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Cavaggioni L, Scurati R, Tosin M, Vernole R, Bonfanti L, Trecroci A, Formenti D. Are Dryland Strength and Power Measurements Associated with Swimming Performance? Preliminary Results on Elite Paralympic Swimmers. Sports (Basel) 2024; 12:94. [PMID: 38668562 PMCID: PMC11054501 DOI: 10.3390/sports12040094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to identify the relationship between dryland tests and swimming performance in elite Paralympic swimmers. Fifteen competitive swimmers (age: 27.4 ± 5.4 years, height: 1.70 ± 6.8 m, body mass: 67.9 ± 9.2 kg; 9 males, 6 females) performed a lat pull-down and a bench press incremental load test to determine maximum power (Pmax), the strength corresponding to maximum power (F@Pmax), and the barbell velocity corresponding to maximum power (V@Pmax) from the force-velocity and power-velocity profiles. These outcomes were also normalized by the athlete's body mass. Swimming performance was carried out from the best result in a 100 m freestyle race registered during an international competition. Lat pull-down F@Pmax was significantly associated with 100 m freestyle chronometric time (ρ = -0.56, p < 0.05), and lat pull-down V@Pmax presented a relationship with mean swimming velocity (ρ = 0.71, p < 0.01). Similarly, bench press F@Pmax and the normalized F@Pmax were significantly related to the mean swimming velocity (ρ = -0.51, ρ = -0.62, p < 0.05). Stepwise multiple regression showed that lat pull-down V@Pmax, bench press normF@Pmax, and V@Pmax accounted for 40.6%, 42.3%, and 65.8% (p < 0.05) of the mean swimming velocity variance. These preliminary results highlighted that simple dryland tests, although with a moderate relationship, are significantly associated with 100 m freestyle swimming performance in elite Paralympic swimmers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Cavaggioni
- Obesity Unit—Laboratory of Nutrition and Obesity Research, Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, 20145 Milan, Italy
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, 21100 Varese, Italy; (L.B.); (D.F.)
| | - Raffaele Scurati
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy; (R.S.); (A.T.)
| | - Massimiliano Tosin
- Italian Paralympic Swimming Federation, 00144 Rome, Italy; (M.T.); (R.V.)
| | - Riccardo Vernole
- Italian Paralympic Swimming Federation, 00144 Rome, Italy; (M.T.); (R.V.)
| | - Luca Bonfanti
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, 21100 Varese, Italy; (L.B.); (D.F.)
| | - Athos Trecroci
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy; (R.S.); (A.T.)
| | - Damiano Formenti
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, 21100 Varese, Italy; (L.B.); (D.F.)
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Hogarth L, Oh YT, Osborough C, Osborough C, Formosa D, Hunter A, Alcock A, Burkett B, Payton C. Passive drag in Para swimmers with physical impairments: Implications for evidence-based classification in Para swimming. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2021; 31:1932-1940. [PMID: 34189782 DOI: 10.1111/sms.14014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The inherent hydrodynamic resistance force, or passive drag, of a swimmer directly influences how they move through the water. For swimmers with physical impairments, the strength of association between passive drag and swimming performance is unknown. Knowledge on this factor could improve the World Para Swimming classification process. This study established the relationship between passive drag and 100 m freestyle race performance in Para swimmers with physical impairments. Using a cross-sectional study design, an electrical-mechanical towing device was used to measure passive drag force in 132 international-level Para swimmers. There was a strong, negative correlation between normalized passive drag force and 100 m freestyle race speed in the combined participant cohort (ρ = -0.77, p < 0.001). Type of physical impairment was found to affect the relationship between passive drag and 100 m freestyle race speed when included in linear regression (R2 = 0.65, χ2 = 11.5, p = 0.025). These findings contribute to the body of evidence that passive drag can provide an objective assessment of activity limitation in Para swimmers with physical impairments. The effect of physical impairment type on the relationship between passive drag and swimming performance should be accounted for in Para swimming classification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke Hogarth
- School of Health and Behavioural Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Qld, Australia
| | - Yim-Taek Oh
- Musculoskeletal Science and Sports Medicine Research Centre, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Casey Osborough
- Musculoskeletal Science and Sports Medicine Research Centre, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Conor Osborough
- Musculoskeletal Science and Sports Medicine Research Centre, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Danielle Formosa
- School of Health and Behavioural Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Qld, Australia
| | - Adam Hunter
- Australian Institute of Sport, Bruce, ACT, Australia
| | | | - Brendan Burkett
- School of Health and Behavioural Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Qld, Australia.,High Performance Sport, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Qld, Australia
| | - Carl Payton
- Musculoskeletal Science and Sports Medicine Research Centre, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
