Preparatory versus main competitions: differences in performances, lactateresponses and pre-competition plasma cortisol concentrations in elite maleswimmers

Two groups of elite male swimmers studied using a similar protocol during t he winter training seasons of two consecutive years. In the first season (S eptember 1997-January 1998), eight male swimmers (age 19-25 years) of the I talian National Team participated, after 12 weeks of increased training vol ume, in a preparatory national competition (PWC) and then, after a further 6 weeks of specific training, in the World Championships (WC, both competit ions in a 50-m pool), which represented the main competition at the end of the Is-week-long winter season. In the second season (September 1998-Decemb er 1998), a group of ten high-level male swimmers (18-22 years) participate d, after 8 weeks of increased training volume, in a preparatory national co mpetition (PIC) and then, after a further 6 weeks of specific training, in the Italian Championships (IC, both competitions in a 25-m pool), the main competition at the end of the 14-week-long winter season. A tapering period lasting 1-3 weeks was observed before the main competition in both seasons . All swimmers were competing at distances of up to 400 m; two of them part icipated in the study in both seasons. The swimming velocities and post-com petition blood lactate concentrations were higher in the main competitions than in the preparatory competitions in both seasons. Pre-competition plasm a cortisol (CORT) concentrations were higher than the initial values at the beginning of the season, reaching maximal values at the preparatory compet itions and then decreasing before the main competitions in both seasons. Th e percentage increase in individual swimming velocity from the preparatory to the main competition was positively correlated with the corresponding in crease in postcompetition blood lactate (r = 0.63, P = 0.046) in the 1997 s eason (WC), and negatively correlated with the corresponding decrease in pr e-competition CORT concentration (r = -0.66, P = 0.019) in the 1998 season (IC). Our results indicate that a decrease ill pre-competition CORT could b e a prerequisite for an improvement in swimming performance.