Swim performance can be reliant on strength and power. Standardisation of swim performance in different events, distances, and sexes can be completed using World Aquatics points, allowing for ranking ...of swimmers. The aim of this retrospective cross-sectional study was to assess whether relationships between World Aquatics points and dryland markers of performance existed in male and female elite swimmers separately and combined.
Dryland tests included Optojump
photoelectric cell countermovement jump, countermovement jump reach with a Vertec
system, standing broad jump using a tape measure, repetition maximum testing in the barbell back squat, barbell deadlift, and barbell bench press. Swim performance data and dryland test data on elite male (
= 38) and female (
= 20) Scottish swimmers from 2009-2017 were collected. Swim performance data were converted to World Aquatics federation points, and Bayesian linear regression analyses examined relationships between World Aquatics points and dryland performance tests: countermovement jump height (cm) using an Optojump
photoelectric cells system, countermovement jump height (cm) using a Vertec
device, standing broad jump distance (cm), relative strength (load lifted (kg) per kg of body mass) in the barbell bench press (kg/kg), barbell back squat (kg/kg), barbell deadlift (kg/kg).
: The Bayesian estimates of change of World Aquatics points for a unit change in jump-based measures were: Optojump
-men = 0.6, women = 0.6, combined = 0.4; Vertec
-men = 4.3, women = -1.6, combined = 2.4; standing broad jump-men = 0, women = 0, combined = 0.4. Strength-based measures were: barbell back squat-men = 2.3, women = 22, combined = -2.5; barbell deadlift-men = -5; barbell bench press-men = 41.8.
Dryland performance tests are not good predictors of World Aquatics points and should rather be used for assessing training quality and monitoring injury risks.
This study aimed to identify the relationship between dryland tests and swimming performance in elite Paralympic swimmers. Fifteen competitive swimmers (age: 27.4 ± 5.4 years, height: 1.70 ± 6.8 m, ...body mass: 67.9 ± 9.2 kg; 9 males, 6 females) performed a lat pull-down and a bench press incremental load test to determine maximum power (Pmax), the strength corresponding to maximum power (F@Pmax), and the barbell velocity corresponding to maximum power (V@Pmax) from the force-velocity and power-velocity profiles. These outcomes were also normalized by the athlete's body mass. Swimming performance was carried out from the best result in a 100 m freestyle race registered during an international competition. Lat pull-down F@Pmax was significantly associated with 100 m freestyle chronometric time (
= -0.56,
< 0.05), and lat pull-down V@Pmax presented a relationship with mean swimming velocity (
= 0.71,
< 0.01). Similarly, bench press F@Pmax and the normalized F@Pmax were significantly related to the mean swimming velocity (
= -0.51,
= -0.62,
< 0.05). Stepwise multiple regression showed that lat pull-down V@Pmax, bench press normF@Pmax, and V@Pmax accounted for 40.6%, 42.3%, and 65.8% (
< 0.05) of the mean swimming velocity variance. These preliminary results highlighted that simple dryland tests, although with a moderate relationship, are significantly associated with 100 m freestyle swimming performance in elite Paralympic swimmers.
This chapter focuses on the swimming athlete and covers each of the four competitive swimming strokes including biomechanics and swim stroke phases, muscle activation, and existing normative values. ...Additionally, movement errors and how these contribute to pain and injury are reviewed. We discuss injury incidence and prevalence in the swimming athlete and thorough review treatment and rehabilitation of these injuries.
Also reviewed are swimming-specific athlete considerations with regard to competitive swimming across the lifespan, cardiopulmonary function, and injury risk to allow appropriate identification of unique characteristics of swimming athlete presentation and treatment.
Lastly, this chapter contains a synopsis for athlete’s return to swimming after injury and also for injury prevention with regard to return to swimming protocols, appropriate equipment use, and dryland training. We also discuss important considerations for preseason injury screening for identification of individual impairments that increase risk of athlete injury with swim training.
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