Cardiovascular responses to swimming

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Exercise Science

Background:

• Long-distance swimming, both fin and freestyle, places significant demands on the cardiovascular system.
• Understanding the specific physiological responses to different swimming disciplines is crucial for optimizing training and performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the cardiovascular responses between elite fin swimmers and elite freestyle endurance swimmers during long-distance open-sea swimming.
• To investigate the impact of different swimming techniques on cardiac function and performance metrics.

Main Methods:

• 17 elite male fin swimmers (Group A) completed an 8 km open-sea swim, while 17 elite freestyle swimmers (Group B) completed a 6 km open-sea swim.
• Cardiovascular responses were assessed using heart rate, mean blood pressure, and systolic time intervals (STI), including QS(2)I, QTI, QT-QS(2), PEPI, and PEP/LVET.

Main Results:

• Fin swimmers (Group A) showed more pronounced increases in QS(2)I and QTI, and a greater decrease in QT-QS(2) compared to freestyle swimmers (Group B).
• Both groups experienced significant decreases in preejection period (PEPI) and PEP/LVET, with greater changes observed in fin swimmers.
• Heart rate and mean blood pressure were higher post-exercise in freestyle swimmers.

Conclusions:

• Fin swimming induces more significant cardiovascular adaptations than freestyle swimming, likely due to greater muscle mass recruitment.
• Systolic time intervals provide valuable quantitative insights into the cardiovascular differences between these swimming disciplines.
• The observed changes in QT-QS(2) were directly associated with performance efforts in both swimming groups.