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Fletcher JR, Gallinger T, Prince F. How Can Biomechanics Improve Physical Preparation and Performance in Paralympic Athletes? A Narrative Review. Sports (Basel) 2021; 9:sports9070089. [PMID: 34202455 PMCID: PMC8309899 DOI: 10.3390/sports9070089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent research in Paralympic biomechanics has offered opportunities for coaches, athletes, and sports practitioners to optimize training and performance, and recent systematic reviews have served to summarize the state of the evidence connecting biomechanics to Paralympic performance. This narrative review serves to provide a comprehensive and critical evaluation of the evidence related to biomechanics and Paralympic performance published since 2016. The main themes within this review focus on sport-specific body posture: the standing, sitting, and horizontal positions of current summer Paralympic sports. For standing sports, sprint and jump mechanics were assessed in athletes with cerebral palsy and in lower-limb amputee athletes using running-specific prostheses. Our findings suggest that running and jumping-specific prostheses should be ‘tuned’ to each athlete depending on specific event demands to optimize performance. Standing sports were also inclusive to athletes with visual impairments. Sitting sports comprise of athletes performing on a bike, in a wheelchair (WC), or in a boat. WC configuration is deemed an important consideration for injury prevention, mobility, and performance. Other sitting sports like hand-cycling, rowing, and canoeing/kayaking should focus on specific sitting positions (e.g., arm-crank position, grip, or seat configuration) and ways to reduce aero/hydrodynamic drag. Para-swimming practitioners should consider athlete-specific impairments, including asymmetrical anthropometrics, on the swim-start and free-swim velocities, with special considerations for drag factors. Taken together, we provide practitioners working in Paralympic sport with specific considerations on disability and event-specific training modalities and equipment configurations to optimize performance from a biomechanical perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared R. Fletcher
- Department of Health and Physical Education, Mount Royal University, Calgary, AB T3E 6K6, Canada
- Correspondence:
| | - Tessa Gallinger
- Canadian Sport Institute Calgary, Calgary, AB T3B 6B7, Canada;
| | - Francois Prince
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada;
- Institut National du Sport du Québec, Montréal, QC H1V 3N7, Canada
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Seasonal Changes in Breathing Pattern, Trunk Stabilization, and Muscular Power in Paralympic Swimmers. Adapt Phys Activ Q 2021; 38:215-231. [PMID: 33596539 DOI: 10.1123/apaq.2020-0088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 06/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to monitor the changes in breathing pattern, trunk muscle stabilization, and upper-body muscular power in Paralympic swimmers throughout a competitive season over three time points: October (T1), March (T2), and August (T3). Six top-level Paralympic swimmers voluntarily participated in this study. The Friedman test, the Bonferroni-Dunn multiple comparison post hoc analysis, and Kendall's W concordance coefficient for the measure of effect were used. A significant difference was found in the breathing pattern, trunk stability, and upper-body power variables from the T1 to T3 season (p < .05). However, no significant changes were found in the T2 season. A long-term assessment of these fitness parameters may be of practical importance for better tailoring the training programs of top-level Paralympic swimmers.
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Hogarth L, Nicholson V, Payton C, Burkett B. Modelling the age-related trajectory of performance in Para swimmers with physical, vision and intellectual impairment. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2020; 31:925-935. [PMID: 33345411 DOI: 10.1111/sms.13910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
This study is the first to provide information on the age-related trajectories of performance in Para swimmers with physical, vision and intellectual impairment. Race times from long-course swim meets between 2009 and 2019 were obtained for Para swimmers with an eligible impairment. A subset of 10 661 times from 411 Para swimmers were included in linear mixed effects modelling to establish the relationship between age and performance expressed relative to personal best time and world record time. The main findings were: (a) age has the most noticeable influence on performance between the ages of 12-20 years before performances stabilize and peak in the early to late twenties, (b) women have faster times relative to personal best and world record time than men during early adolescence and their performances stabilize, peak and decline at younger ages, and (c) Para swimmers from different sport classes show varying age-related trajectories in performance after maturation and when training-related factors are more likely to explain competitive swim performance. The results of this study can guide talent identification and development of Para swimmers at various stages of their career and help to inform decision-making on the allocation of sport class and sport class status in Para swimming classification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke Hogarth
- School of Health and Behavioural Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
| | - Vaughan Nicholson
- School of Allied Health, Australian Catholic University, Virginia, QLD, Australia
| | - Carl Payton
- Musculoskeletal Science and Sports Medicine Research Centre, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Brendan Burkett
- School of Health and Behavioural Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia.,High Performance Sport, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
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