Kinematic and electromyographic changes during 200 m front crawl at race pace

Which Phases of the Stroke Cycle Are Propulsive in Front Crawl Swimming?

Purpose: The aim of this study was fourfold: (1) to quantify acceleration, velocity, and phase overlap for each phase of the stroke cycle (SC) during 200 m front crawl; (2) for each variable, to identify any differences between the four SC phases; (3) to investigate changes in variables during the 200 m; (4) to explore any association between performance and each variable. Methods: Ten swimmers performed a 200 m maximum swim. Four SCs were analyzed, one for each 50 m, using three-dimensional methods. Each SC was split into four phases: entry, pull, push, and recovery. Center of mass (CM) acceleration; maximum, minimum, and average CM velocity; phase duration, and, overlap of a phase of one arm with each phase of the opposite arm were calculated. Results and Conclusion: Phase velocities were positively correlated with performance and decreased during the 200 m. The acceleration data showed high within and between-swimmer variability. When the entry of one arm overlapped with the pull, and sometimes push, phase of the opposite arm, it was propulsive for the whole body. The pull was the slowest phase and overlapped predominantly with the opposite arm's recovery. The push phase was often propulsive for the whole body, regardless of the overlaps with the other arm, and together with the entry were the fastest phases. The recovery of each arm was mostly resistive for the whole body, except the short period of overlap with the opposite arm's push phase.

Analysis of Kinematic and Muscular Fatigue in Long-Distance Swimmers

Muscle fatigue is a complex phenomenon that is influenced by the type of activity performed and often manifests as a decline in motor performance (mechanical failure). The purpose of our study was to investigate the compensatory strategies used to mitigate mechanical failure. A cohort of 21 swimmers underwent a front-crawl swimming task, which required the consistent maintenance of a constant speed for the maximum duration. The evaluation included three phases: non-fatigue, pre-mechanical failure, and mechanical failure. We quantified key kinematic metrics, including velocity, distance travelled, stroke frequency, stroke length, and stroke index. In addition, electromyographic (EMG) metrics, including the Root-Mean-Square amplitude and Mean Frequency of the EMG power spectrum, were obtained for 12 muscles to examine the electrical manifestations of muscle fatigue. Between the first and second phases, the athletes covered a distance of 919.38 ± 147.29 m at an average speed of 1.57 ± 0.08 m/s with an average muscle fatigue level of 12%. Almost all evaluated muscles showed a significant increase (p < 0.001) in their EMG activity, except for the latissimus dorsi, which showed a 17% reduction (ES 0.906, p < 0.001) during the push phase of the stroke cycle. Kinematic parameters showed a 6% decrease in stroke length (ES 0.948, p < 0.001), which was counteracted by a 7% increase in stroke frequency (ES -0.931, p < 0.001). Notably, the stroke index also decreased by 6% (ES 0.965, p < 0.001). In the third phase, characterised by the loss of the ability to maintain the predetermined rhythm, both EMG and kinematic parameters showed reductions compared to the previous two phases. Swimmers employed common compensatory strategies for coping with fatigue; however, the ability to maintain a predetermined motor output proved to be limited at certain levels of fatigue and loss of swimming efficiency (Protocol ID: NCT06069440).

The metronome-based methodology to monitor the stroke length changes in trained swimmers

The aim of our study was to develop a methodology that uses the metronome to constrain the swimmers' stroke rate with the aim to monitor changes in stroke length (SL) during two different periods of the season. Thirteen young trained swimmers (15.7 ± 1.7 y) performed three 50 m front crawl time trials during pre-season (PRE) and after 2 months, during the in-season period (IN). They were asked: (I) to swim at their maximum intensity (NO-MET condition); (II) to synchronize their stroke with a metronome beat set to their preferred intra-stroke-interval (ISI) (100% condition, corresponding to 48 ± 0.7 cycles/min); (III) to synchronize their stroke with a metronome beat set at 5% higher than their preferred ISI (95% condition, corresponding to 51 ± 0.8 cycles/min). The outcome parameters used to evaluate the performance were ISI, SL and total time of 50 m (TT). In NO-MET condition, results showed that TT in IN improved with respect to PRE, but no changes in ISI and SL. In 100% condition, no differences were obtained between the imposed and the performed ISI, whilst in 95% condition, the performed ISI was lower than the metronome ISI, and lower than that in 100% condition. At last, when using the metronome, SL was higher during IN compared to PRE and SL was lower in the 95% condition compared to the 100% condition. Results indicate that the use of the metronome successfully allowed monitoring changes in SL during different periods of the season. This methodology provides valuable information to coaches and athletes to enhance their performance throughout the season.

