Improve Swimming Performance Research Articles

Effectiveness of resistance band swimming training on muscle strength in swimmers with physical disabilities in the 50-meter freestyle

Resistance band training can increase muscle strength in swimmers with physical disabilities, especially because muscle strength problems often hinder achieving optimal performance. This study aimed to determine the effect of resistance band training on the muscle strength of swimmers with physical disabilities number 50 meters freestyle. This research method uses a one-group pretest-posttest design with an experimental approach. This study used a one-group pretest-posttest pre-experimental design research design. This research instrument used a total sampling recruitment technique involving 28 Jakarta Para Swim athletes. PretestPretest and post-test tools, including a 50-meter freestyle swimming course, were used in this study. Using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27, data analysis methods included a t-test at a significant level of 0.05, normality and homogeneity tests, and prerequisite tests. The results of this study state that the average speed of 28 athletes is 42.21 freestyle meters before the test and 38.77 freestyle meters after the test there is an increase in the average speed of 50 meters freestyle by 10%, or 3.44 seconds in resistance band training for swimmers with disabilities number 50 meters freestyle with an increase of 10%, namely 3.44 seconds. These results provide a basis for disability sports coaches and practitioners to integrate resistance band training as part of a training program to improve swimming performance for athletes with physical disabilities.

Effects of Different Dietary Supplements on Swimming Performance: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

Nutritional supplements are widely used by swimmers, but the effectiveness of various supplements and the identification of the most effective intervention require further investigation. This paper evaluated and compared the effectiveness of various nutrition-based interventions on swimming performance through both direct and indirect comparisons. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and SPORTDiscus databases were thoroughly searched up to 4 April 2024. The risk of bias was judged using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. A random-effect model was adopted to compute standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). L-arginine (Arg) demonstrated superior performance to the placebo (SMD = -1.66, 95% CI [-2.92, -0.44]), emerging as the most effective intervention for reducing 100 swimming time (SUCRA = 89.5%). Beta-alanine (BA) was the best intervention for improving blood lactate (SUCRA = 80%). Creatine combined with sodium bicarbonate (Creatine_NaHCO3) significantly increased blood pH compared to the placebo (SMD = 3.79, 95% CI [1.85, 5.80]), with a SUCRA score of 99.9%, suggesting it is the most effective intervention for this parameter. No prominent differences were noted among the interventions in 50 m time, 200 m time, heart rate, and body mass. Dietary supplements might provide benefits for improving swimming performance. Arg emerged as the most efficacious modality for reducing 100 m time. BA proved to be the preeminent strategy for decreasing blood lactate. Creatine_NaHCO3 was distinguished as the optimal approach for improving blood pH.

Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Core Stability Training on 50-Meter Freestyle Performance in Men and Women

Introduction. Core stability training (CST) has gained increasing relevance in sports due to its potential to enhance athletic performance and reduce injury risk, particularly in swimming. The 50-meter freestyle is a key performance test in swimming, and understanding the impact of CST on this specific event is essential for optimizing training programs. Objective. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of CST on the performance of male and female swimmers in the 50-meter freestyle. Methods. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Bireme, Scopus, and Web of Science (WOS), adhering to the Cochrane Handbook guidelines. Risk of bias was evaluated using the ROB2 scale, while the quality of the studies was assessed with the SIGN and CONSORT checklists. Data were analyzed using a fixed-effects meta-analysis in RevMan-Web, and heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 and X2 tests. Results. Out of 2,323 records identified, 7 studies met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis revealed that CST significantly improved 50-meter freestyle performance, with a time reduction of -1.06 seconds (95% CI = -1.52, -0.60) in male swimmers and -3.28 seconds (95% CI = -4.57, -1.99) in female swimmers. Conclusion. CST was found to be effective in enhancing performance in the 50-meter freestyle, particularly in female swimmers. These findings support the use of CST as a valuable training strategy for sports scientists and coaches aiming to improve swimming performance.

Swimtrans Net: a multimodal robotic system for swimming action recognition driven via Swin-Transformer.

