The Influence of Muscle Fiber Typology on the Pacing Strategy of 200-m Freestyle Swimmers.

Abstract

To determine the influence of muscle fiber typology (MFT) on the pacing strategy of elite swimmers competing in the 200-m freestyle event. The top 3 career-best performances from 25 elite 200-m freestyle swimmers were analyzed-12 women (1:58.0 [0:01.3] min:s) and 13 men (1:48.4 [0:02.5]). Muscle carnosine concentration was quantified by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles and expressed as a carnosine aggregate z score (CAZ score) relative to an age- and gender-matched nonathlete control group to estimate MFT. Linear regression models were employed to examine the influence of MFT on the percentage of overall race time spent in each 50-m lap. Swimmers with a higher CAZ score spent a greater percentage of race time in lap 3 compared with swimmers with a lower CAZ score (0.1%, 0.0% to 0.2%; mean, 90% confidence interval, P = .02). For every 1% increase in the percentage of race time spent in lap 1, the percentage of race time spent in lap 3 decreased by 0.4% for swimmers with a higher CAZ score (0.2% to -0.5%, P = .00, r = -.51), but not for swimmers with a lower CAZ score (-0.1%, -0.3% to 0.1%, P = .28, r = -.18). The percentage of race time spent in lap 4 decreased by 0.8% for higher-CAZ-score swimmers (-0.5% to -1.0%, P = .00, r = -.66) and by 0.9% for lower-CAZ-score swimmers (-0.6% to -1.3%, P = .00, r = -.65) when lap 1 percentage increased by 1%. MFT may influence the pacing strategy of swimmers in the 200-m freestyle event, which provides an avenue for maximizing individualized pacing strategies of elite swimmers.