Physiological Responses to Swimming Repetitive “Ice Miles”

Knechtle, B, Stjepanovic, M, Knechtle, C, Rosemann, T, Sousa, CV, and Nikolaidis, PT. Physiological responses to swimming repetitive “Ice Miles.” J Strength Cond Res 35(2): 487–494, 2021—“Ice Mile” swimming (i.e., 1,608 m in water of below 5° C) is becoming increasingly popular. Since the foundation of the International Ice Swimming Association (IISA) in 2009, official races are held as World Cup Races and World Championships. Ice swimming was a demonstration sport at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. This case study aimed to identify core body temperature and selected hematological and biochemical parameters before and after repeated “Ice Miles.” An experienced ice swimmer completed 6 consecutive Ice Miles within 2 days. Three Ice Miles adhered to the strict criteria for the definition of Ice Miles, whereas the other 3 were very close (i.e., 5.2, 6.1, and 6.6° C) to the temperature limit. Swimming times, changes in core body temperatures, and selected urinary and hematological parameters were recorded. The athlete showed after each Ice Mile a metabolic acidosis (i.e., an increase in lactate and TCO2; a decrease in base excess and HCO3−) and an increase in blood glucose, cortisol, and creatine kinase concentration. The decrease in pH correlated significantly and negatively with the increase in cortisol level, indicating that this intense exercise causes a metabolic stress. The change in core body temperature between start and finish was negatively...
Source: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research - Category: Sports Medicine Tags: Original Research Source Type: research