title: Effects of manipulating volume and intensity training in masters swimmers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recently, some studies have suggested that overall training intensity may be more important than training volume for improving swimming performance. However, those studies focused on very young subjects, and/or the difference between high-volume and high-intensity training was blurred. The aim of this study was to investigate in masters swimmers the effects of manipulation of training volume and intensity on performance and physiological variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  A group of 10 male masters swimmers (age 32.3 ± 5.1 y) performed 2 different 6-wk training periods followed by 1 wk of tapering. The first period was characterized by high training volume performed at low intensity (HvLi), whereas the second period was characterized by low training volume performed at high intensity (LvHi). Peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) during incremental arm exercise, individual anaerobic threshold (IAT), and 100-m, 400-m, and 2000-m-freestyle time were evaluated before and at the end of both training periods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HvLi training significant increased VO2peak (11.9% ± 4.9% [mean change ± 90%CL], P = .002) and performance in the 400-m (-2.8% ± 1.8%, P = .002) and 2000-m (-3.4% ± 2.9%, P = .025), with a likely change in IAT (4.9% ± 4.7%, P > .05). After LvHi training, speed at IAT (12.4% ± 5.3%, P = .004) and 100-m performance (-1.2% ± 0.8%, P = .001) also improved, without any significant changes in VO2peak, 2000-m, and 400-m.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings indicate that in masters swimmers an increase of training volume may lead to an improvement of VO2peak and middle- to long-distance performance. However, a subsequent period of LvHi training maintains previous adjustments and positively affects anaerobic threshold and short-distance performance.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pugliese
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Porcelli
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonato
authors.forename: Gaspare
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pavei
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: La Torre
authors.forename: Martina A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Maggioni
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bellistri
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marzorati
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015308:Anaerobic Threshold; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000379:methods*; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult