Relationships Between Dry-Land Load-Velocity Parameters and In-Water Bioenergetic Performance in Competitive Swimmers

Neuromuscular determinants such as maximal force, maximal velocity, and upper-body power are recognized as key contributors to competitive swimming performance. However, despite the relevance of these dry-land qualities, their relationships with the physiological mechanisms underpinning in-water performance, particularly aerobic and anaerobic capacities, remain insufficiently established.

This study aimed to investigate the relationships between upper-body load-velocity profile parameters (theoretical maximal force: F₀; theoretical maximal velocity: V₀; and maximal power: P_max), aerobic capacity expressed through critical velocity, and anaerobic capacity in trained swimmers.

Thirty competitive male swimmers (age = 16.50 ± 0.31 years) completed an upper-body load-velocity profile test using the bench press exercise to determine F₀, V₀, and P_max. Swimming performances in the 100, 200, and 400 m freestyle events were used to calculate critical velocity and anaerobic capacity based on a linear distance-time model. Pearson correlation coefficients and linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between variables.

P_max (r = 0.493, p = 0.006) and V₀ (r = 0.697, p < 0.001) showed moderate to strong correlations with critical velocity, whereas F₀ showed no significant association (r = 0.152, p = 0.422). Conversely, anaerobic capacity was strongly correlated with F₀ (r = 0.842, p < 0.001) but not with V₀ (p = 0.119). Regression models indicated that F₀ explained 71% of the variance in anaerobic capacity, while V₀ explained 48% of the variance in critical velocity.

The findings demonstrated distinct contributions of neuromuscular qualities: speed and power-oriented parameters are associated with critical velocity, whereas maximal strength strongly associated with anaerobic capacity. Monitoring the upper-body load-velocity profile appears to be a relevant tool for individualizing dry-land training according to the aerobic and anaerobic demands of swimmers.