Identifying Differences in Swimming Speed Fluctuation in Age-Group Swimmers by Statistical Parametric Mapping: A Biomechanical Assessment for Performance Development

The aim of this study was to compare the assessment of swimming speed processed as a discrete variable and as a continuous variable in young swimmers. One-hundred and twenty young swimmers (60 boys: age = 12.91 ± 0.86 years; 60 girls: age = 12.46 ± 0.94 years) were analysed. The dataset for each sex was divided into three tiers: (i) tier #1 - best-performing swimmers; (ii) tier #2: intermediate-performing swimmers, and; (iii) tier #3 - poorest-performing swimmers. As a discrete variable, swimming speed showed significant sex and tier effects, and a significant sex*tier interaction (p < 0.001). Speed fluctuation showed a non-significant sex effect (p > 0.05), a significant tier effect (p < 0.001), and a non-significant sex*tier interaction (p > 0.05). As a continuous variable, the swimming speed time-curve presented significant sex and tier effects (p < 0.001) throughout the stroke cycle, and a significant sex*tier interaction (p < 0.05) in some moments of the stroke cycle. Swimming speed fluctuation analysed as a discrete variable and as a continuous variable can be used in a complementary way. Nonetheless, SPM can provide deeper insight into differences within the stroke cycle. Thus, coaches and practitioners should be aware that different knowledge about the swimmers' stroke cycle can be learned by assessing swimming speed using both methods.

Underwater Surface Electromyography for the Evaluation of Muscle Activity during Front Crawl Swimming: A Systematic Review

This systematic review is aimed to provide an up-to-date summary and review on the use of surface electromyography (sEMG) in evaluating front crawl (FC) swim performance. Several online databases were searched by different combinations of selected keywords, in total 1956 articles were retrieved, and each article was assessed by a 10-item quality checklist. 16 articles were eligible to be included in this study, and most of the articles were evaluating the muscle activity about the swimming phases and focused on assessing the upper limbs muscles, only few studies have assessed the performance in starts and turns phases. Insufficient information about these two phases despite the critical contribution on final swimming time. Also, with the contribution roles of legs and trunk muscles in swimming performance, more research should be conducted to explore the overall muscle activation pattern and their roles on swimming performance. Moreover, more detailed description in participants' characteristics and more investigations of bilateral muscle activity and the asymmetrical effects on relevant biomechanical performance are recommended. Lastly, with increasing attention about the effects of muscles co-activation on swimming performance, more in-depth investigations on this topic are also highly recommended, for evaluating its influence on swimmers.

Difference in muscle synergies of the butterfly technique with and without swimmer's shoulder

This study aimed to investigate whether muscle synergy differs between swimmers with and without swimmer's shoulder in the butterfly technique. Muscle synergies, which can assess muscle coordination, were analyzed using surface electromyography. Twenty elite swimmers were included in this study (swimmer's shoulder: n = 8; control: n = 12). The motions involved in executing the butterfly technique were classified into the early pull-through, late pull-through, and recovery phases. Muscle synergy data analyzed using the nonnegative matrix factorization method were compared between the two groups.

The swimming velocities were 1.66 ± 0.09 m・s ⁻¹ and 1.69 ± 0.06 m・s ⁻¹ for the control and swimmer's shoulder groups, respectively. Four muscle synergies in both groups were identified: synergy #1, which was involved in the early pull; synergy #2, involved in the late pull; synergy #3, involved in the early recovery; and synergy #4, involved in pre- and posthand entry. Compared to the control group, the swimmer's shoulder group had a small contribution from the pectoralis major (p = 0.032) and a high contribution from the rectus femoris during the early pull phase (p = 0.036). In the late pull phase, the contribution of the lower trapezius muscle in the swimmer's shoulder group was low (p = 0.033), while the contribution of the upper trapezius muscle in the pre- and postentry phases was high (p = 0.032). In the rehabilitation of athletes with swimmer's shoulder, it is therefore important to introduce targeted muscle rehabilitation in each phase.

Velocity Variability and Performance in Backstroke in Elite and Good-Level Swimmers

Backstroke swimming, a cyclic and continuous movement, displays a repeating structure due to the repeated action of the limb, presenting similar (but not identical) cycles. Some variability is generated by instabilities, but this may play a functional role in the human performance, allowing individual adaptations to constraints. The current study examined the role of velocity variability in backstroke performance, hypothesizing that this variable is associated with swimmers’ performance. Sixteen elite and fifteen good-level swimmers were video recorded in the sagittal plane when performing 25 m backstroke at maximal intensity in order to determine hip velocity and mean velocity, stroke rate, stroke length and indexes of coordination/synchronization. Lyapunov maximal exponent and sample entropy were also calculated for successive cycles. The elite swimmers’ performances were more unstable (0.1742 ± 0.1131 versus 0.0831 ± 0.0042, p < 0.001) and complex (0.9222 ± 0.4559 versus 0.3821 ± 0.3096, p < 0.001) than their good-level counterparts, but intracycle velocity variation did not differ (11.98 ± 3.47 versus 12.03 ± 3.16%, p > 0.05). Direct relationships were observed between mean velocity and stability (r = 0.40, p = 0.03), as well as with complexity (r = 0.53, p = 0.002), with intracycle velocity variation and complexity also being related (r = 0.38, p = 0.04). Backstroke performance is associated with velocity variability, with elite swimmers being able to control it through several adaptations, overcoming the high drag and inertia.

