Does a six-week intervention with added respiratory dead space volume in swimming improve haematological and immunological status?

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of study was to investigate if differences appeared in haematological parameters after a 6-week moderate-intensity swimming intervention with added respiratory dead space volume (ARDSV) in recreational swimmers. Material and Methods: A sample of 22 individuals were divided into an experimental (E) and a control (C) group, tested for maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). The intervention involved 50 min. of front crawl swimming performed at 60%VO2max twice weekly for 6 weeks. ARDSV was induced via tube breathing (1000 ml) in group E during each intervention session. Haematological parameters measured before and after the intervention included red blood cell concentration (RBC), hemoglobin concentration (HGB), haematocrit (HCT), mean cell haemoglobin mass (MCH), mean cell volume (MCV), mean cell haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), white blood cells (WBC), lymphocytes (LYM), monocytes (MON), and granulocytes (GRA). Results: The pre- and post-analysis revealed significant (p < 0.05) changes for groups E and C in the following variables: MCH (E: increase by 4.10%; C: inc. by 3.28%), MCV (E: inc. by 9.39%; C: inc. by 7.48%), and MCHC (E: decrease by 3.52%; C: dec. by 4.05%). Conclusions: Adding ARDSV to routine moderateintensity swim training does not improve physical capacity or stimulate adaptation in haematological parameters among physically active individuals.

Keywords

• swimming
• added respiratory dead space volume (ardsv)
• maximal oxygen uptake (vo2max)
• haematological parameters