This week we had an interview on recovery for swimmers with Dr. Alessandro Piras from the University of Bologna. Here is a link to his Research Gate page and here is our review of the study we are reviewing on swimmer recovery. 1. How can one evaluate how much swimmer recovery is necessary after a race (heart rate, lactate, etc.)? …
Elite Swimmers Are Superior at the Swim Turn to Subelite Swimmers
The swim turn is usually divided into 5 distinct stages that include (a) inward-turn, (b) rotation, (c) push-off, (d) underwater, and (d) outward-turn. Past research suggests swimmers with higher peak forces have faster turn time, reduced wall contact time, and greater mean impulse than slower swimmers (Blanksby 1996; Chow 1984; Takahashi 1982). However, more modern research is needed to analyze …
How Much Swimming Recovery Do you Need After 100, 200, and 400-m Distance Freestyle Races?
Recovery and warm-up is a significant component of any swimming race. Many realize different race distances stress the body differently, yet many perform the same warm-down no matter the race difference. During competitions, swimmers often perform multiple races over various periods of length. some swimmers will compete 4 – 6 times over a course of 6 hours. Others will race …
What is the Perfect Backstroke Body?
Ideal body shape and structure is a common topic in swimming communities. It is most common for coaches to use their subjective eye when deciding if a swimmer has the perfect backstroke body (somatyape). A recent study by Sammoud (2018) assessed the key physical characteristics of young backstroke swimmers. The goal of this study was to determine what factors predict …
How to Calculate How Many Calories You Burn When Swimming
As Take Home Message for How to Calculate How Many Calories You Burn When Swimming: It is possible to estimate the energy cost of a training session or a race; A training session of 3,000 meter at aerobic capacity pace will expend around 1,100 kcal; A sub-elite swimmer that races the 400 free in 4:00.00 expends 147 kcal (35g of carbs …
Friday Interview: Dr. Jan Prins Speaks on Competitive Swimming
Something unique for our readers in this week’s interview. What follows are notes from a phone interview I conducted with Dr. Jan Prins, Ph.D. Dr. Prins is the Director of the Aquatic Research Laboratory at the University of Hawaii at Manoa along with Founder and Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Swimming Research. He is one of the contributors to The Swim …
Risk factors for, and prevention of, shoulder injuries in overhead sports: a systematic review with best-evidence synthesis
The burden of shoulder problems highlights the need for injury prevention strategies. Identifying risk factors and developing strategies to prevent injury, based on these risk factors, are key components for preventing injuries in sports. This reflects the second and third step in the ‘sequence of prevention’ and ‘translating research into injury prevention practice’ models. Overall, 4,740 studies were excluded from …
3 Things You Didn’t Know About Ultra-Endurance Swimming
Take Home Points on 3 Things you Didn’t Know About Ultra-Endurance Swimming Ultra-endurance swimming often doesn’t result in maximal fatigue, cause hunger, or alter swimming hand path.This form of training isn’t as negative as some suggest on swimming skill. Many associate ultra-endurance swimming with pain and fatigue. However, we know little on the subject, despite it’s growing popularity. Now, many swimmers have …
Five Tips for Improved Freestyle Head Position in Swimming
Take home points1) Raised freestyle head position is one of the most common stroke flaws in freestyle2) Corrective strategies must be individualized to each swimmer3) Avenues for change include biomechanical, cognitive, and environmental Raised freestyle head position in freestyle is one of the most common stroke flaws in the pool at all levels of the sport. In the literature this …
Does Circle Swimming Create Bad Habits?
Circle swimming is a fact of life for nearly every team. Even if your current situation does not require circle swimming, it’s likely at some point in your career you have done it. To be clear, many good things that come from circle swimming: the ability to accommodate more swimmers and the ability to group swimmers by speed are two …