Currently, using machine learning methods for precise analysis and improvement of swimming techniques holds significant research value and application prospects. The existing machine learning methods have improved the accuracy of action recognition to some extent. However, they still face several challenges such as insufficient data feature extraction, limited model generalization ability, and poor real-time performance. To address these issues, this paper proposes an innovative approach called Swimtrans Net: A multimodal robotic system for swimming action recognition driven via Swin-Transformer. By leveraging the powerful visual data feature extraction capabilities of Swin-Transformer, Swimtrans Net effectively extracts swimming image information. Additionally, to meet the requirements of multimodal tasks, we integrate the CLIP model into the system. Swin-Transformer serves as the image encoder for CLIP, and through fine-tuning the CLIP model, it becomes capable of understanding and interpreting swimming action data, learning relevant features and patterns associated with swimming. Finally, we introduce transfer learning for pre-training to reduce training time and lower computational resources, thereby providing real-time feedback to swimmers. Experimental results show that Swimtrans Net has achieved a 2.94% improvement over the current state-of-the-art methods in swimming motion analysis and prediction, making significant progress. This study introduces an innovative machine learning method that can help coaches and swimmers better understand and improve swimming techniques, ultimately improving swimming performance.

A Fast Online Elastic-Spine-Based Stiffness Adjusting Mechanism for Fishlike Swimming.

Fish tunes fishtail stiffness by coordinating its tendons, muscles, and other tissues to improve swimming performance. For robotic fish, achieving a fast and online fishlike stiffness adjustment over a large-scale range is of great significance for performance improvement. This article proposes an elastic-spine-based variable stiffness robotic fish, which adopts spring steel to emulate the fish spine, and its stiffness is adjusted by tuning the effective length of the elastic spine. The stiffness can be switched in the maximum adjustable range within 0.26 s. To optimize the motion performance of robotic fish by adjusting fishtail stiffness, a Kane-based dynamic model is proposed, based on which the stiffness adjustment strategy for multistage swimming is constructed. Simulations and experiments are conducted, including performance measurements and analyses in terms of swimming speed, thrust, and so on, and online stiffness adjustment-based multistage swimming, which verifies the feasibility of the proposed variable stiffness robotic fish. The maximum speed and lowest cost of transport for robotic fish are 0.43 m/s (equivalent to 0.81 BL/s) and 7.14 J/(kg·m), respectively.

In-Season Training Load Variation - Heart Rate Recovery, Perceived Recovery Status, and Performance in Elite Male Water Polo Players: A Pilot Study.

Increased training and competition demands of the in-season period may disturb athlete fatigue and recovery balance. The aim of this study was to describe the training load distribution applied in a competitive period and the training adaptations and fatigue/recovery status of elite water polo players. Effective workload management during tapering (TAP) would restore player recovery and enhance performance. Case series. Level 4. Training load, perceived recovery, maximal speed in 100- and 200-meter swim, heart rate (HR) during submaximal swimming (HRsubmax) and HR recovery (HRR) were assessed in 7 outfield water polo players a week before starting a normal training microcycle (NM), after NM, and after congested (CON) and TAP training blocks in the lead-up to the Final Eight of the European Champions League. Training load was higher in NM compared with CON and TAP by 28.9 ± 2.6% and 42.8 ± 2.1% (P < 0.01, d = 11.54, and d = 13.45, respectively) and higher in CON than TAP by 19.4 ± 4.2% (P < 0.01, d = 3.78). Perceived recovery was lower in CON compared with NM and TAP (P < 0.01, d = 1.26 and d = 3.11, respectively) but not different between NM and TAP (P = 0.13, d = 0.62). Both 100- and 200-meter swim performance was improved in TAP compared with baseline (P < 0.01, d = 1.34 and d = 1.12, respectively). No differences were detected among other training blocks. HRsubmax and most HRR were similar among the training periods. Effective management of training load at TAP can restore recovery and improve swimming performance without affecting HR responses. Despite lower workloads, CON training impairs perceived recovery without affecting performance; however, a short-term training load reduction after a CON fixture restores recovery and improves performance.

Does Bistability Improve Swimming Performance in Robotic Fish?

