"Living Low - Training High" Methods and Physiological Responses in Well-trained Swimmers

Effects of Innovative "Living Low - Training High" Methods on Performance and Physiological Responses in Well-trained Swimmers.

To overcome the lack of knowledge regarding the impact of different "living low, training high" methods on swimming performance, a 4-week intervention will be carried out to determine and compare the effects of three Repeated Sprints in Hypoxia (RSH) methods with each other and with a control group. Our goal is to characterize and compare the adaptations in swimming performance and in cardiorespiratory, metabolic, and muscle oxygenation responses that can arise after a 4-week training period of RSH and RSH-voluntary hypoventilation (VHL) performed in a ski-ergometer.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Hypoventilation; Normoxia; Normobaric Hypoxia
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Repeated sprint

Detailed Description

Recently, several new "living low training high" (LLTH) methods involving repeated sprints in hypoxia have shown promising results, especially in team sports. However, the underlying mechanisms remain mostly unclear, as does its effectiveness in improving swimming performance.

Hypoxemia can be induced by exposure to ambient hypoxia conditions, by voluntary hypoventilation at low lung volume, or by vascular occlusion (namely, blood flow restriction). Swimming performance is influenced by aerobic and anaerobic metabolism and could benefit from these different LLTH methods.

This project aims to compare the effects of repeated sprint training performed with a ski-ergometer 1) in a hypoxic chamber and 2) with voluntary hypoventilation on the performance of swimmers, as well as to characterize cardiorespiratory, metabolic, and muscle oxygenation adaptations that may contribute to the improvements achieved after four weeks of each of these types of training.

All groups will be evaluated before and after the supervised training period in three testing sessions in normoxia, separated by at least 24 hours within 7 days. Swimmers will perform: 1) time-trial (100 m front crawl) in the swimming pool to determine performance, V̇̇O2 peak, and lactate concentration following the test; 2) incremental test to exhaustion in the swim-ergometer to determine aerobic peak power, cardiorespiratory responses (V̇̇O2max, ventilatory thresholds), and maximal tissue deoxygenation; 3) time-trial test in the ski-ergometer (100 m) to access performance, muscle and pulmonary oxygen uptake kinetics, and the relative contribution of energetic systems.

Training sessions will be performed in the ski-ergometer and consist of 4 sets of 5x6s all-out sprints with 24s and 5 min of passive rest between the sprints and sets, respectively. In all testing and training sessions, pulse oxygen saturation will be measured for safety purposes.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 36
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Portugal
  • Cruz-Quebrada
    • Lisbon, Cruz-Quebrada, Portugal, 1495-002
      • Faculty of Human Kinetics
      • Contact: Joana Reis, PhD; Phone Number: 00351214149174; Email: joanareis@fmh.ulisboa.pt
      • Contact: Cristina P Monteiro, PhD; Phone Number: 00351214149174; Email: cmonteiro@fmh.ulisboa.pt

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Swimmers from both sexes;
• With regular participation in National Championships;
• More than five years of training experience;
• No recent exposure/acclimatization to altitude;
• No recent exposition to Blood Flow Restriction training.

Exclusion Criteria:

• athletes who had an acclimatization experience or exposure to altitude lasting more than 10 days in the last 6 months;
• pregnant or postpartum women;

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Normobaric hypoxia (RSH); The RSH group will perform training sessions in a normobaric hypoxic chamber at a simulated altitude of 3000 meters (FiO2 14.5%)	Other: Repeated sprint; The group will endure four weeks (8 sessions) of the assigned training program in addition to the regular swimming training.; Data collection sessions: All groups will be evaluated before and after the supervised training period in three testing sessions in normoxia separated by at least 24 hours within 7 days.; Training sessions: will be performed in the ski ergometer and consist of 4 sets of 5x6s all-out sprints with 24s and 5 min of passive rest between the sprints and sets, respectively.
Experimental: Hypoventilation (RSH-VHL); RSH-VHL group will be asked to exhale down to functional residual capacity just before each repetition and then hold their breath until the end of the sprint	Other: Repeated sprint; The group will endure four weeks (8 sessions) of the assigned training program in addition to the regular swimming training.; Data collection sessions: All groups will be evaluated before and after the supervised training period in three testing sessions in normoxia separated by at least 24 hours within 7 days.; Training sessions: will be performed in the ski ergometer and consist of 4 sets of 5x6s all-out sprints with 24s and 5 min of passive rest between the sprints and sets, respectively.
Active Comparator: Normoxia (RSN); The control group will perform the training sessions in normoxia (FIO2, 20.9%)	Other: Repeated sprint; The group will endure four weeks (8 sessions) of the assigned training program in addition to the regular swimming training.; Data collection sessions: All groups will be evaluated before and after the supervised training period in three testing sessions in normoxia separated by at least 24 hours within 7 days.; Training sessions: will be performed in the ski ergometer and consist of 4 sets of 5x6s all-out sprints with 24s and 5 min of passive rest between the sprints and sets, respectively.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Ventilatory thresholds and maximum oxygen consumption	mL/kg·min	Before and after 4 weeks of supervised training period
Lactate concentration	mmol.L-1	Before and after 4 weeks of supervised training period
Muscle oximetry	Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)	Before and after 4 weeks of supervised training period
Time-trial	seconds	Before and after 4 weeks of supervised training period

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Heart rate	bpm	Before and after 4 weeks of supervised training period
Arterial oxygen saturation	Oxymetry (%)	Before and after 4 weeks of supervised training period

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Faculdade de Motricidade Humana
• Collaborators: Centro de Alto Rendimento do Jamor

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): February 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 21, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 9, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): February 12, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 12, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 9, 2024
• Last Verified: February 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Repeated sprint methods; Swimming performance; Training programs; V̇̇O2peak; Lactate concentration; Energetic systems; Oxygen uptake kinetics; Deoxygenation kinetics
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Respiratory Tract Diseases; Respiration Disorders; Signs and Symptoms, Respiratory; Respiratory Insufficiency; Hypoxia; Hypoventilation
• Other Study ID Numbers: RSH swimmers

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No