Physiological and biomechanical analyses of a 200 m all-out front crawl

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the effort effects of laps on general stroke kinematics and associate the peak oxygen uptake (V̇O_2peak) with all-out 200-m front crawl time. Fourteen regional-level swimmers (age 16.14 ± 2.68 years; height 1.65 ± 0.08 m; body mass 58.17 ± 7.76 kg) performed an all-out 200 m front crawl. Oxygen consumption (V̇O₂) was measured post-all-out 200 m trial to assess physiological variables and stroke mechanics was assessed based on the time to perform 10 m and time to perform three complete arm stroke cycles. The 1^st lap had a higher stroke rate (SR) than the 3r^d lap (44.73 vs. 40.82 cycles⋅min^-1; p = 0.04). The 1^st lap showed a higher mean swimming speed (SS) than the following laps (1.45 ± 0.10 vs. 1.35 ± 0.11 vs. 1.30 ± 0.11 vs. 1.28 ± 0.13 m⋅s^-1; p < 0.01) and the 2^nd was greater than the 4^th lap (p < 0.05). The swimming index (SI) was smaller and greater in the 3^rd lap compared to the 1^st and 4^th laps (2.60 ± 0.65 vs. 2.97 ± 0.71 vs. 2.43 ± 0.50 m²⋅s^-1⋅cycles^-1), respectively. There was moderate and inverse coefficient of correlation between the V̇O_2peak and 200-m time (rho = -0.653; p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that V̇O_2peak values should be assessed in post 200-m all-out effort due to the strong shared variance with performance and a pacing strategy should be adopted during the race to avoid detrimental effects of fatigue.