Effects of Swimming and Walking on Exercise Recovery and Subsequent Swim Performance

Abstract

Six female collegiate swimmers were used to evaluate the hypothesis that the recovery procedure after exercise will not only affect subsequent performance, but will also affect the recovery process after the subsequent performance. Each swimmer exercised for two minutes at 90% [Vdot]O₂ max on a swimming ergometer, recovered for 15 minutes by walking on land or swimming, then swam 200 yds. for time. Oxygen uptake was measured for 15 minutes after the 200 yd. swim. Venous blood, obtained after the ergometry swim, and before and after the 200 yd. swim, was analyzed for lactate. Two hundred yard swim times were not significantly affected by either the walking or swimming recovery procedures. Blood lactate after the ergometry swim averaged 96.7 ± 18 mg/100 ml. The swimming recovery reduced the lactate levels by 53.3% compared to a 38.5% reduction during the walking recovery. Significant differences in blood lactate were also noted after the 200 yd. swim, with the trials in which swimming recovery protocol was used yielding less than the trials involving the walking recovery (99 ± 8 mg/100 ml compared to 113 ± 8 mg/100 ml, respectively). The post 200 yd. swim oxygen uptakes averaged 7.74 ± 1.51 liters and were not affected by protocol. It was concluded that a 15 minute recovery period may be sufficient for repeated bouts of high intensity work lasting less than three minutes. It was also concluded that self-selection of the mode of recovery is not always the most effective for removal of blood lactate.

Key Words:

• anaerobiosis
• blood lactate
• ergometry
• exercise recovery
• females
• oxygen uptake
• swimming