Monitoring the lactate threshold in world-ranked swimmers.

PURPOSE To determine whether lactate profiling could detect changes in discrete aspects of endurance fitness in world-ranked swimmers during a season. METHODS Eight male and four female Australian National Team swimmers aged 20--27 yr undertook a 7 x 200-m incremental swimming step test on four occasions over an 8-month period before the 1998 Commonwealth Games (CG): January (10 d before the World Championships), May (early-season camp), July (midseason), and August (16 d before the CG). The lactate threshold (LT) was determined by a mathematical formula that calculated the threshold as a function of the slope and y-intercept of the lactate-velocity curve. RESULTS Maximal 200-m test time declined initially from 127.7 +/- 4.2 s (January 1998) to 130.2 +/- 4.5 s (May 1998) and 129.1 +/- 4.3 s (July 1998) before improving to 126.8 +/- 4.2 s (August 1998) (P < 0.005). The swimming velocity at LT (s.100 m(-)1) also declined midseason before improving before the CG (P < 0.02) (January 1998: 70.5 +/- 2.1; May 1998: 72.0 +/- 2.2; July 1998: 72.2 +/- 2.2; and August 1998: 70.8 +/- 2.1). The blood lactate concentration at the LT decreased (P < 0.02) from 3.6 +/- 0.2 mM to 3.2 +/- 0.1 mM and 2.9 +/- 0.2 mM before returning to 3.4 +/- 0.2 mM for January, May, July, and August, respectively. The lactate tolerance rating (LT(5--10)), defined as the differential velocity between lactate concentrations of 5.0 and 10.0 mM, declined midway through the season (P < 0.015): 6.6 +/- 0.5 s.100 m(-1), 7.7 +/- 0.5 s.100 m(-1), 8.5 +/- 0.5 s.100 m(-1), and 6.9 +/- 0.4 s.100 m(-1), for January, May, July, and August, respectively. Despite these improvements in indicators of fitness, there was no significant improvement in competition performance across the season. CONCLUSIONS Maximal effort 200-m time, lactate tolerance rating, and swimming velocity at LT (s.100 m(-1)) all improved in world-ranked swimmers with training, but these changes were not directly associated with competition performance.

[1]  G. Brooks,et al.  Effects of glycogen depletion and pedaling speed on "anaerobic threshold". , 1982, Journal of applied physiology: respiratory, environmental and exercise physiology.

[2]  R Ceci,et al.  A category-ratio perceived exertion scale: relationship to blood and muscle lactates and heart rate. , 1983, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[3]  G. Brooks,et al.  Anaerobic threshold: review of the concept and directions for future research. , 1985, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[4]  B R Londeree,et al.  The Use of Laboratory Test Results with Long Distance Runners , 1986, Sports medicine.

[5]  I. Jacobs Blood Lactate , 1984 .

[6]  E. W. Banister,et al.  Possible Mechanisms of the Anaerobic Threshold , 1988, Sports medicine.

[7]  K. Keskinen,et al.  A Comparative Study of Blood Lactate Tests in Swimming* , 1989, International journal of sports medicine.

[8]  E. Rhodes,et al.  A Review of Blood Lactate and Ventilatory Methods of Detecting Transition Thresholds , 1989, Sports medicine.

[9]  B Coen,et al.  Control of training in middle- and long-distance running by means of the individual anaerobic threshold. , 1991, International journal of sports medicine.

[10]  B Coen,et al.  Individual anaerobic threshold and maximum lactate steady state. , 1993, International journal of sports medicine.

[11]  P. Bishop,et al.  Blood Lactate Measurement in Recovery as an Adjunct to Training , 1993, Sports medicine.

[12]  Nancy N. Thompson,et al.  Pacing Strategy and Athletic Performance , 1994, Sports medicine.

[13]  A Geyssant,et al.  Effects of training on performance in competitive swimming. , 1995, Canadian journal of applied physiology = Revue canadienne de physiologie appliquee.

[14]  A. Weltman,et al.  The blood lactate response to exercise , 1995 .

[15]  Billat Lv,et al.  Significance of the Velocity at V̇O2max and Time to Exhaustion at this Velocity , 1996 .

[16]  L V Billat,et al.  Use of Blood Lactate Measurements for Prediction of Exercise Performance and for Control of Training , 1996, Sports medicine.

[17]  D. Bishop,et al.  The relationship between plasma lactate parameters, Wpeak and 1-h cycling performance in women. , 1998, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[18]  T Reilly,et al.  Effects of Moderate Dietary Manipulations on Swim Performance and on Blood Lactate-Swimming Velocity Curves , 1999, International journal of sports medicine.

[19]  R G Eston,et al.  Stages in the development of a research project: putting the idea together , 2000, British journal of sports medicine.