Body roll amplitude and timing in backstroke swimming and their differences from front crawl at the same swimming intensities

The current study investigated body roll amplitude and timing of its peak in backstroke and compared them with front crawl swimming. Nineteen anatomical landmarks were digitised using 80 swimming trial videos (ten swimmers × two techniques × four intensities) recorded by two above- and four below-water cameras. One upper-limb cycle was analysed for each trial, and shoulder and hip roll, whole-body roll (WBR), and WBR due to the buoyant torque (WBR_BT) were obtained. Main effects of intensity and technique on the amplitude and timing to reach the peak in those variables were assessed by two-way repeated-measures ANOVA. Swimmers decreased their WBR_BT amplitude with an increase in the intensity in both techniques (p ≤ 0.005). The same result was observed for the amplitude of WBR, shoulder roll, and hip roll only in front crawl (p ≤ 0.017). Swimmers maintained the timing of peak WBR_BT in both techniques, while they shifted the timing of WBR and hip roll peak toward the beginning of the cycle when increasing the intensity in front crawl (p ≤ 0.017). In conclusion, swimmers maintain the amplitude of WBR, shoulder roll, and hip roll in backstroke when the intensity increases, whereas they reduce the amplitude of all rolls in front crawl.

Arm-Stroke Descriptor Variability during 200-m Front Crawl Swimming

The present study aimed to explore the variability of the arm-stroke temporal descriptors between and within laps during middle-distance swimming event using IMMUs. Eight male swimmers performed a 200-m maximum front-crawl in which the inter-lap and intra-lap variability of velocity, stroke rate, stroke-phases duration and arm-coordination index were measured through five units of IMMU. An algorithm computes the 3D coordinates of the wrist by means the IMMU orientation and the kinematic chain of upper arm biomechanical model, and it recognizes the start events of the four arm-stroke phases. Velocity and stroke rate had a mean value of 1.47 ± 0.10 m·s⁻¹ and 32.94 ± 4.84 cycles·min⁻¹, respectively, and a significant decrease along the 200-m (p < 0.001; η² = 0.80 and 0.47). The end of each lap showed significantly lower stroke rate compared to the start and the middle segment (p < 0.05; η² = 0.55). No other significant inter-lap and intra-lap differences were detected. The two main findings are: (i) IMMUs technology can be an effective solution to continuously monitor the temporal descriptors during the swimming trial; (ii) swimmers are able to keep stable their temporal technique descriptors in a middle-distance event, despite the decrease of velocity and stroke rate.

Kinematic Parameters After Repeated Swimming Efforts in Higher and Lower Proficiency Swimmers and Para-Swimmers

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine changes in swimming parameters, stroke coordination, and symmetry after repeated high-intensity swimming efforts in swimmers of different performance levels and para-swimmers. Method: Forty swimmers (20 able-bodied, allocated to higher and lower performance groups-G1 and G2, respectively-and 20 impaired swimmers-S5 to S10) were recorded by four underwater cameras while performing repeated 50 m maximum front-crawl swimming with a ten-second interval for each time endured by the swimmer. A cycle stroke was digitized using SIMI Reality Motion Systems in the first and last trials to analyze the kinematic parameters. The comparison among groups and conditions was performed by Mixed ANOVA Models with p < .05. Results: For all groups, swimming velocity, stroke rate, and stroke index showed reduction over time, while stroke length and intracyclic velocity variation did not show significant changes. Conclusions: Training to maintain stroke rate is necessary to support performance since it is the main cause of velocity decrease. Stroke dimensions and individual underwater phases were not sufficient to distinguish groups or conditions. Hand velocity decreased probably due to a decline in energy capacity, propulsive force and passive drag caused by the fatigue process.