A bistable mechanism has two stable states with energy input required to move from one stable state to another. This energy barrier allows for energy storage and release which can be used to improve systems characteristics. Bistability has been used to increase the frequency range over which a kinetic energy harvester is effective, and it has been proposed that bistability can increase the efficiency of biomimetic swimming robots. However, experiments involving bistable swimming robots have typically used bistability as a means of overcoming limitations inherent to soft actuators, rather than to increase overall performance. This article implements bistability into a swimming robotic and compares performance with and without bistable action. The static thrust generation and power consumption for bistable and nonbistable configurations for five different tail morphologies are compared. Bistability is generally found to increase the system efficiency, particularly at lower frequencies where increases are observed up to 250%. The untethered swimming speed of the robot in open water is also found to increase by approximately 30%. The results show that bistability can offer direct performance benefits for biomimetic swimming, but that the bistable transmission must be well tuned to the dynamics of the rest of the system.

Treatment with sodium butyrate induces autophagy resulting in therapeutic benefits for spinocerebellar ataxiatype 3.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3, also known as Machado Joseph disease) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by the expansion of the trinucleotide repeat region within the ATXN3/MJD gene. Mutation of ATXN3 causes formation of ataxin-3 protein aggregates, neurodegeneration, and motor deficits. Here we investigated the therapeutic potential and mechanistic activity of sodium butyrate (SB), the sodium salt of butyric acid, a metabolite naturally produced by gut microbiota, on cultured SH-SY5Y cells and transgenic zebrafish expressing human ataxin-3 containing 84 glutamine (Q) residues to model SCA3. SCA3 SH-SY5Y cells were found to contain high molecular weight ataxin-3 species and detergent-insoluble protein aggregates. Treatment with SB increased the activity of the autophagy protein quality control pathway in the SCA3 cells, decreased the presence of ataxin-3 aggregates and presence of high molecular weight ataxin-3 in an autophagy-dependent manner. Treatment with SB was also beneficial invivo, improving swimming performance, increasing activity of the autophagy pathway, and decreasing the presence of insoluble ataxin-3 protein species in the transgenic SCA3 zebrafish. Co-treating the SCA3 zebrafish with SB and chloroquine, an autophagy inhibitor, prevented the beneficial effects of SB on zebrafish swimming, indicating that the improved swimming performance was autophagy-dependent. To understand the mechanism by which SB induces autophagy we performed proteomic analysis of protein lysates from the SB-treated and untreated SCA3 SH-SY5Y cells. We found that SB treatment had increased activity of Protein Kinase A and AMPK signaling, with immunoblot analysis confirming that SB treatment had increased levels of AMPK protein and its substrates. Together our findings indicate that treatment with SB can increase activity of the autophagy pathway process and that this has beneficial effects invitro and invivo. While our results suggested that this activity may involve activity of a PKA/AMPK-dependent process, this requires further confirmation. We propose that treatment with sodium butyrate warrants further investigation as a potential treatment for neurodegenerative diseases underpinned by mechanisms relating to protein aggregation including SCA3.

The methodology of resistance training is crucial for improving short-medium distance front crawl performance in competitive swimmers: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Resistance training is often a part of the routine training regimen for competitive swimmers. However, due to the variety of resistance training methodology, the results can be inconsistent and sometimes unsatisfactory. Clear recommendations are still lacking at present. 1) Quantify the impact of resistance training on swimmers' upper limb maximum strength, front crawl performance and key technical parameters; 2) Find out the key technical parameters for improving front crawl performance-stroke rate or length; 3) Through subgroup analysis determine the best methodology of resistance training to enhance the front crawl. Systematic search in the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. Meta-analyses using the inverse-variance are performed to compare swimmers' upper limb maximum strength, front crawl performance and key technical parameters in resistance training and habitual aquatic training. A subgroup analysis was performed to examine whether the results were affected by the methodology of resistance training. Thirteen studies (267 competitive swimmers) met the inclusion criteria. The results of meta-analysis showed that resistance training significantly improved upper limbs maximum muscle strength, and 25, 50, 100, and 200m front crawl performance in competitive swimmers. And improvements in swimming performance may simply resulted from resistance training increasing stroke rate rather than stroke length. In addition, the results of subgroup analysis showed that only concurrent resistance training (CRT) and power training (PT) ultimately improved swimming performance by increasing the maximum muscle strength of the upper limbs. Resistance training significantly enhances competitive swimmers' upper limb strength and front crawl performance across various distances. The improvement in performance is likely attributed to an increased stroke rate rather than stroke length. In addition, CRT and PT are particularly effective, indicating the importance of selecting the appropriate methodology of resistance training for optimal swimming performance enhancement. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/3JEGW.

