Respiratory Adaptations to aerobic training
The main adaptations that occur to the respiratory system through 1500m swimming is that you have an increase in Tidal Volume (this is the volume of air inspired per breath at rest). Training reduces the resting respiratory rate and the breathing rate during sub-maximal exercise. Endurance training also provides a small increase in lung volumes, vital lung capacity increases slightly, as does tidal volume during maximal exercise. This all helps the long distance endurance swimmer because you need an increase in your lung capacity because you are swimming such a long distance, this is also because when you do the 1500m you swim a fast first 100m then you would go into your normal pace, for example you might swim a 1:05 for the first 100m, then after that you would settle into a 1:08pace. Endurance training also increases capillarisation around the alveoli in the lungs. This will help to increase the rate of gas exchange in the lungs and, therefore, increase the amount of oxygen entering the blood and the amount of carbon dioxide leaving the blood.
Muscular Adaptations To Aerobic Training
The main adaptations that occur to the muscular system through 1500m swimming training are an increase in the size of slow twitch fibres by up to 22%. There is also an increase in size and number of mitochondria. There is also an increase in activity of oxidative enzymes, increase in myoglobin content, increase in Vo2 max by 10-20%, the final one is higher percentage of Vo2 max can be attained before threshold is reached. This all helps the endurance swimmer because it increases there muscle size which helps them store more glycogen and fat, so that they don’t have to use any protein, keeping the body in its aerobic state.
Task 2
Neuromuscular Adaptations To Strength/ Power Training
High-intensity training results in hypertrophy of fast twitch fibres( fast twitch fibres increase in proportion in those muscles that are responsible for producing rapid movements, as in the movement of the eye or the hand. The rapid contraction is facilitated by large numbers of mitochondria and an extensive sarcoplasmic reticulm). There are increased levels of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and the PCr (Phosphocreatine) in the muscle and an increased capacity to generate ATP by the PCr energy system. This is partly due to the increased activity of the enzymes, which break down PCr. ATP production by anaerobic glycolysis is increased as a result of enhanced activity of the glycolytic enzymes. There is also an increased ability to break down glycogen in the absence of oxygen. Lactate threshold is defined as the point where a 1 mmol/L increase (above baseline value) in blood lactate is followed by another 1 mmol/L increase. (At a moderate intensity level, a well conditioned athlete will produce in the range of from 2 to 5 mmol/L of lactate, while at max effort this will go as high as 25 mmol/L!)As the body does work, it produces lactate (lactic acid), which is carried away by the cardiovascular system (blood/oxygen) and disposed of. The harder the work effort, the higher the production level of lactate. There comes a point where the produced lactate is greater than the amount that can be handled by the cardiovascular system. This is the Lactate Threshold. The term anaerobic threshold has also been used to define this point. A by-product of the production of the lactate is a free hydrogen ion (H+). This ion is what causes the burn in the legs. Excessive accumulation of the H+, caused by the increased production of the lactate, will eventually cause all muscular activity to cease. There is no such thing as "lactic acid"; the H+ ion is the real acid that provides the "burn" that you feel. It does require analysis of the athlete's blood that has been collected during various stages of exercise to accurately determine the Lactate Threshold. However, anaerobic training increases the buffering capacity of the body and enables the body to work for longer in periods of high activity.
(Graph From http://www.lactate.com/pitesbas.html)
(Graph from1998 Montana state university)
Graph From http://www.lactate.com/pitesbas.html
Exercise science has determined that you achieve specific training adaptations by exercising at various intensities or percent-ages of VO2 max. Research has shown a reliable relationship between oxygen consumption and heart rate (beats per minute) for monitoring intensity during training. In each stage of the training plan, the amount and type of exercise you do will determine how fit and race ready your body will become. The physiological effects of each training set will dictate the amount of each training component scheduled during a given training cycle. low-intensity ,distance training sessions are most effective as this develops aerobic energy and improves capillary density in muscle tissue, proliferation of muscle cell mitochondria, oxidative enzyme activity, and fat substrate mobilization and utilization in the muscle cells. 1998 Montana)
Oxygen consumption is considered the standard for measuring the physiological intensity of exercise. If heart rate is the tachometer, then oxygen consumption is how much gas per mile you're burning to achieve a certain speed. In 1500m swimming, success is largely dependent on the body's oxygen uptake ability. The more oxygen that can be delivered to the working muscles, the greater the energy supply, and the faster the body can travel over distance. (1998 Montana)
Parry (2005) suggests that training for an endurance sport results in specific structural and functional adaptations to the body and calls upon varying degrees of technique, application, energy production, strength, endurance and speed during performance and development.
Maximising performance over time is a balancing act, producing and maintaining a dynamic equilibrium between training and recovery and between general and specific training Parry 2005
Functional training works many large muscle groups together. A highly effective and time efficient form of training improving balance and strength whilst also increasing metabolism and burning calories more efficiently Parry 2005
References
30 April 2003, BTEC National Sport And Exercise Science- Jenny Brown, John Chance, Simon Rea
April, 1998, Montana State University-Bozeman http://btc.montana.edu/olympics/physiology/pb02.html. Accessed 13.02.06
Parry 2005 http://www.core-ability.co.uk/fitness.php Accessed 13.02.06
http://www.lactate.com/pitesbas.html- from 4 Different People-
1. Sports Resource Groups has developed Coaches' Guides for lactate testing in Cycling, Rowing, Running, Soccer, Swimming and the Triathlon.
2. Baker, Arnie, MD. (1996) "Adviser Post-note: Thresholds" Performance Conditioning for Cycling, 2(9), pp. 7-8.
3. Hagerman, Fredrick C. Ph.D. "The Physiological Responses of Rowers", unpublished White Paper, Ohio University, Athens OH 45701
4. Rushton, C. (1990) "Lactate Testing for Sprinters." In Smith, D.J. (ed.), Pursuit of gold: Sprint Swimming Clinic, May 18-20, 1990 : proceedings, Calgary, AB Canada, p.29-46
