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The effect of 8 days of training in tropical environment on performance in neutral climate in swimmers.

Hue O, Antoine-Jonville S, Sara F

Laboratoire ACTES, UFR-STAPS, Université des Antilles et de la Guyane, Campus de Fouillole, Pointe à Pitre, Guadaloupe (FWI). hueo@wanadoo.fr

The tropical climate imposes a high level of physiological stress during exercise. As a result of this stress, adaptations may be induced and could benefit athletes upon return to a neutral climate. To test this hypothesis, climate effects on swimming performance were assessed in 16 swimmers: 6 trained for 8 days in a tropical climate, 6 trained for 8 days at altitude, and 4 served as a tapering group. The swimming performance was assessed during a 400-m freestyle before the experimental period, and at 10 days and 30 days after. The results demonstrated that only the tropical group increased performance (10.0 +/- 4.2 %, p < 0.03 for the tropical group 30 days after return). No significant change in performance was noted for the two other groups 10 or 30 days post-training. The results of the present study demonstrated that training in a tropical climate significantly enhances performance in swimmers 30 days after return to neutral climate. However, further studies are needed to evaluate the effects of such a climate on performance in other sports.

Published 4 January 2007 in Int J Sports Med, 28(1): 48-52.
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