Swimming, performance, athlete

This study aimed to identify the relationship between dryland tests and swimming performance in elite Paralympic swimmers. Fifteen competitive swimmers (age: 27.4 ± 5.4 years, height: 1.70 ± 6.8 m, body mass: 67.9 ± 9.2 kg; 9 males, 6 females) performed a lat pull-down and a bench press incremental load test to determine maximum power (Pmax), the strength corresponding to maximum power (F@Pmax), and the barbell velocity corresponding to maximum power (V@Pmax) from the force-velocity and power-velocity profiles...

Poor oral health is an important concern for athletes, as it can affect both general health and athletic performance. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of activity in chlorinated water on oral health in elite swimmers compared to non-swimming athletes. This cross-sectional study included 101 swimmers and 100 other athletes aged 13-26 years with a minimum training intensity of five hours per week (for at least the preceding two years). Oral health was assessed using the approximal plaque index (API) and the decayed/missing/filled teeth (DMFT) index...

OBJECTIVE: Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) has been used to improve athletic performance in various populations; however, its role in improving performance in elite athletes is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a-tDCS on athletic performance in elite athletes. METHODS: We used a single-blind, randomized controlled experimental design and recruited 24 national-level freestyle swimmers from China. All athletes were randomly divided into two groups; the experimental group underwent a-tDCS (current 2 mA for 20 min) combined with physical training, and the control group underwent a-tDCS sham stimulation combined with physical training...

This study explored the potential of reconstructing the 3D motion of a swimmer's hands with accuracy and consistency using action sport cameras (ASC) distributed in-air and underwater. To record at least two stroke cycles of an athlete performing a front crawl task, the cameras were properly calibrated to cover an acquisition volume of 3 m in X, 8 m in Y, and 3.5 m in Z axis, approximately. Camera calibration was attained by applying bundle adjustment in both environments. A testing wand, carrying two markers, was acquired to evaluate the three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction accuracy in-air, underwater, and over the water transition...

The lack of knowledge regarding the extent of microbial contamination in Portuguese fitness centers (FC) puts attendees and athletes at risk for bioaerosol exposure. This study intends to characterize microbial contamination in Portuguese FC by passive sampling methods: electrostatic dust collectors (EDC) (N=39), settled dust (N=8), vacuum filters (N=8), and used cleaning mops (N=12). The obtained extracts were plated in selective culture media for fungi and bacteria. Filters, EDC, and mop samples' extracts were also screened for antifungal resistance and used for the molecular detection of the selected Aspergillus sections...

OBJECTIVE: In the domain of competitive events, Latin dance athletes have always suffered competitive anxiety, which is a prevalent and prevailing psychological facet, in pre-, intra-, and post-competitive engagements. Usually, the implementation of systematic desensitization training is an efficacious approach to reduce competitive anxiety levels in routine sports to fortify psychological resilience of athletes (like swimming, volleyball, and basketball). This study focuses on the effect of systematic desensitization training on competition anxiety in the training of Latin dancers to establish good mental ability and promote the competitive ability of athletes...

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BACKGROUND: The Y Balance Test-Upper Quarter (YBT-UQ) is a cost-effective, well-established, closed kinetic chain test to assess inter-limb asymmetries in the upper quarter that could negatively affect swimming performance. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine YBT-UQ performances and inter-limb differences as well as its association with swimming performance in athletes with diverging levels of expertise. METHODS: Forty female and male competitive swimmers (age range: 10-22 years) with different expertise levels (A-squad: n  = 9, B-squad: n  = 12, C-squad: n  = 19) were tested (reach distances for the YBT-UQ) and swimming performance was calculated using the ratio of individual to world best time...

PURPOSE: Our aim was to evaluate the accuracy of a combined airway inflammatory biomarker assessment in diagnosing asthma in elite water sports athletes. METHODS: Members of the Hungarian Olympic and Junior Swim Team and elite athletes from other aquatic disciplines were assessed for asthma by objective lung function measurements, and blood eosinophil count (BEC), serum total IgE, FENO measurements, and skin prick testing were performed. A scoring system from BEC, FENO, serum IgE, and skin test positivity was constructed by dichotomising the variables and assigning a score of 1 if the variable is elevated...

PURPOSE: Endurance elite athletes are expected to present a cardiac remodelling, characterized by eccentric hypertrophy (EH), may be associated with higher sportive performances. However, not all can present a cardiac remodelling. The study aimed to identify endurance athletes without cardiac remodelling characterizing their physiologic and clinical features. METHODS: We studied 309 endurance athletes (cycling, rowing, canoeing, triathlon, athletics, long-distance swimming, cross-country skiing, mid-long distance track, pentathlon, biathlon, long-distance skating and Nordic-combined) examined during period of training, by clinical evaluation, ECG, echocardiogram and exercise-stress test...

