AUTHOR=Dalamitros Athanasios A. , Semaltianou Eleni , Toubekis Argyris G. , Kabasakalis Athanasios 

TITLE=Muscle Oxygenation, Heart Rate, and Blood Lactate Concentration During Submaximal and Maximal Interval Swimming

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sports and Active Living

VOLUME=3

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2021.759925

DOI=10.3389/fspor.2021.759925

ISSN=2624-9367

ABSTRACT=<p>This study aimed to determine the relationship between three testing procedures during different intensity interval efforts in swimming. Twelve national-level swimmers of both genders executed, on different occasions and after a standardized warm-up, a swimming protocol consisting of either a submaximal (Submax: 8 efforts of 50 m) or a maximal interval (Max: 4 efforts of 15 m), followed by two series of four maximal 25 m efforts. Near-infrared spectroscopy in terms of muscle oxygen saturation (SmO<sub>2</sub>), heart rate (HR), and blood lactate concentration (BLa) were analyzed at three testing points: after the Submax or the Max protocol (TP<sub>1</sub>), after the 1st 4 × 25-m (TP<sub>2</sub>), and after the 2nd maximal 4 × 25-m set (TP<sub>3</sub>). BLa and HR showed significant changes during all testing points in both protocols (<italic>P</italic> ≤ 0.01; <italic>ES range</italic>: 0.45–1.40). SmO<sub>2</sub> was different only between TP<sub>1</sub> and TP<sub>3</sub> in both protocols (<italic>P</italic> ≤ 0.05–0.01; <italic>ES</italic> range: 0.36–1.20). A large correlation during the Max protocol between SmO<sub>2</sub> and HR (<italic>r</italic>: 0.931; <italic>P</italic> ≤ 0.01), and also between SmO<sub>2</sub> and BLa was obtained at TP<sub>1</sub> (<italic>r</italic>: 0.722; <italic>P</italic> ≤ 0.05). A range of moderate-to-large correlations was revealed for SmO<sub>2</sub>/HR, and BLa/HR for TP<sub>2</sub> and TP<sub>3</sub> after both protocols (<italic>r</italic> range: 0.595–0.728; <italic>P</italic> ≤ 0.05) were executed. SmO<sub>2</sub> is a novel parameter that can be used when aiming for a comprehensive evaluation of competitive swimmers' acute responses to sprint interval swimming, in conjunction with HR and BLa.</p>