32 Celsius = 89 F !!!!!!!!!!!!
Effect of water temperature on performance, lactate production and heart rate at swimming of maximal and submaximal intensity.
Mougios V, Deligiannis A.
The effect of water temperature on performance effort, monitored heart rate and lactate production during freestyle swimming at maximal and submaximal speed has been studied. Fifteen male sprint swimmers performing 100 m swimming and fifteen comparable endurance competitors performing 30 min swimming at submaximal speed served as subjects. Water temperature in separate events was 20, 26 and 32 degrees C. At maximal performance there was a direct relationship between any two of the following parameters: water temperature, average swimming speed, heart rate during the competition and plasma lactate concentration after the event. Thus, the best effort (speed 1.704 m/s), the highest peak heart rate (185 beats/min) and the highest lactate level (19.8 mmol/l) were observed at 32 degrees C (all mean values). In contrast, these values were markedly lower at 20 degrees C. At the submaximal effort, water temperature was related to peak heart rate only. The highest peak heart rate (144 beats/min) was again obtained at 32 degrees C, while the lactate concentration (4.2-5.2 mmol/l) was independent of temperature. Water temperature appears to have a direct effect on performance effort, heart rate and lactate production during swimming at maximal intensity, whereas this effect seems to fade at submaximal efforts.
Former Member
That's the spirit - when we don't "like" or agree with the result of a study, we just say it's wrong based on our own "scientific" experience.
Here is another one -- or the short version "Blood lactate concentration during swimming in 23°C water was higher than that during the other two swimming trials (28 and 33)":
Abstract:
The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of water temperature on the human body during low-intensity prolonged swimming. Six male college swimmers participated in this study. The experiments consisted of *** stroke swimming for 120 minutes in 23°C, 28°C and 33°C water at a constant speed of 0.4 m · sec-1 in a swimming flume. The same subjects walked on a treadmill at a rate of approximately 50% of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) at the same relative intensity as the three swimming trials. Rectal temperature (Tre) in 33°C water was unchanged during swimming for 120 minutes. Tre during treadmill walking increased significantly compared to the three different swimming trials. Tre, mean skin temperature (Tsk) and mean body temperature (Tb) in 23°C and 28°C water decreased significantly more than in both the 33°C water and walking on land. VO2 during swimming in 23°C water increased more than during swimming in the 28°C and 33°C trials; however, there were no significant differences in VO2 between the 23°C swimming trial and treadmill walking. Heart rate (HR) during treadmill walking on land increased significantly compared with HR during the three swimming trials. Plasma adrenaline concentration at the end of the treadmill walking was higher than that at the end of each of the three swimming trials. Noradrenaline concentrations at the end of swimming in the 23°C water and treadmill walking were higher than those during the other two swimming trials. Blood lactate concentration during swimming in 23°C water was higher than that during the other two swimming trials and walking on land. These results suggest that the balance of heat loss and heat production is maintained in the warm water temperature. Therefore, a relatively warm water temperature may be desirable when prolonged swimming or other water exercise is performed at low intensity.
In the current issue of Swimmer, there is a brief item on pool tempurature, and it speaks to the fact that the warmer the water, the more blood shifts to the skin to cool the body, depriving the major muscles of O2 and clearing of poisons.
Perhaps warm=good for a sprinter, but if the Swimmer article is correct, longer distance swimmers would be better off in cooler water.
Thoughts?
In the current issue of Swimmer, there is a brief item on pool tempurature, and it speaks to the fact that the warmer the water, the more blood shifts to the skin to cool the body, depriving the major muscles of O2 and clearing of poisons.
Perhaps warm=good for a sprinter, but if the Swimmer article is correct, longer distance swimmers would be better off in cooler water.
Thoughts?
Warm water is just as bad for a sprinter. We need the oxygen just as much as distance swimmers. We deplete our oxygen stores in our muscles faster and create lactate quickly. We need the blood to keep our muscles working, and if the blood is doing other work, it can't help us swim faster.
As I mentioned before, my times in warm water are much slower. I try very hard to keep up my stroke rate, but the energy isn't there.
As long as I live, I will continue to see this divide. Since fitness swimmers far outweigh the number of competitive swimmers in Masters, they will always win in convincing coaches/pool managers of the best pool temperature.
Another thing to consider is that the density of water gets less as its temperature goes up. So a higher temperature can make things like buoyancy more difficult as well as being harder to anchor the hand in the water (or pull against the water).
Leonard, I am glad to see you are going for the major phenomena and not wasting your speculative time on the minutiae.
One note: though it is true that water becomes denser the colder it gets, at 32 degrees F it shifts phase, and in the process, becomes one of the few known solids that is less dense than its liquid state.
Clink the ice cubes in your next high ball in celebration of this fact, then ask yourself if swimming through water at such a low density might, in point of fact, offer you even more of the anchor you seek.
OK, kinda off topic, but did anybody see the Mythbusters where they compared times swimming in water vs. syrupy goo. Of course the theory was that the goo would be a lot slower. The goo was only 2 seconds slower per length. They estimated 6-8 seconds slower.
Now, what was far more interesting to me, a swimmer, was the LZRs that they were wearing!!!!! I was shocked. I gasped when I saw the suit going into the goo and my daughter said, "What's wrong?" When I told her that that was a $500 suit she said, "Oh."
I'm guessing Speedo was contacted by Mythbusters b/c they also had a Speedo cap and goggles. Too bad they couldn't have gotten Phelps too :D
I prefer to train in cool water and race in just a bit warmer than cool. However, the best OW swim I ever did was in a 92 degree lake. It was gross and nasty and felt like a filth sweater but I swam fast.
Now, what was far more interesting to me, a swimmer, was the LZRs that they were wearing!!!!! I was shocked. I was impressed with the chubby little mythbuster guy doing 25yd in 14 sec:applaud:
I must be the only sprinter who hates warm water. My fast twitch muscles turn to slow twitch in warmer water (82 and higher), my brain wants to shut down and my times are about a second slower per 50 than if I swam in cooler water. You can't properly do race pace work in warm water.
Rich, I swam in the Mona Plummer pool on Tuesday and it was a wonderful 79 degrees. On Wednesday it jumped up to 80. I'm assuming it'll stay there for this weekend.
I will say that doing workouts in 78 degrees is tough. I have had trouble with leg cramping for some reason. But I only experience this "problem" when I'm trying to get in a swim while working at a championship meet (NCAAs and nationals), where they keep the pools at the low end of the allowable range.
I think that in comp pools, the water is 78 - 82 temp ??
In Michigan the high schools have a rule that says the water must be between 78 and 82 for competition.
My own hypothesis is that training in water much higher than 82-84 degrees wouldn't be beneficial simply because it's too hot to sustain really hard effort for more than a few sprints. True, your body would almost certainly get better at handling the heat, but I don't think this would outweigh the reduction in effort necessitated by the heat.
Another thing to consider is that the density of water gets less as its temperature goes up. So a higher temperature can make things like buoyancy more difficult as well as being harder to anchor the hand in the water (or pull against the water).
