Cardiopulmonary function in former girl swimmers and the effects of physical training

Sixteen former girl swimmers were studied in 1971 before and after 12 weeks of physical training. These girls constituted a representative selection from a group of 30 girls swimmers studied in 1961 (3). Maximal oxygen uptake increased by 14%, to 2.47 l/min, whereas heart volume and vital capacity remained unchanged. Cardiac output and intrapulmonary gas exchange were also studied in 6 girls. Cardiac output in maximal exercise was 15.3 l/min; heart rate, 185 beats/min; stroke volume, 83 ml; and the arteriovenous oxygen diffence, 15.6 ml/100 ml. The stroke volume did not show the usually good correlation with heart volume. Normal values for V-E/V-O2, V-A/VO-2, V-A/Q, and PAO2-Pao2 were found both at rest and during exerice. The increase in maximal oxygen uptake after training was related to the increase in stroke volume. No increase was found in values for pulmonary gas exchange nor in the maximal arteriovenous oxygen difference. The results obtained suggest that a long period of previous intense physical training does not significantly influence the maximal aerobic power later in life when again sedentary. Moreover, the observed increase of 14% in VO2, max after 12 weeks of training may not be large enough to prove any advantageous effects when training is resumed.