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     Juerg New member Username: Juerg Post Number: 424 Registered: 04-2006 |
Often when we work on some ideas we may start to look to narrow minded , so I always enjoy finding some ideas and articles , who may lead us in a similar direction from another point of view . Here a nice article part 1 A pulse oximeter is a biofeedback mechanism used to improve swimming performance. Cardiac control, stress management and athletic performance training all use biofeedback mechanisms. The same can be said of the sport of swimming. By using non-invasive, easy-to-use training monitors called pulse oximeters, swimmers can find out how to optimize their performance by understanding their own specific physiology. Previous studies have demonstrated that swimming performance can be studied by using blood lactate concentrations. Lactate testing has been used to develop very important concepts in endurance training and sprint training with respect to anaerobic instead of aerobic metabolism. The ratio of each type of metabolism affects all athletes differently, depending on an individual's personal physiology, age, health and level of endurance. Most Popular Articles in Sports The first family: Archie, Peyton and Eli are incredibly famous, immensely ... The growing gap: driving distances are skyrocketing on the PGA Tour. So why ... Which pistol caliber for self defense? Four different people come to four ... Drag racing - National Hot Rod Association The world's most popular .22: the Marlin Model 60 just keeps on ticking More » advertisement Pulse oximeters were used in the following study. We noted that a relationship exists between oxygen availability and lactate development. Asthmatic swimmers have a greater difficulty obtaining oxygen. Therefore, we selected asthmatic swimmers to study their blood oxygen and performance. Setting the Parameters The poolside collection of asthmatic inhalers is becoming more and more the norm at swimming workouts. With our study of asthmatic swimmers, we wanted to help optimize their swimming workout and develop a strategy for competition, given their specific difficulty in trying to bring oxygen to their demanding muscle tissues. Asthma is a condition marked by recurrent attacks of sudden spasm or contraction of the bronchi of the lungs, causing wheezing or coughing and difficulty breathing. It can be triggered by irritants or allergens, such as the chlorine gas floating above the water, industrial pollution (smog) or pollen. With the use of asthma medication and inhalers, swimmers can often overcome some or most of these severe symptoms. We wanted to help these swimmers even more. A decision was made to use a pulse oximeter (Photo 1 ) to measure specific blood oxygen saturation during a workout. The pulse oximeter has been used for many years in hospital emergency rooms and operating rooms. It will show immediate changes in the blood's oxygen concentration and pulse. These measuring devices have evolved from huge machines to the size of a box of matches. We were able to use a small pulse oximeter very efficiently and easily at poolside. We believed that the knowledge of accurate oxygen concentration and pulse would help us understand the swimmer's needs and benefit the individual's development and performance. The pulse oximeter can give a reading of pulse and oxygen saturation at the beginning, middle or end of a swim. This can be obtained by simply having the swimmer touch the end of the pool, then raise one hand up for placement of the finger probe and receive an accurate reading in ten seconds (Photo 2). Beneficial for Everyone Our study was mainly centered on asthmatic swimmers' needs, but these results are applicable to non-asthmatic swimmers as well. In designing a workout schedule for our swimmers, we focused on developing a level of work and a level of intensity along with a rate of breathing to control the oxygen saturation in the blood. From lactate testing, we knew that more endurance training forces a person into an aerobic metabolism instead of an anaerobic metabolism. We felt that pushing an asthmatic athlete more toward aerobic metabolism would help during both workout and competition. With the difficulty in breathing that results from asthma, we found that if forced hyperventilation were performed during backstroke, a high level of oxygen saturation could be achieved (97 percent) even with a high level of intensity of the swim (Table 1). Conversely, when butterfly was swum, a rhythmic breathing, timed with the stroke, causes an overload on the ability to capture enough oxygen, and the oxygen saturation drops dramatically (92 to 94 percent). If the butterfly were swum with breathing every other stroke (breathing sequence A), as is often recommended for competition, the lowest oxygen saturation was present (92 