Swimming Training Assessment: The Critical Velocity and the 400-m Test for Age-Group Swimmers

摘要

Zacca, R, Fernandes, RJP, Pyne, DB, and Castro, FAdS. Swimming training assessment: the critical velocity and the 400-m test for age-group swimmers. J Strength Cond Res 30(5): 1365-1372, 2016To verify the metabolic responses of oxygen consumption (V.o(2)), heart rate (HR), blood lactate concentrations [La], and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) when swimming at an intensity corresponding to the critical velocity (CV) assessed by a 4-parameter model (CV4par), and to check the reliability when using only a single 400-m maximal front crawl bout (T-400) for CV4par assessment in age-group swimmers. Ten age-group swimmers (14-16 years old) performed 50-, 100-, 200-, 400- (T-400), 800-, and 1,500-m maximal front crawl bouts to calculate CV4par. V.o(2), HR, [La], and RPE were measured immediately after bouts. Swimmers then performed 3 x 10-minute front crawl (45 seconds rest) at CV4par. V.o(2), HR, [La], and RPE were measured after 10 minutes of rest (Rest), warm-up (Pre), each 10-minute repetition, and at the end of the test (Post). CV4par was 1.33 +/- 0.08 ms(-1). V.o(2), HR, [La], and RPE were similar between first 10-minute and Post time points in the 3 x 10-minute protocol. CV4par was equivalent to 92 +/- 2% of the mean swimming speed of T-400 (v400) for these swimmers. CV4par calculated through a single T-400 (92%v400) showed excellent agreement (r = 0.30; 95% CI: -0.04 to 0.05 ms(-1), p = 0.39), low coefficient of variation (2%), and root mean square error of 0.02 +/- 0.01 ms(-1) when plotted against CV4par assessed through a 4-parameter model. These results generated the equation CV4par = 0.92 x v400. A single T-400 can be used reliably to estimate the CV4par typically derived with 6 efforts in age-group swimmers.