Spontaneous regeneration of cholecystokinergic reticulospinal axons after a complete spinal cord injury in sea lampreys

In contrast to humans, lampreys spontaneously recover their swimming capacity after a complete spinal cord injury (SCI). This recovery process involves the regeneration of descending axons. Spontaneous axon regeneration in lampreys has been mainly studied in giant descending neurons. However, the regeneration of neurochemically distinct descending neuronal populations with small-caliber axons, as those found in mammals, has been less studied. Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a regulatory neuropeptide found in the brain and spinal cord that modulates several processes such as satiety, or locomotion. CCK shows high evolutionary conservation and is present in all vertebrate species. Work in lampreys has shown that all CCKergic spinal cord axons originate in a single neuronal population located in the caudal rhombencephalon. Here, we investigate the spontaneous regeneration of CCKergic descending axons in larval lampreys following a complete SCI. Using anti-CCK-8 immunofluorescence, confocal microscopy and lightning adaptive deconvolution, we demonstrate the partial regeneration of CCKergic axons (81% of the number of axonal profiles seen in controls) 10 weeks after the injury. Our data also revealed a preference for regeneration of CCKergic axons in lateral spinal cord regions. Regenerated CCKergic axons exhibit colocalization with synaptic vesicle marker SV2, indicative of functional synaptic connections. We also extracted swimming dynamics in injured animals by using DeepLabCut. Interestingly, the degree of CCKergic reinnervation correlated with improved swimming performance in injured animals, suggesting a potential role in locomotor recovery. These findings open avenues for further exploration into the role of specific neuropeptidergic systems in post-SCI spinal locomotor networks.

Associations between load-velocity profiling and race parameters of elite swimmers in the 100 and 200m freestyle events.

Improving swimming performance involves assessments of biomechanical variables of the stroke, and it can be achieved using semi-tethered swimming tests. The aim of this study was thus to investigate the associations between load-velocity (L-V) profiles, from a semi-tethered swimming protocol and race variables in the 100 m and 200 m freestyle events. Eight swimmers completed a L-V profiling protocol consisting of four sprints (25 m, 25 m, 20 m, 15 m) against increasing loads (0.1, 2.0, 4.0, 6.0 kg respectively) with complete recovery between repetitions (>5 min). The L-V linear regression was used to estimate maximal velocity (V0) and body mass normalized load (rL0). Race variables such as clean swimming speed (V), stroke rate (SR), distance per cycle (SL) and stroke index (SI) were assessed from video analysis of 100 m and 200 m freestyle events taking place 3-4 days after the L-V protocol. L-V results showed high levels of speed (mean ± SD: 1.87 ± 0.04 m/s) and heavy maximal relative loads (mean ± SD: 38.5 ± 6.51 as % of body mass). Swimmers also achieved high-level performances in the 100 m (mean ± SD time: 51.95 ± 0.75 s) and the 200 m (mean ± SD time: 113.85 ± 2.67 s). For the 100 m events, the maximal relative load showed strong correlation with performance (r = 0.63) whereas trivial correlation was observed for the 200 m events (r = 0.12). SR on the 100 m and the 200 m also showed very strong association with rL0 (r = 0.83) and a strong association with V0 (r = 0.68) respectively. The relationships between L-V variables and race variables depend on the distance of the event. However, L-V variables seem to be less related to SR and SL evolutions for the 100 m than in the 200 m event. Moreover, L-V profiles tend to be more related to the 100 m than 200 m freestyle performance. L-V profile should be interpreted taking into consideration the specific physiological and biomechanical constraints of the main events of the swimmer.

