Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine if prior physical activity (warm-up) affected
physiological responses to intense exercise. Eight highly trained collegiate swimmers
performed a paced 365.8-m (440 yds) intense swim (mean ± SE, 94.4 ± 3.3% V̇O2max) 5 min after the following warm-up conditions: trial N, no warm-up; trial S, an intensity-specific interval set (4 × 45.7 m with one-min rest intervals at the
intense swim pace); trial M, a mild-intensity, long-duration swim (1371.6 m at 64.7 ± 3.3% V̇O2max); and trial MS, a mild-intensity, long-duration swim (1188.7 m at the same pace as trial M) followed
by the intensity-specific interval set (trail S). When comparing trial N with trials
M and MS, stroke distance (m/stroke) was significantly (p < 0.05) lower during the
last 91.4 m of the intense, paced swim and 3-, 5-, 8- and 10-min recovery blood lactate
levels and one-minute recovery heart rates were significantly elevated (p < 0.05).
There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in stroke distance during the final
91.4 m of the intense swim between trials S and N. There were no significant differences
for any variables between trials M and MS. These results suggest that a warm-up consisting
of mild-intensity, long-duration exercise was beneficial compared to no warm-up and
that intensity-specific exercise was not a vital component of warm-up. Although performance
was not directly measured, these data demonstrate the benefit of warm-up.
Key words
intense exercise - lactate - prior physical activity - swimming