What is known, sports performance is impacted by a variety of factors. While most people understand the importance of training, proper nutrition, and adequate rest, not as many recognize the impact of environmental factors on athletic performance. This paper investigates the race strategies of Chinese triathletes in different competition environments, with a focus on the performance of professional triathletes during the Olympic Distance Triathlon held in China between 2015 and 2021. Data from 984 athletes who competed in 26 races were analyzed to evaluate the sensitivity of the three splits of swimming, cycling, and running to overall triathlon performance under different temperature (low, normal, and high), altitude (low, normal, and high), and waters (sea, river, and still waters) conditions...

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to identify the optimal method for determining V̇O2max in competitive swimmers in terms of validity and test-retest reliability. DESIGN: Controlled experiment. METHODS: Twenty competitive swimmers performed four maximal incremental exercise tests: cycling, arm cranking, ergometer swimming, and tethered swimming. Gas analysis was conducted to estimate V̇O2max . Validity was assessed in terms of the amount of variance of the performance on a 1500-m time trial explained by the estimated V̇O2max ...

BACKGROUND: Increased training and competition demands of the in-season period may disturb athlete fatigue and recovery balance. The aim of this study was to describe the training load distribution applied in a competitive period and the training adaptations and fatigue/recovery status of elite water polo players. HYPOTHESIS: Effective workload management during tapering (TAP) would restore player recovery and enhance performance. STUDY DESIGN: Case series...

OBJECTIVES: Inter-individual developmental differences confound the capability to accurately evaluate youth athletic performance, highlighting the need for considerate methodology and analytical approaches. The present study demonstrated how Percentile Comparison Methods (PCMs) were developed, tested, and applied to identify athlete developmental profiles in Australian youth swimming. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. METHODS: Participants were N = 866 female 100-metre (m) Front-Crawl swimmers, aged 9-15 years, competing at 36 Australian regional-national level long course events...

This study explores the experiences of British elite swimmers in developing life skills during and throughout their athletic careers, examining the factors that influence their perspectives on this skill development. Six high-profile British swimmers, who have competed at the Commonwealth and/or Olympic Games, were recruited for this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and thematic analysis was applied. Through the analysis, two key themes were identified from the thematic analysis: (a) Implicit life skill development through athletic and educational experience, and (b) Understanding the influence of swimming on life skill development...

Physical fitness (PF) includes various factors that significantly impacts athletic performance. Analyzing PF is critical in developing customized training methods for athletes based on the sports in which they compete. Previous approaches to analyzing PF have relied on statistical or machine learning algorithms that focus on predicting athlete injury or performance. In this study, six machine learning algorithms were used to analyze the PF of 1,489 male adolescent athletes across five sports, including track & field, football, baseball, swimming, and badminton...

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of repeated use of cold-water immersion (CWI) during a training week on performance and perceptive outcomes in competitive adolescent swimmers. METHODS: This randomized-crossover study included 20 athletes, who received each intervention [CWI (14 ± 1 °C), thermoneutral water immersion (TWI) (27 ± 1 °C) as placebo, and passive recovery (PAS)] three times a week between the land-based resistance training and swim training...

This study examined the synergistic effects of combining Rhodiola rosea (RHO) and caffeine (CAF) supplementation on muscle endurance and explosiveness in SD rats and human subjects, encompassing individuals without prior exercise training experience and seasoned aerobic athletes. Male SD rats and healthy human volunteers were randomly divided into four groups: CAF, RHO, CAF + RHO, and a control group (CTR). Nutritional supplements were administered throughout the training period, and pre-and post-measurement data were collected...

This study aimed to characterize the composition of lipids in the red blood cells (RBCs) of adolescent swimmers and correlate this lipidome with the aerobic performance of the athletes. Five experimental assessments were performed by 37 adolescent swimmers. During the first session, the athletes went to the laboratory facility for venous blood sampling. The critical velocity protocol was conducted over the 4 subsequent days to measure aerobic performance (CV), comprising maximal efforts over distances of 100, 200, 400, and 800 m in a swimming pool...

AIM: Greater quantification and characterisation of training load (TL) throughout Live-high, train-high (LHTH) altitude (ALT) training is required to identify periodisation strategies that may lead to physiological and performance improvements in swimmers. PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the physiological responses and performance outcomes of 14 high-performance swimmers (FINA points: 836.0 ± 35.1) following 3 weeks of LHTH at 2320 m, while characterising the training load periodisation strategy adopted during the intervention...