Effects of varying post-warm-up recovery time on 200-m time-trial swim performance.
BACKGROUND
Warm-up before athletic competition might enhance performance by affecting various physiological parameters. There are few quantitative data available on physiological responses to the warm-up, and the data that have been reported are inconclusive. Similarly, it has been suggested that varying the recovery period after a standardized warm-up might affect subsequent performance.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the effects of varying post-warm-up recovery time on a subsequent 200-m swimming time trial.


METHODS
Ten national-caliber swimmers (5 male, 5 female) each swam a 1500-m warm-up and performed a 200-m time trial of their specialty stroke after either 10 or 45 min of passive recovery. Subjects completed 1 time trial in each condition separated by 1 wk in a counterbalanced order. Blood lactate and heart rate were measured immediately after warm-up and 3 min before, immediately after, and 3 min after the time trial. Rating of perceived exertion was measured immediately after the warm-up and time trial.


RESULTS
Time-trial performance was significantly improved after 10 min as opposed to 45 min recovery (136.80 +/- 20.38 s vs 138.69 +/- 20.32 s, P < .05). There were no significant differences between conditions for heart rate and blood lactate after the warm-up. Pre-time-trial heart rate, however, was higher in the 10-min than in the 45-min rest condition (109 +/- 14 beats/min vs 94 +/- 21 beats/min, P < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
A post-warm-up recovery time of 10 min rather than 45 min is more beneficial to 200-m swimming time-trial performance.
Zochowski
Thomas
T
Canadian Sport Centre Pacific, Canada.
Johnson
Elizabeth
E
Sleivert
Gordon G
GG
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000293:Adolescent; D005080:Exercise Test; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D052580:Muscle Stretching Exercises; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013997:Time Factors
D019344:Lactic Acid