PMID 39545180

Research
All papers

The effects of six sprint interval training sessions on aerobic and anaerobic performance in trained swimmers

Dalamitros AA, Tzivanis D, Martín-Rodríguez A, Semaltianou E, Mavridis G, Manou V

Question

Do six sessions of swimming sprint interval training improve aerobic and anaerobic performance, muscle oxygen saturation, heart-rate recovery, and stroke measures compared with easy swimming?

Summary

Six sessions of maximal 50 m swimming sprints improved 400 m swim time and repeated-sprint performance in untrained swimmers, but did not significantly improve a single 50 m sprint.

Methodology

  • Untrained swimmers with prior competitive front-crawl or sprint background but no swimming training for more than 6 months.
  • 21 participants.
  • front-crawl swimming.
  • Work intervals: 50 m maximal front-crawl sprint.
  • Recovery: 2 min passive rest between 50 m efforts.
  • Intensity: maximal intensity with feedback after each 50 m.
  • 600 m warm-up, 2 min passive rest, then 4 x 50 m with 2 min rests.
  • 2 sessions/week.
  • 3 weeks.
  • randomized controlled pre-post training study
  • 400 m swim time, Repeated sprint test, Muscle oxygen saturation, and Heart-rate recovery were tracked.

Outcomes

T400

The sprint interval group improved 400 m swim time; controls did not.

EXP 327.0 +/- 40.2 to 319.1 +/- 36.9 s, 2.4%, t=3.044, p=0.011, ES=0.879

Improved

RST mean

Repeated 50 m sprint mean time improved in the sprint interval group.

31.0 +/- 3.7 to 30.2 +/- 3.4 s, 2.6%, p=0.026, ES=0.742

Improved

T50

Single 50 m sprint performance did not significantly improve.

about 1% change; p>0.05

No clear change

HRR1

One-minute heart-rate recovery improved after endurance and sprint tests.

T400 7.9%, p=0.002; T50 4.6%, p=0.005; RST 9.6%, p=0.002

Improved

Insights

  • A very short swimming SIT block can improve submaximal/race-distance performance faster than single-sprint speed.
  • Pool-based maximal sprints need sport-specific skill, lane space, timing, and feedback.
  • For general HIIT content, the structure translates better as repeated maximal efforts with full passive recovery than as a bodyweight template.

Limitations

  • Small sample.
  • Untrained swimmers with prior swimming experience, not general adults.
  • No blood lactate.
  • NIRS measured only after tests because movement prevented real-time measurement.
  • Repeated sprint test was not performed in the control group.

Safety

  • No adverse events, injuries, or dropout reasons were reported in the extracted NXML passages.