Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Competition”
Much debate surrounds the ‘ideal’ catch in freestyle. Many suggest a high-elbow catch theoretically maximizing propulsion (‘drag-based’), while others believe in a low-elbow or ‘S-curve’ catch to maximize mythical lift (‘lift-based). Unfortunately, the lift has only been theoretically determined in swimming, subjecting it to much scrutiny in the sport. In the current study, the researchers used computational fluid dynamic modeling …
In part I, I covered the exciting topic of breathing biomechanics and muscles associated with inspiration. These are the muscles noted with fatigue in swimming. Even though the last batch was the popular group to study, it is essential to know the other muscles involved in breathing and how to improve both forms of breathing. Now it is time to get …
No matter the distance, every swimmer is out of breath at the end of a race….excuse me if I just blew your mind! This obvious statement has lead swim coaches to attempt various training means to prevent “being out of breath” as the main limiting factor in swimming. The most common attempt was increasing swimming volume, while others implemented underwater …
Dr. John and I share a keen interest in baseball statistics, a field that has hit mainstream culture with the popularity of Moneyball as a book and now a motion picture. Although I’m embarrassed to admit I have not seen Moneyball on the big screen (but I did see The Muppets on Thanksgiving!), most of the people who did see …
The respiratory system is not typically associated with the limiting factor in maximal exercise, and the influence of inspiratory (breathing inward) muscle fatigue during maximal exercise is unclear. Studies suggest a long and short duration high-intensity exercise causes inspiratory muscle fatigue leading to impaired performance. Breathing during swimming is especially important since breathing frequency is limited. The constraints of swimming …
If you missed the ‘perfect’ swimming warm-up, read it already! Warm-up research is minimal, warm-down is a different story. Vast research has looked at different swimming warm-down speeds, lengths, and lactate level. As discussed in past pieces (check out Groin Kick Syndrome ), lactate is not the devil; the body’s inability to convert lactate to ATP is a problem which leads to …
Warm-down is a difficult area of compliance. Many swimmers want to stretch in the shower and get out of the pool, unfortunately, warm-down is essential after practice, races, etc. I have discussed sprint swimming recovery and velocities for swimming warming down duration, but a recent study by Vescovi, Falenchuk, and Wells (friend of the site, read Friday Interview: Dr. Greg Wells) tackles warm-down …
If you enjoy this brief swimming review, consider supporting and purchasing the Swimming Science Research Review. All 200-m strokes Result in Similar Inspiratory Muscle Fatigue Inspiratory muscle fatigue (IMF) has been suggested as a contributor to fatigue in swimming. Now, Lomax et al (2013) have concluded IMF is similar across the four competitive strokes during a 200-meter race. “Inspiratory muscle fatigue …
Post-race recovery is needed for every swimmer. How much do you do? How fast do you do it? Do I wear my hi-tech suit…well I guess that doesn’t apply anymore. A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research compared passive recovery, recovery with low intensity (40% of the best 100-meter time) and high-intensity recovery (60% of 100 m time). Moreover …
“Fast feet” “Get those feet moving” “Bubble, Bubbles! My grandma could kick faster…and she’s been dead for 20 years!” These expletives are thrown around the pool deck more than a kickboard slicing through the air like a Frisbee. In swimming fast feet are associated with fast swimming, however, fast hands don’t always correlate with fast swimming. In regards to the upper body, distance per …