YAMAMURA, C., N. MATSUI, and K. KITAGAWA. Physiological loads in the team technical and free routines of synchronized swimmers. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 32, No. 6, pp. 1171-1174, 2000.
Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to examine the physiological loads on synchronized swimmers during team technical and free routines by measuring their blood lactate concentrations and percentage of peak blood lactate concentration.
Methods: Four trained college female synchronized swimmers participated as the subjects. The blood lactate concentration was measured in the first and middle periods and after the team technical and free routines. Peak blood lactate concentration was measured after maximum exertion in 100-m freestyle swimming.
Results: Average values and SD of blood lactate concentration and the percentage of peak blood lactate concentration after the team technical and free routines were 4.7 ± 1.1 mmol·L-1, 46.2 ± 11.0% and 4.3 ± 1.1 mmol·L-1, 42.8 ± 11.5%, respectively. The blood lactate concentration and percentage of peak blood lactate concentration after the team technical routine were significantly higher than those in the first period, and the blood lactate concentration after the team free routine was significantly higher than in the middle period.
Conclusions: The blood lactate concentration of synchronized swimmers during the team technical and free routines in the present study tended to increase with the performance time. Thus, the predominant sources of energy may be phosphocreatine stores and aerobic metabolism during these routines, although glycolysis may also play an important role in relation to the energy requirements in the final period.
There have been several reports dealing with synchronized swimming. Some of these studies have investigated the physiological characteristics of synchronized swimmers (16-20,24,25). However, relatively little is known about the physiological responses during the performance (9,10,23). Gemma and Wells (10) and Figura et al. (9) have reported the physiological response during the compulsory figures. Although Figura et al. (9) have also examined those responses during the free routine, they have not clearly identified the type of event. More recently, Yamamura et al. (23) have reported on exercise intensity during the duet free routine. However, in the 26th Olympic Games in 1996, the official event was the team event rather than the solo and duet events. Moreover, the final result has been calculated by using the total points of both the technical and free routines since this competition. Thus, to develop more effective training and coaching methods, and to provide coaches with a firmer base on which to build routines, it would seem important to clarify the physiological loads experienced by synchronized swimmers during the team and technical routines.
Synchronized swimmers must perform the technical and free routines while holding their breath, and these routines contain high-intensity movement (boost, jump, etc.), which suggests a high anaerobic energy involvement. Accordingly, the purpose of the present study was to assess the physiological loads of synchronized swimmers during team technical and free routines by repeated measurements of their blood lactate concentrations.