Kinematic, kinetic and EMG analysis of four front crawl flip turn techniques

This study aimed to analyse the kinematic, kinetic and electromyographic characteristics of four front crawl flip turn technique variants. The variants distinguished from each other by differences in body position (i.e., dorsal, lateral, ventral) during rolling, wall support, pushing and gliding phases. Seventeen highly trained swimmers (17.9 ± 3.2 years old) participated in interventional sessions and performed three trials of each variant, being monitored with a 3-D video system, a force platform and an electromyography (EMG) system. Studied variables: rolling time and distance, wall support time, push-off time, peak force and horizontal impulse at wall support and push-off, centre of mass horizontal velocity at the end of the push-off, gliding time, centre of mass depth, distance, average and final velocity during gliding, total turn time and electrical activity of Gastrocnemius Medialis, Tibialis Anterior, Biceps Femoris and Vastus Lateralis muscles. Depending on the variant, total turn time ranged from 2.37 ± 0.32 to 2.43 ± 0.33 s, push-off force from 1.86 ± 0.33 to 1.92 ± 0.26 BW and centre of mass velocity during gliding from 1.78 ± 0.21 to 1.94 ± 0.22 m · s(-1). The variants were not distinguishable in terms of kinematical, kinetic and EMG parameters during the rolling, wall support, pushing and gliding phases.

Changes in arm coordination and stroke parameters on transition through the lactate threshold

The purpose of the present study was to understand the energetic, biomechanical and coordinative changes occurring throughout the transition of the lactate threshold. Twelve high-level swimmers (six males and six females) performed a paced intermittent incremental protocol of 7 × 200 m (0.05 m s(-1) increments and 30 s intervals). The stroking parameters (stroke rate and stroke length) and the index of coordination (IdC) were assessed by analysis of video recordings from aerial and underwater side-view cameras. Energy cost (C) was determined by the ratio energy expenditure/velocity. Energy expenditure was determined by measuring oxygen uptake VO2 and blood lactate concentrations ([La(-)]). The swimming velocity at the inflection point of stroke rate, stroke length, IdC, VO2, and [La(-)] was determined (m s(-1)). The results showed that stroke rate, stroke length, IdC, VO2, and [La(-)] all exhibited inflection point as a function of swimming velocity, and these velocities were highly correlated with the velocity at [La(-)]inflex (1.35 ± 0.07 m s(-1); R = 0.99, P < 0.001). Furthermore, these values were not significantly different (P > 0.05), and Bland-Altman plots estimations were almost unbiased. These findings seem to confirm that as swimming velocity increases and lactate threshold is surpassed, it induces changes in stroke mechanics and organization suggesting an important biomechanical, coordinative and metabolic boundary between moderate and heavy intensity domains.

Interplay of biomechanical, energetic, coordinative, and muscular factors in a 200 m front crawl swim

This study aimed to determine the relative contribution of selected biomechanical, energetic, coordinative, and muscular factors for the 200 m front crawl and each of its four laps. Ten swimmers performed a 200 m front crawl swim, as well as 50, 100, and 150 m at the 200 m pace. Biomechanical, energetic, coordinative, and muscular factors were assessed during the 200 m swim. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify the weight of the factors to the performance. For each lap, the contributions to the 200 m performance were 17.6, 21.1, 18.4, and 7.6% for stroke length, 16.1, 18.7, 32.1, and 3.2% for stroke rate, 11.2, 13.2, 6.8, and 5.7% for intracycle velocity variation in x, 9.7, 7.5, 1.3, and 5.4% for intracycle velocity variation in y, 17.8, 10.5, 2.0, and 6.4% for propelling efficiency, 4.5, 5.8, 10.9, and 23.7% for total energy expenditure, 10.1, 5.1, 8.3, and 23.7% for interarm coordination, 9.0, 6.2, 8.5, and 5.5% for muscular activity amplitude, and 3.9, 11.9, 11.8, and 18.7% for muscular frequency). The relative contribution of the factors was closely related to the task constraints, especially fatigue, as the major changes occurred from the first to the last lap.

About the use and conclusions extracted from a single tube snorkel used for respiratory data acquisition during swimming

Pinna et al. (J Physiol Sci, 10.1007/s12576-012-0226-7, 2012) showed that a tethered swimming incremental protocol leads to higher maximal oxygen consumption values than during cycle ergometer and arm-crank tests, and evidenced that anaerobic threshold occurred at higher workloads during swimming comparing to other types of exercise. This is an interesting study in the field of exercise physiology applied to swimming that deserves merit once: (1) it employs direct gas exchange measurements during swimming, a rather hard task due to the characteristics of the water environment and the usual constraints imposed by the evaluation equipment, and (2) the physiologic comparison between swimming, running, cycling, and arm-cranking is complex, confirming that laboratory testing procedures are inadequate to estimate maximal oxygen consumption, maximal heart rate, and anaerobic threshold in swimming. However, in this Letter to the Editor, we would like to evidence some points that, in our opinion, are underdeveloped and not sufficiently clear, principally the incomplete description of the new breathing snorkel used, the non-reference to previous studies that used other snorkel models and obtained relevant data on oxygen uptake in swimming, and the assumption that swimmers uses less muscle mass when swimming than when running and cycling.