This is an interview with Dr. Lucas Wymore. Dr. Wymore recently published: Shoulder Functional Performance Status of National Collegiate Athletic Association Swimmers: Baseline Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic Scores. This interview discusses this research article, but don’t forget to look at Dr. Wymore’s other study: No correlation between stroke specialty and rate of shoulder pain in NCAA men swimmers. For more on Swimmer’s Shoulder checkout Swimmer’s Shoulder …
Is Genetics Less Important in Swimmers than Other Athletes?
Genetic contribution to athletic success is clear, but each gene makes a small contribution to overall genetic profile. Identifying genes which contribute to elite success can help predict athletic potential. Recently polymorhpisms to the GH-IGF-I axis are believed to promote excellence in endurance and power sports. C-1245T is a genetic variation in the promoter region of the IGF-I gene, which …
4 Strategies Swimmers Can Learn From Divers
Take home points1) By observing the diving culture, swimmers can hold themselves to a higher standard with feedback and visualization to improve technical quality in the pool2) Though energy systems are very different, swimmers can learn from the high standard of technical execution in diving3) Despite being an early specialization sport, most divers have a background in gymnastics and dance …
Beta-Alanine and Sodium Bicarbonate do Not Improve Cycling Performance
Repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise lead to a pronounced accumulation of hydrogen cations (H+), a by-product of anaerobic metabolism that has been shown to play causative roles in peripheral fatigue. β-alanine (BA) supplementation is effective to increase intracellular carnosine content, a dipeptide whose pKa of 6.83 falls within the mid-point of the pH transit range in skeletal muscle (pH ~ …
Do Schoolbags Cause Low Back Pain?
There is variation regarding recommendations for children and adolescents carrying schoolbags. Guidelines for safe loads are mostly within 10%–15% of body weight (BW) range but include values as low as 5% and as high as 20%. Some biomechanical studies suggest that the schoolbag weight of 10% of BW may be enough to cause changes in kinematics, body posture and muscular strain. Methods of …
Foam Roll Reduces Blood Pressure After Exercise
Hypertension (HTN), characterized by increased blood pressure (BP), is quantitatively the most important risk factor for premature cardiovascular disease (CVD). Self-myofascial release (SMR) is a type of myofascial release technique which incorporates elements of massage to reduce soft tissue pain, inflammation, and delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Methods A total of 15 (M = 8, F = 7) healthy subjects between the …
50-m Free Time Trial in Morning and Evening Result in no Performance Difference in Elite Swimmers
Based on the circadian rhythms of hormone levels, gene expression, and core body temperature, it could be expected that the best performance in terms of strength, flexibility, alertness, and anaerobic power output occurs in the late afternoon. Indeed, improvements of 3.6% for 50 m, 1.9% for 100 m, and 0.8% for 400 m swimming performance were observed in the afternoon/evening …
Eight-Week Battle Rope Training Basketball Shooting Accuracy, Will it Improve Swimming Stroke Biomechanics?
Previous studies have shown that shooting accuracy is a crucial factor distinguishing between winning and losing basketball teams. Battle rope (BR) interval training is a low-impact, total-body, and intense metabolic modality. Methods Thirty male well-trained Division-I basketball players (age range: 18–25 years; basketball training: 6.7 ± 3.8 years) who had not sustained neuromuscular injury in the prior 6 months participated …
How Repeated Stretches Affect Muscle Viscoelasticity
Viscoelasticity is the ability to return of a material to return to a position after an extended force application. Dynamic tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments) possess viscoelastic structures. The ideal mechanism and benefits of stretching are uncertain, but previous work suggests constant-torque is more beneficial than constant-angle for improving muscle creep, resulting in a decrease in stiffness. This creep is the …
Effect of Squat Depth and Load on Muscular Effort
The squat is a popular dry-land exercise for swimming. This is likely due to the numerous muscles involved and the common belief this motion mimics a flip turn (despite contradictory research). However, the effect the depth and load on the squat are unknown. Muscle force is hard to measure, therefore motion analysis techniques combined with the equations to solve for …