percent or lower). As the number of breaths was increased (breathing sequence B), we had an increase of oxygen saturation (95 to 96 percent). When breathing sequence C was used, we found oxygen saturation still went higher (96 to 97 percent, depending on length of swim), but performance in elapsed time per length was not quite as fast. The design of our strategy for high level competition swim meets was to swim the 100 yard butterfly with breathing on every other stroke for the first 25 yards, since hyperventilation occurred prior to the race. The second 25 yards was swum with breathing sequence B. The following 25 was swum the same as the last, but three consecutive breaths were taken near the center of the pool. The final 25 yards was like the second 25, but three breaths in a row were allowed as the swimmer felt necessary. By designing the swim, we were able to optimize the level of performance for the individual athlete for a specific stroke. With the same athlete, we also found that a similar relationship existed with freestyle and the timing of number of breaths taken per lap. | ||
| Juerg New member Username: Juerg Post Number: 425 Registered: 04-2006 |
Part 2 << Page 1 Continued from page 1. Previous | Next Knowing this relationship, we tried to keep the aerobic metabolism working as long as possible and prevent a buildup of lactic acid, which would diminish the performance of the muscles as the event progressed. This is very helpful for swim meets, but it is also very helpful for developing a workout schedule to maximize work while trying to control lactate buildup in the blood. The slower the lactate buildup, the longer and harder the muscles can work to develop rather than the athlete experiencing overall fatigue. Other Controlling Factors During our study, we found many other controlling factors with the pulse oximeter. Most Popular Articles in Sports The first family: Archie, Peyton and Eli are incredibly famous, immensely ... The growing gap: driving distances are skyrocketing on the PGA Tour. So why ... Which pistol caliber for self defense? Four different people come to four ... Drag racing - National Hot Rod Association The world's most popular .22: the Marlin Model 60 just keeps on ticking More » advertisement When a swimmer finishes each swim, the coach can accurately monitor the level of work with both the pulse rate and the oxygen saturation instantly given. Either the athlete is working very hard, moderately hard or loafing. We also found one swimmer was having low oxygen saturation in relation to not exhaling fully prior to taking a breath, as very little air exchange took place. This technology can help with stroke instruction and mechanics of breathing with the stroke. Another swimmer had a very low oxygen saturation (92 percent) that we concluded was related to her menstrual cycle and a lack of dietary supplements such as iron. This could mean a very low red blood cell count and a low hemoglobin. The pulse oximeter showed these specific problems existed, and, consequently, it helped solve them. One interesting result we noted was that at a 93 percent or lower oxygen reading, an athlete expressed an extreme "breathlessness" that was not comfortable. A 90 percent may cause nausea and vomiting to occur. Future Uses In the future, the pulse oximeter may be used in a variety of athletic contexts. It could be used to correlate blood oxygen concentration and blood lactate concentration relative to slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fiber experiments. This could be used as a faster, easier and non-invasive means of identifying sprinters and distance swimmers. A workout schedule could be developed for every individual athlete to optimize his or her own ability to train efficiently. Peaking for state, national and international swim meets could be a more precise schedule, which would result in better performances. New studies could be made using oxygen saturation in relationship to dietary supplements such as Vitamin A, B and C, along with other new supplements that are becoming popular daily. There are many potential uses of a pulse oximeter when coaches get together and let the ideas flow. The newest small pulse oximeter-with memory features-could be wom around the neck of a swimmer with a probe placed on the ear lobe under a swimmer's cap. A continuous monitor, second by second, could be recorded, evaluated and correlated with times recorded as splits. By utilizing the pulse oximeter in future studies, coaches, trainers and physiologists may be able to come up with ideas that can benefit all swimmers. About the Author John A. Hendy, D.D.S., of Grants Pass, Ore., was a swimmer and water polo player for 14 years. He coached and taught swimming for 30 years. Also contributing to this article was Coach Scott May of North Valley High School in Grants Pass, Ore. |