Abstract

We have studied the heart rate (HR) behaviour in 9 female and 12 male (mean age 14.2 +/- 1.4 years) national level swimmers (free-style swimming). HR was tested at low (0.9-1 m/sec) through maximal (1.45-1.66 m/sec) speed with progressive increases of the speed every 50 meters. The HR behaviour was parabolic as related to the increase of speed. At the maximal speeds the maximal HR was 181 +/- 10 beats/min. No significant difference of the HR was noted within given speeds (0.9-1.45 m/sec) between male and female groups; nevertheless males reached speeds higher than those of females. Maximal HR was 180 +/- 17 beats/min in females and 185 +/- 5 beats/min in males. Ten older swimmers (mean age 15.4 +/- 1.1 years) reached HR lower than that of eleven younger ones (mean age 13.2 +/- 0.5 years). Finally, HR at low and medium speed was predictive of the degree of training and agonistic performance: the lower athletes HR, related to another of the same category, at the same speed, the better his agonistic results. Verf.-Referat