Blood Lactate and Maximal Lactate Accumulation Rate at Three Sprint Swimming Distances in Highly Trained and Elite Swimmers.

We examined the blood lactate response, in terms of the maximal post-exercise concentration (La max ), time to reach La max , and maximal lactate accumulation rate (VLa max ), to swimming sprints of 25, 35, and 50 m. A total of 14 highly trained and elite swimmers (8 male and 6 female), aged 14-32, completed the 3 sprints in their specialization stroke with 30 min of passive rest in between. The blood lactate was measured right before and continually (every minute) after each sprint to detect the La max . The VLa max , a potential index of anaerobic lactic power, was calculated. The blood lactate concentration, swimming speed, and VLa max differed between the sprints ( p < 0.001). The La max was highest after 50 m (13.8 ± 2.6 mmol·L -1 , mean ± SD throughout), while the swimming speed and VLa max were highest at 25 m (2.16 ± 0.25 m·s -1 and 0.75 ± 0.18 mmol·L -1 ·s -1 ). The lactate peaked approximately 2 min after all the sprints. The VLa max in each sprint correlated positively with the speed and with each other. In conclusion, the correlation of the swimming speed with the VLa max suggests that the VLa max is an index of anaerobic lactic power and that it is possible to improve performance by augmenting the VLa max through appropriate training. To accurately measure the La max and, hence, the VLa max , we recommend starting blood sampling one minute after exercise.