Middle-distance Front Crawl Determinants When Using a Wetsuit
Int J Sports Med DOI: 10.1055/a-1971-9008Our aim was to establish the determinants explaining the wetsuit advantages in
middle-distance swimming efforts. Thirty-one triathletes and open water swimmers
performed two 400 m front crawl bouts in a 25 m swimming pool
with swim and wetsuits (with 48 h rest in-between). Anthropometric,
kinematic and physiological variables were measured and Pearson correlation
coefficients and stepwise linear regression analysis were used to determine
their relationships. Associations observed in the 400 m front crawl
included time improved using wetsuit with swimmers age (r=0.38;
p=0.017), cross-sectional area (r=0.33;
p=0.034), wetsuit upper limbs thickness (r=–0.49;
p=0.010), ΔInternational Swimming Federation Points
(r=–0.39;p=0.016), Δstroke rate (SR,
r=0.48; p=0.003), Δstroke length (SL,
r=-0.39; p=0.015), Δpropelling efficiency
(r=–0.37; p=0.019) and Δblood lactate
concentrations (r=0.30; p=0.048) in the total sample. In
females, associations were found between the time improved and wetsuit upper and
lower limbs thickness (both r=–0.78; p=0.011),
and in males associations were found between time improved and age
(r=0.43; p=0.030), ΔSR (r=0.56;
p=0.005) and ΔSL (r=–0.44;
p=0.026). Furthermore, 48% of the 400â...
Source: International Journal of Sports Medicine - Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Gay, Ana Ruiz-Navarro, Jes ús J. Cuenca-Fern ández, Francisco L ópez-Belmonte, Óscar Fernandes, Ricardo J. Arellano, Ra úl Tags: Training & Testing Source Type: research