RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OXYGEN-UPTAKE, STROKE RATE AND SWIMMING VELOCITYIN COMPETITIVE SWIMMING

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between ox ygen demand, stroke rate and swimming velocity in competitive swimmers . The subjects who volunteered for this study were ten trained male sw immers (age, 16.7+/-0.4 yrs). VO(2)peak, swimming velocities at 80% (n u(80%) VO(2)peak) and 100% (nu(100%) VO(2)peak) of VO(2)peak and swimm ing velocity at the onset of blood lactate accumulation (nu(OBLA)) Wer e determined during a swimming economy profile test in a swimming flum e. In the swimming economy test, determined by studying the relationsh ip between oxygen uptake and swimming velocity cubed, the subjects wer e instructed to swim for six minutes at five or six submaximal swimmin g velocities. Steady-state oxygen uptake and stroke rate were calculat ed during the final two minutes of swimming. Results indicated that th ere were significant correlations between oxygen uptake and swimming v elocity cubed (r = 0.963 to 0.998, p<0.01), between oxygen uptake and stroke rate (r = 0.925 to 0.998, p<0.01) and between stroke rate and s wimming velocity cubed (r = 0.897, p<0.05; to 0.994, p<0.01) for all s ubjects. Furthermore, it was found that the slopes of the regression l ines between oxygen uptake and swimming velocity cubed and between oxy gen demand and stroke rate were significantly correlated to swimming p erformance indices (nu(80%) VO(2)peak, nu(100%) VO(2)peak and nu(OBLA) ) The results of this study suggest that the slope of the regression l ine between oxygen uptake and stroke rate can be utilized as an effect ive index of evaluating swimming performance.