Effects of 12 Weeks High-Intensity & Reduced-Volume Training in Elite Athletes

It was investigated if high-intensity interval training (HIT) at the expense of total training volume improves performance, maximal oxygen uptake and swimming economy. 41 elite swimmers were randomly allocated to a control (CON) or HIT group. For 12 weeks both groups trained,12 h per week. HIT comprised,5 h vs. 1 h and total distance was,17 km vs. 35 km per week for HIT and CON, respectively. HIT was performed as 6-10610-30 s maximal effort interspersed by 2–4 minutes of rest. Performance of 100 m all-out freestyle and 200 m freestyle was similar before and after the intervention in both HIT (60.464.0 vs. 60.364.0 s; n = 13 and 133.266.4 vs. 132.667.7 s; n = 14) and CON (60.263.7 vs. 60.663.8 s; n = 15 and 133.567.0 vs. 133.367.6 s; n = 15). Maximal oxygen uptake during swimming was similar before and after the intervention in both the HIT (4.060.9 vs. 3.861.0 l O26min 21; n = 14) and CON (3.860.7 vs. 3.860.7 l O26min 21; n = 11) group. Oxygen uptake determined at fixed submaximal speed was not significantly affected in either group by the intervention. Body fat % tended to increase (P = 0.09) in the HIT group (15.461.6 % vs. 16.361.6%; P = 0.09; n = 16) and increased (P,0.05) in the CON group (13.961.5 % vs. 14.961.5%; n = 17). A distance reduction of 50 % and a more than doubled HIT amount for 12 weeks did neither improve nor compromise performance or physiological capacity in elite swimmers