VO₂ Kinetics in All-out Arm Stroke, Leg Kick and Whole Stroke Front Crawl 100-m Swimming

Abstract

The VO₂ response to extreme-intensity exercise and its relationship with sports performance are largely unexplored. This study investigated the pulmonary VO₂ kinetics during all-out 100-m front crawl whole stroke swimming (S), arm stroke (A) and leg kick (L). 26 male and 10 female competitive swimmers performed an all-out S trial followed by A and L of equal duration in random order. Breath-by-breath VO₂ was measured using a snorkel attached to a portable gas analyzer. Mean (±SD) primary component parameters and peak blood lactate (La_peak) during S, A, and L were, respectively: time delay (s), 14.2±4.7, 14.3±4.5, 15.6±5.1; amplitude (ml·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹), 46.8±6.1, 37.3±6.9, 41.0±4.7; time constant (τ, s): 9.2±3.2, 12.4±4.7, 10.1±3.2; La_peak (mmol·l⁻¹), 6.8±3.1, 6.3±2.5, 7.9±2.8. During A and L respectively, 80% and 87% of amplitude in S was reached, whereas A+L were 68% greater than in S. 100-m performance was associated to shorter cardiodynamic phase and greater VO₂ amplitude and La_peak (accounting up to 61% of performance variance), but not to τ. We conclude that (i) VO₂ gain was proportional to exercise intensity and muscle mass involved, (ii) kicking is metabolically less efficient, and (iii) the main limiting factor of peak VO₂ appears to be O₂ delivery and not muscle extraction.

Key words

oxygen kinetics - extreme intensity exercise - performance - maximal oxygen uptake - gas exchange - sprint

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