A mechano- and heat-gated two-pore domain K+ channel controls excitability in adult zebrafish skeletal muscle.

TRAAK channels are mechano-gated two-pore-domain K+ channels. Up to now, activity of these channels has been reported in neurons but not in skeletal muscle, yet an archetype of tissue challenged by mechanical stress. Using patch clamp methods on isolated skeletal muscle fibers from adult zebrafish, we show here that single channels sharing properties of TRAAK channels, i.e., selective to K+ ions, of 56 pS unitary conductance in the presence of 5 mM external K+, activated by membrane stretch, heat, arachidonic acid, and internal alkaline pH, are present in enzymatically isolated fast skeletal muscle fibers from adult zebrafish. The kcnk4b transcript encoding for TRAAK channels was cloned and found, concomitantly with activity of mechano-gated K+ channels, to be absent in zebrafish fast skeletal muscles at the larval stage but arising around 1 mo of age. The transfer of the kcnk4b gene in HEK cells and in the adult mouse muscle, that do not express functional TRAAK channels, led to expression and activity of mechano-gated K+ channels displaying properties comparable to native zebrafish TRAAK channels. In whole-cell voltage-clamp and current-clamp conditions, membrane stretch and heat led to activation of macroscopic K+ currents and to acceleration of the repolarization phase of action potentials respectively, suggesting that heat production and membrane deformation associated with skeletal muscle activity can control muscle excitability through TRAAK channel activation. TRAAK channels may represent a teleost-specific evolutionary product contributing to improve swimming performance for escaping predators and capturing prey at a critical stage of development.

Fluito: Towards Understanding the Design of Playful Water Experiences through an Extended Reality Floatation Tank System

Water's pleasant nature and associated health benefits have captivated the interest of HCI researchers. Prior WaterHCI work mainly focused on advancing instrumental applications, such as improving swimming performance, and less on designing systems that support interacting with technology in water in more playful contexts. In this regard, we propose floatation tanks as research vehicles to investigate the design of playful interactive water experiences. Employing somaesthetic design, we developed a playful extended reality floatation tank experience: "Fluito". We conducted a 13-participant study to understand how specific design features amplified participants' water experiences. We used a postphenomenological lens to articulate eight strategies useful for designers aiming to develop digital playful experiences in water, such as designing to call attention to the water and designing to encourage breathing and body awareness in water experiences. Ultimately, we hope that our work supports people to be playful and benefit from the many advantages of being in water.

The effects of inspiratory muscle training on swimming performance: A study on the cohort of swimming specialization students

PurposeCurrent evidence posits a strong correlation between respiratory muscle function and swimming performance. Despite this, few studies have explored the integration of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) into standard swimming training regimens, which remains an unexplored avenue for improving performance in swimmers. This study aims to evaluate the potential advantages of IMT for enhancing respiratory function and swimming performance and determine whether such training could induce beneficial physiological adaptations. MethodsWe designed and conducted a randomized controlled trial involving 43 swimming specialization students aged 18–25 years. Participants were randomly allocated to two groups: a control group, which followed regular swimming training, and an experimental group, which complemented the standard training with IMT. The intervention lasted for six weeks. Key outcomes measured included swimming performance metrics (time of 50 m freestyle, number of breaths in 50 m freestyle, distance before first breath in freestyle, time of 100 m freestyle) and various inspiratory muscle function parameters such as vital capacity (VC), maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximum inspiratory flow (MIF), and maximum inspiratory capacity (MIC). We also assessed certain biochemical parameters, including hemoglobin, creatine kinase (CK), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), testosterone, and cortisol concentrations. ResultsFollowing the training period, the experimental group exhibited significant improvements in swimming performance and respiratory function parameters. We also noted an increase in hemoglobin levels and a reduction in testosterone concentrations in this group, suggesting beneficial physiological adaptations in response to the combined IMT and swimming training. ConclusionOur findings underline the potential of IMT as a supplementary training modality for enhancing respiratory function and improving swimming performance. The changes in biochemical parameters suggest physiological adaptations that might contribute to these observed improvements. This study opens the door for future research on the benefits of integrating IMT into training regimens for competitive swimmers. Further investigation is warranted to fully elucidate the mechanisms behind the observed benefits and to validate these findings in a larger cohort and other athlete populations.

