Metabolic Power, Active Drag, Mechanical and Propelling Efficiency of Elite Swimmers at 100 Meter Events in Different Competitive Swimming Techniques

Abstract

Eight elite swimmers—four females and four males—were studied, each of whom specialized in different swimming techniques and ranked among the top 10 in the world in the 100 m event in their swimming specialty. Methods included a complex of physiological, biomechanical and hydrodynamic procedures, as well as mathematical modeling. During the special preparation period for the 2017 Swimming World Championship, all subjects performed an 8 × 100 m swimming step-test using their main swimming technique. The relationships between velocity, mechanical and metabolic power were obtained and analyzed for each swimming technique. It was found that, at the last stage of the test, in all swimming techniques, men demonstrated higher values of metabolic power (Pai = 3346–3560 W) and higher mechanical efficiency (eg = 0.062–0.068) than women (Pai = 2248–2575 W; eg = 0.049–0.052). As for propelling efficiency, women (ep = 0.67–0.71) and men (ep = 0.65–0.71) did not differ from each other. Results showed that the frontal component of active drag force is the main reason for the existing differences in maximal swimming velocity between different techniques, since no relevant differences were observed for mechanical and propelling efficiencies among swimming techniques.

Keywords

• elite swimmers
• swimming techniques
• active drag
• metabolic power
• mechanical and propelling efficiency