Summary
The purpose of this investigation was to compare anaerobic and aerobic components measured during arm exercise in sprint and middle-distance swimmers and to investigate whether the peak anaerobic power :peak aerobic power ratio (W an, peak :W aer, peak) was related to specialization for the event and to performance. TheW an, peak force at zero velocity (F 0), and velocity at zero-force (ν0),W aer, peak, peak oxygen uptake (\(\dot V\)O2peak), and ventilatory threshold (Th v ) were compared during arm exercise tests in sprint (group I,n = 8) and middle-distance (group II,n = 9) competitive male swimmers. Anaerobic indices were estimated by the force-velocity test, an anaerobic test using incremental braking forces; aerobic indices were measured during an incremental aerobic exercise test (30 W · min−1). TheW an, peak andW aer, peak were greater in group I [828 (SEM 70) W; 236 (SEM 12) W] than in group II [678 (SEM 28) W; 230 (SEM 5) W], but the differences were not significant. There were also no significant differences observed between the mean values ofF 0, ν0,\(\dot V\)O2peak, and Th v . TheW an, peak:W aer, peak, however, was significantly higher in sprint swimmers (t = 3.08,P < 0.01). In seven of the swimmers, who had recently performed both the 100-m and 400-m front crawl, a relationship existed between their swim time and theW an, peak:Waer,peak (100m:r = −0.80,P<0.05 and 400m:r=+0.75,P<0.05). In conclusion, during arm-crank exercise, we did not observe significant differences in anaerobic and aerobic components between sprint and middle-distance swimmers. However, the results of the present study demonstrated the usefulness of theW an, peak :W aer, peak in the physiological evaluation of swimmers as it reflects the proportion of anaerobic to aerobic systems involved in the supply of energy.
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Mercier, B., Granier, P., Mercier, J. et al. Anaerobic and aerobic components during arm-crank exercise in sprint and middle-distance swimmers. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 66, 461–466 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00599622
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00599622