Development of a Low-Cost Soft Robot Fish With Biomimetic Swimming Performance

Abstract This paper investigates the methodology and techniques for a soft biomimetic robot fish that has a straightforward design, relatively simple fabrication, and low cost. In addition to the investigations of fabrication techniques, we also explore the numerical analysis of the biological fish swimming performance, with its inspiration for robot fish design, which is less studied in the literature. In this research, therefore, various swimming locomotion patterns within the body and/or caudal fin family are analyzed for kinematics and hydrodynamics using analytical methods and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to inspire the robot fish design for improved swimming performance. By straightforward design and fabrication, the swimming performance of the numerical robot fish is verified by means of simulation using 3D CFD, and the prototype performance is validated using in-water experimental tests. This study showcases a new easy-to-design and easy-to-fabricate robust biomimetic robot fish with comparable swimming performance, which has good potential for purposes like education, research, and entertainment.

Long-term sustained swimming improves swimming performance in Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, with and without spinal scoliosis

Exercise training during pre-and post-smolt production is becoming a key component in salmon hatcheries as it is known to enhance several production-related traits in salmonids. Exercise conditions for rearing salmonids are continually being optimised and now that the salmonid industry is developing offshore, training is being considered as a tool to prepare domestic stocks for high energy environments. It is unknown if exercise can enhance traits in other understudied salmonid species and in individuals with spinal curvature (scoliosis), which is a common health concern within some salmon farms. Here we exposed Chinook salmon (initial weight: 82.9 ± 0.30 g) to low (0.3 bl s−1) and moderate (0.8 bl s−1) flow regimes for ten to eleven months and quantified respiratory and swimming performance in individuals with and without mild scoliosis. Further, we investigated compositional changes and morphological responses at cellular and whole-body levels. Raising Chinook salmon under moderate flow regimes improved critical swimming speed, maximum metabolic rate, and aerobic scope in individuals with and without spinal curvature, but recovery processes (exhaustive exercise post oxygen consumption and time) in individuals with spinal curvature required higher energetic costs (measured immediately after reaching critical swimming speed). Fat content was reduced in fish raised under moderate flow regimes, while protein content was higher in individuals with spinal curvature. Exercise regimes caused morphological changes in muscle fibres, gill, and skin. Together, the results of this study shows benefits for integrating exercise training into hatchery settings (i.e., pre- and post-smolts) to prepare stocks for offshore farming and provides evidence that some exercise-enhanced traits can be translated into individuals with spinal curvature, but concerns remain for individuals with more severe spinal curvature. Additionally, this study reveals that exercise regimes influence nutrient utilisation and deposition in Chinook salmon, therefore optimising nutrient profiles for offshore feeds should be considered as nutrient demands in fish farmed in high energy sites may differ to nutrient demands of fish in lower energy nearshore farms.

PECULIARITIES OF IMPROVING STUDENTS' HEALTH BY MEANS OF SWIMMING

The article analyzes the use of modern methods in the process of swimming classes to improve the physical condition of students of higher education. The effectiveness of systematic swimming lessons on improving health indicators of students was studied. A low level of health among students who lead a sedentary lifestyle was determined. The motivational aspects of the involvement of student youth in active swimming lessons have been determined. It was found that when teaching proper breathing in an unfamiliar environment for initial swimming lessons, it is recommended to spend up to 40% of the class time on breathing exercises, thus, students who are just learning to swim will more easily overcome the barrier of fear in the water environment. Thus, swimming lessons are shown with various health conditions for students of special medical groups. In addition- in the above recommendations, you can add add the following when mastering the skill of breathing in an unusual environment for initial swimming training. Early multi-level swimming programs are recommended for all children to help them overcome their fear of water, improve pool performance and improve swimming performance. This will eventually increase the percentage of adults who can swim. It is necessary to create a favorable environment for the classes of students with mild and severe disabilities. For this, it is necessary to adapt run swimming programs. The variety of aspects of physical training, the specifics and features of swimming represent the best pedagogical conditions for the development of emotional and volitional stability during classes in this type of pedagogical activity.

