title: Swimming Training Assessment: The Critical Velocity and the 400-m Test for Age-Group Swimmers.
abstract: To verify the metabolic responses of oxygen consumption (V[Combining Dot Above]O2), 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 (T400) for CV4par assessment in age-group swimmers. Ten age-group swimmers (14-16 years old) performed 50-, 100-, 200-, 400- (T400), 800-, and 1,500-m maximal front crawl bouts to calculate CV4par. V[Combining Dot Above]O2, HR, [La], and RPE were measured immediately after bouts. Swimmers then performed 3 × 10-minute front crawl (45 seconds rest) at CV4par. V[Combining Dot Above]O2, 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 m·s. V[Combining Dot Above]O2, HR, [La], and RPE were similar between first 10-minute and Post time points in the 3 × 10-minute protocol. CV4par was equivalent to 92 ± 2% of the mean swimming speed of T400 (v400) for these swimmers. CV4par calculated through a single T400 (92%v400) showed excellent agreement (r = 0.30; 95% CI: -0.04 to 0.05 m·s, p = 0.39), low coefficient of variation (2%), and root mean square error of 0.02 ± 0.01 m·s when plotted against CV4par assessed through a 4-parameter model. These results generated the equation CV4par = 0.92 × v400. A single T400 can be used reliably to estimate the CV4par typically derived with 6 efforts in age-group swimmers.
authors.affiliation: 1Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; 2Porto Biomechanics Laboratory, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; 3CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, Brasília, Brazil; 4Physiology, Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, Australia; 5Research Institute for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia; and 6Aquatic Sports Research Group, Physical Education School, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zacca
authors.forename: Ricardo Jorge P
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Pyne
authors.forename: Flávio Antônio de S
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Castro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D019344:Lactic Acid