Assessment of the Effects of Controlled Frequency Breathing on Lactate Levels in Swimming

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess differences in performance and physiological variables after a 100-yard freestyle swim in free-breathing and controlled-frequency breathing conditions. Methods: A randomly assigned maximal effort 100-yd swim test was conducted twice, once with normal breathing (NB) pattern (1 breath every 2-3 strokes), and the second using controlledfrequency breathing (CFB) pattern (1 breath every 7 strokes) in 21 trained female swimmers (19.0 ± 1.1 years). Post-swim blood lactate levels, heart rate, and time to completion were measured and assessed after completion of each bout. Blood samples were taken from the earlobe at rest (prior to the bout), 0-min, 1.5-min, 3-min, and 5-min post-swim. Heart rate was taken at rest and at the same time points as blood lactate.

Physiological Dynamic Apnea Responses in Relation to Apnea Capacity in Triathletes

“…This last result on end exercise lactate values with the dynamic apnea is not really in accordance with the literature. Indeed, previous works have demonstrated either an increase [12,25] or no change [10,13] in lactatemia with exercise in apnea. At first view, a decrease in lactatemia for Bad Ap triathletes appears difficult to explain.…”

“…Indeed, it seems logical that the reduction of muscle oxygen availability that likely occurred during apnea would increase anaerobic contri- No statistical difference was found from rest to exercise, from Good Ap to Bad Ap groups, or from NB to Ap bution during exercise. Therefore, the lack of increase in lactatemia during exercise in apnea has mostly been explained by an increased time delay in lactate release from the muscle into the blood stream [10,13] due to the "diving response" or vasoconstriction. However, this hypothesis was ruled out in the present study.…”

“…In parallel, the aforementioned studies showed that dynamic apnea leads to a significant hypercapnia and/or hypoxemia. With regard to lactate concentrations, it is assumed [13,29,30] that lack of available oxygen induced by either controlled frequency breathing or complete apnea would cause a shift from aerobic respiration to glycolysis to provide for the unmet demands of ATP and subsequently increase lactate production. However, the results appeared more contradictory.…”

“…In conclusion, a good apnea capacity seems to be associated with lower cardiovascular and metabolic apnea alterations in middle-aged recreationally-trained triathletes. significant change in lactatemia [10,13]. Lastly, knowledge of the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and hormonal responses to dynamic apnea remains scarce [6,10,18].…”