Stroking Parameters in Front Crawl Swimming and Maximal Lactate Steady State Speed

J. Dekerle; X. Nesi; T. Lefevre; S. Depretz; M. Sidney; F. Huot Marchand; P. Pelayo

doi:10.1055/s-2004-817854

International Journal of Sports Medicine, Inhaltsverzeichnis

Int J Sports Med 2005; 26(1/02): 53-58
DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-817854

Training & Testing

Stroking Parameters in Front Crawl Swimming and Maximal Lactate Steady State Speed

J. Dekerle¹ , X. Nesi¹ , T. Lefevre¹ , S. Depretz¹ , M. Sidney¹ , F. Huot Marchand¹ , P. Pelayo¹

¹Laboratoire d'Etudes de la Motricite Humaine, Faculté des Sciences du Sport, Université de Lille 2, France

Abstract

In order to increase or maintain speed at sub-maximal intensities, well-trained swimmers have an increase in their stroke rate, thus a decrease in their stroke. The purposes of this study were i) to ascertain whether the maximal speed from which the stroke length decreases significantly (S_SLdrop) corresponds to the maximal lactate steady state swimming speed (S_MLSS), and ii) to examine the effect of the exercise duration on the stroking parameters above, below, and at S_MLSS. Eleven male well-trained swimmers performed an all-out 400-m front crawl test to estimate maximal aerobic speed (MAS) and four sub-maximal 30-min tests (75, 80, 85, and 90 % MAS) to determine S_MLSS and S_SLdrop and to analyse the evolution of the stroking parameters throughout these tests. S_MLSS (88.9 ± 3.3 % MAS) and S_SLdrop (87.3 ± 4.5 % MAS) were not significantly different from each other (p = 0.41) and were highly correlated (r = 0.88; p < 0.001). Moreover, a slight stroke rate increase, and a stroke length decrease, were observed above S_MLSS but were only significant for the 5 swimmers unable to maintain this speed for 30 min (p > 0.05). During the 30-min tests swum below and at S_MLSS, a steady state of stroking parameters was statistically reported. Thus, S_MLSS seems to represent not only a physiological transition threshold between heavy and severe sub-maximal intensities but also a biomechanical boundary beyond which the stroke length becomes compromised.

Key words

Sub-maximal intensity - lactate - stroke length - swimming

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Referenzen

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