Dpm MacLaren

An analysis of selected kinematic variables in national and elite male and female 100-m and 200-m breaststroke swimmers.

The kinematic analysis of competition breaststroke swimming has tended to focus on the mean values of swimming speed, stroke rate and stroke length; values in individual lengths, as well as the start, turns and finish, have largely been ignored. This study includes all such variables and aims to improve the coachs holistic understanding of breaststroke racing by determining the relationships and diff erences between and within these selected kinematic variables. We also compare 100-m events with 200-m events to determine if there are characteristic diff erences between them. Competitive breaststroke swimming performances in 100-m events (males: n = 159, finishing time = 65.05 - 2.62 s; females: n = 158, finishing time = 74.04 - 3.66 s) and 200-m events (males: n = 159, finishing time = 141.47 - 6.15 s; females: n = 158, finishing time = 158.66 - 7.87 s) were collected and analysed from 12 world, international and national championships. The better 100-m and 200-m breaststroke swimmers were found to demonstrate greater competency in the kinematic variables measured, except stroke kinematics, which were unique to each individual. These findings suggest that coaches should place emphasis on all of the kinematic components in training and that they should attempt to identify the stroke rate to stroke length ratio most appropriate for the individual. Finally, characteristic diff erences do exist between the 100-m and 200-m events, which has implications for how swimmers might train for each event.

Elevated core and muscle temperature to levels comparable to exercise do not increase heat shock protein content of skeletal muscle of physically active men.

Aim:  Exercise‐associated hyperthermia is routinely cited as the signal responsible for inducing an increased production of heat shock proteins (HSPs) following exercise. This hypothesis, however, has not been tested in human skeletal muscle. The aim of the present study was to therefore investigate the role of increased muscle and core temperature in contributing to the exercise‐induced production of the major HSP families in human skeletal muscle.

The ingestion of combined carbohydrates does not alter metabolic responses or performance capacity during soccer-specific exercise in the heat compared to ingestion of a single carbohydrate

Abstract This study was designed to investigate the effect of ingesting a glucose plus fructose solution on the metabolic responses to soccer-specific exercise in the heat and the impact on subsequent exercise capacity. Eleven male soccer players performed a 90 min soccer-specific protocol on three occasions. Either 3 ml · kg−1 body mass of a solution containing glucose (1 g · min−1 glucose) (GLU), or glucose (0.66 g · min−1) plus fructose (0.33 g · min−1) (MIX) or placebo (PLA) was consumed every 15 minutes. Respiratory measures were undertaken at 15-min intervals, blood samples were drawn at rest, half-time and on completion of the protocol, and muscle glycogen concentration was assessed pre- and post-exercise. Following the soccer-specific protocol the Cunningham and Faulkner test was performed. No significant differences in post-exercise muscle glycogen concentration (PLA, 62.99 ± 8.39 mmol · kg wet weight−1; GLU 68.62 ± 2.70; mmol · kg wet weight−1 and MIX 76.63 ± 6.92 mmol · kg wet weight−1) or exercise capacity (PLA, 73.62 ± 8.61 s; GLU, 77.11 ± 7.17 s; MIX, 83.04 ± 9.65 s) were observed between treatments (P > 0.05). However, total carbohydrate oxidation was significantly increased during MIX compared with PLA (P < 0.05). These results suggest that when ingested in moderate amounts, the type of carbohydrate does not influence metabolism during soccer-specific intermittent exercise or affect performance capacity after exercise in the heat.