The effect of two additional dry-land active warm-up protocols on the 50-m front-crawl swimming performance

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to compare the effectiveness of 2 different dry-land active warm-up protocols on 50-m front-crawl swimming performance, biomechanical variables (stroke rate, stroke length, and stroke index), rate of perceived exertion, and exercise heart rate in swimmers of both genders. Methods: The total of 10 male and 9 female national-level swimmers completed a standardized 1000-m in-water warm-up protocol followed by a 30-min transition phase and a 50-m front-crawl time-trial. During this 30-min period, each swimmer executed, on different occasions, a protocol consisting of either a dynamic stretching routine (stretch) or a power exercise circuit (power) of equal duration (∼ 5 min) in a randomized sequence. A control condition (control) including a passive recovery strategy after the in-water warm-up protocol was also analyzed. Results: An improvement in 50-m time-trial performance was demonstrated in male swimmers after executing the power protocol (p = 0.034), while in female swimmers a trend towards faster performance times was revealed after the stretch protocol (p = 0.064). Stroke index was improved after the stretch routine only in female swimmers (p = 0.010). Stroke rate, stroke length, rate of perceived exertion, and exercise heart rate showed no differences among all the 3 conditions in either gender (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Male and female swimmers respond differently to a power or a dynamic stretching protocol. In addition, the variation in responses to different warm-up conditions highlights the importance of individualizing the dry-land warm-up procedure to promote maximum performance during 50-m front-crawl swimming events.