month, was associated with improved performance by 0.69 s regardless of age. In the longitudinal analyses, training volume was not a significant predictor for younger swimmers. In middle-aged swimmers, however, increases in training volume resulted in faster swimming times, and its effect was more pronounced in older swimmers. We concluded that there was a graded positive relationship between yearly increases in training volume and improved swimming performance, and that such effects were greater with advancing age.

Key words

aging - exercise training - athletic performance - swimmers
 

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