Reliability and Validity of a Flume-Based Maximal Oxygen Uptake Swimming Test.

A mode-specific swimming protocol to assess maximal aerobic uptake (VO2maxsw) is vital to accurately evaluate swimming performance. A need exists for reliable and valid swimming protocols that assess VO2maxsw in a flume environment. The purpose was to assess: (a) reliability and (b) "performance" validity of a VO2maxsw flume protocol using the 457-m freestyle pool performance swim (PS) test as the criterion. Nineteen males (n = 9) and females (n = 10) (age, 28.5 ± 8.3 years.; height, 174.7 ± 8.2 cm; mass, 72.9 ± 12.5 kg; %body fat, 21.4 ± 5.9) performed two flume VO2maxsw tests (VO2maxswA and VO2maxswB) and one PS test [457 m (469.4 ± 94.7 s)]. For test-retest reliability (Trials A vs. B), moderately strong relationships were established for VO2maxsw (mL·kg-1·min-1)(r= 0.628, p = 0.002), O2pulse (mL O2·beat-1)(r = 0.502, p = 0.014), VEmax (L·min-1) (r = 0.671, p = 0.001), final test time (sec) (0.608, p = 0.004), and immediate post-test blood lactate (IPE (BLa)) (0.716, p = 0.001). For performance validity, moderately strong relationships (p < 0.05) were found between VO2maxswA (r =-0.648, p = 0.005), O2pulse (r= -0.623, p = 0.008), VEmax (r = -0.509 p = 0.037), and 457-m swim times. The swimming flume protocol examined is a reliable and valid assessment of VO2maxsw., and offers an alternative for military, open water, or those seeking complementary forms of training to improve swimming performance.

The Impact of Wetsuit Use on Swimming Performance, Physiology and Biomechanics: A Systematic Review

This systematic review aims to summarize the effects of wearing different types of wetsuits and swimsuits in front crawl swimming performance and physiological- and biomechanical-related variables. The Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus and the Proceedings of the International Symposium on Biomechanics and Medicine in Swimming databases were searched from inception to 25th March 2022. From the 1398 studies initially found, 26 studies were included in the review. The quality assessment and inter-rater reliability between researchers were conducted. The full body was the most studied wetsuit, with its use allowing 3.2–12.9% velocity increments in distances ranging from 25 to 1500 m, in incremental tests, in 5 and 30 min continuous swimming and in open water events. The sleeveless long vs. the full-body wetsuit led to a 400–800 m performance enhancement. Higher stroke rate, stroke length and stroke index were observed while using three different covered body part wetsuits vs. a regular swimsuit, with a lower energy cost being observed when swimming with the full-body wetsuit compared to a swimsuit. These findings provide useful information for coaches, swimmers and triathletes about the full-body and sleeveless long/short wetsuit use, since these three wetsuits allow improving swimming performance in different distances in diverse aquatic environments.

Improving Swimming Performance of Photolithography-Based Microswimmers Using Curvature Structures.

The emergence of robotic microswimmers and their huge potential in biomedical applications such as drug delivery, non-invasive surgery, and bio-sensing facilitates studies to improve their effectiveness. Recently, achiral microswimmers that have neither flexible nor helical structures have garnered attention because of their simple structures and fabrication process while preserving adequate swimming velocity and controllability. In this paper, the crescent shape was utilized to create photolithography-fabricated crescent-shaped achiral microswimmers. The microswimmers were actuated using rotating magnetic fields at low Reynolds numbers. Compared with the previously reported achiral microswimmers, the crescent-shaped microswimmers showed significant improvement in forward swimming speed. The effects of different curvatures, arm angles, and procession angles on the velocities of microswimmers were investigated. Moreover, the optimal swimming motion was defined by adjusting the field strength of the magnetic field. Finally, the effect of the thickness of the microswimmers on their swimming velocity was investigated.