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DOI: 10.1055/a-2630-4269
Anaerobic Alactic Energy Assessment in Short-Distance Maximal Swimming Performance
This study was supported Grant PID2022-142147NB-I00 (SWIM III) by MICIU/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and, as appropriate, by “ERDF A way of making Europe”, by “ERDF/EU”, by the “European Union” or by the “European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR”. Rodrigo Zacca is founded by the Research Center in Physical Activity, Health, and Leisure—CIAFEL—Faculty of Sports (FADEUP), University of Porto, Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (UIDB/00617/2020: doi: 10.54499/UIDB/00617/2020 and UIDP/00617/2020: doi: 10.54499/UIDP/00617/2020), and the Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR), Porto, Portugal (LA/P/0064/2020).
Abstract
We aimed to compare the anaerobic alactic (AnAL) energy expenditure from a 50-m front crawl swimming between two methodologies in highly trained short-distance swimmers: (i) based on the maximal phosphocreatine (PCr) splitting in contracting muscles (AnALPCRSPLITTING) and (ii) based on the oxygen uptake ( ˙VO2) off-kinetics, where AnAL is estimated from the area under the curve of the fast component (amplitude in liters×time constant in minutes) of the 10-minute of excess postexercise oxygen consumption (AnALVO2KINETICS). Thirty-nine 50-m front-crawl all-out (time trial) swimming performances and respective off-transient kinetics pulmonary ˙VO2 samples (23 men: 17.0±2.6 y and; 16 women: 17.0±2.1 y) were analyzed. We observed no differences (η 2 p=0.044; p=0.068) between AnALPCRSPLITTING (41.7±6.1 kJ) and AnALVO2KINETICS (37.6±12.7 kJ). Bland–Altman plots indicated high bias (3.79–4.42 kJ) and precision (agreement) (limits:−21.31 to 30.14 kJ) between methods, with repeatability ranging from “poor” to “moderate” (intraclass correlation coefficients: 0.34–0.53; p=0.018–0.157), indicating proportional error that varies with the magnitude of the measurements. Although both methods showed overall agreement, their conceptual and methodological differences introduce proportional error. Thus, they should not be used interchangeably, but rather considered complementary, when feasible, to provide a more comprehensive understanding of AnAL energy expenditure in short-duration maximal efforts such as 50-m swimming.
1Both authors equally contributed to the manuscript.
Publikationsverlauf
Eingereicht: 31. Januar 2025
Angenommen nach Revision: 07. Juni 2025
Accepted Manuscript online:
07. Juni 2025
Artikel online veröffentlicht:
28. Juli 2025
© 2025.
Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany
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