INFLUENCE OF WATER RUN TRAINING ON THE MAINTENANCE OF AEROBIC PERFORMANCE

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a 6-wk deep wat er running program on the maintenance of cardiorespiratory performance (VO2max, ventilatory threshold, running economy); metabolic measureme nts of blood glucose, blood lactate, and plasma norepinephrine; and bo dy composition. Sixteen trained male runners (VO2max = 58.6 +/- 3.6 ml . kg(-1). min(-1)) were assigned to one of two groups matched by VO2m ax, treadmill run (R) or water run (WR). Subjects participated in thei r respective training programs, which consisted of workouts of a) 30 m in at 90-100% VO2max and b) 60 min at 70-75% VO2max alternated daily f or 5 d . wk(-1). Following 6 wk of workouts, no significant intra- or intergroup differences were observed for treadmill VO2max for R (pre = 58.4 +/- 2.3, post = 60.1 +/- 3.6 ml . kg(-1). min(-1)) and WR (pre = 58.7 +/- 4.7, post = 59.6 +/- 5.4 ml . kg(-1). min(-1)). Similarly, v entilatory threshold was unaltered in R (pre = 47.5 +/- 1.8, post = 48 .2 +/- 3.3 ml . kg(-1). min(-1)) and WR (pre = 46.5 +/- 6.4, post = 47 .4 +/- 6.7 ml . kg(-1). min(-1)), nor were there any changes in runnin g economy in R (pre = 48.4 +/- 2.3, post = 48.9 +/- 2.0 ml . kg(-1). m in(-1) at 255 m . min(-1)) and WR (pre = 51.8 +/- 2.0, post = 48.9 +/- 2.2 ml . kg(-1). min(-1) at 255 m . min(-1)). No significant differen ces were observed within or between groups for maximal blood glucose, blood lactate, and plasma norepinephrine concentration as well as for body composition indices. It was concluded that deep water running may serve as an effective training alternative to land-based running for the maintenance of aerobic performance for up to 6 wk in trained endur ance athletes.