Effects of training and taper on neuromuscular and energetic profile in 100-m swimming performance

Author(s)

Felipe Alves Ribeiro

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Ribeirão Preto.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola de Educação Física e Esporte de Ribeirão Preto (EEFERP)
• Defense date: 2022-03-15

Examining board members

Marcelo Papoti; Augusto Carvalho Barbosa; Pedro Gil Frade Morouço; Enrico Fuini Puggina

• Advisor: Marcelo Papoti

Abstract

Lactate tolerance sets are often performed in the specific preparatory period to prevent the onset of neuromuscular fatigue during competition events. However, the neuromuscular fatigue profile (i.e., central or peripheral) has not yet been characterized in the 100-m race-pace events, and the effects of lactate tolerance sets on performance, arm stroke kinematics, and energetics of the 100-m events were also not investigated. From the experiments carried out, two manuscripts were confectioned. Manuscript I aimed to investigate the neuromuscular fatigue profile in the 100-m front crawl maximum effort. Seventeen swimmers performed a 100-m front crawl maximum effort at baseline, after six weeks of specific preparatory period, and after two weeks of taper period. The neuromuscular fatigue profile was characterized through percutaneous electrical stimuli on the femoral nerve during an isometric maximal contraction performed at pre-effort and post-effort. A significant decrease in the potentiated twitch force was found between pre-effort × post-effort at baseline (189.49 ± 28.08 × 158.66 ± 46.12 N; p = 0.004), after specific period (170.15 ± 28.79 × 150.23 ± 31.32 N; p = 0.006) e after taper (168.90 ± 26.05 × 147.17 ± 29.07 N; p = 0.003). In addition, the maximal isometric contraction force also decreased significantly at baseline (620.46 ± 109.00 × 578.44 ± 118.50 N; p = 0.011) and after specific period (554.24 ± 128.40 × 502.52 ± 107.51 N; p = 0.039). The results found indicate that neuromuscular fatigue during the 100m at pace-race is exclusively developed by peripheral orders. Manuscript II aimed to investigate the effects of three different lactate tolerance sets, as follows: (i) 5 × 100-m maximal efforts every 360 s, 10 × 50-m maximal efforts every 180 s, and 20 × 25-m maximal efforts every 90 s. Twenty swimmers were divided into three groups (G5×100-m = 7, G10×50-m = 7, and G20×25-m = 6) and performed a 100-m front crawl maximum effort at baseline, after six weeks of specific preparatory period, and after two weeks of taper period. An improvement in the performance of the G5×100-m was found between baseline × post-taper (64.44 ± 10.35 × 61.43 ± 8.66 s; pTukey = 0.036). In addition, total metabolic power showed a moderate effect size (d = 0.70) and likely positive (92.6/3.1/4.2 %) in the G5×100-m, and a large effect size (d = 1.52) and very likely positive (99.2/0.3/0.5 %) in the G20×25m. The results found indicate that lactate tolerance sets appear to be effective in improving performance and increasing total metabolic power in the 100-m front crawl at race-pace. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 19/06184-2 - Effects of three different anaerobic training sessions on physiological, mechanical, neuromuscular responses and short distances performance in swimming
• Grantee: Felipe Alves Ribeiro
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master