EFFECT OF TRAINING ON HORMONAL RESPONSES TO EXERCISE IN COMPETITIVE SWIMMERS

The effects of 9 weeks of training on responses of plasma hormones to swimming were studied in eight competitive swimmers who had not trained for several months. Two types of swimming tests were used: (1) 200 yd, a high intensity, exhausting type of exercise in which maximal effort was required both before and after training, and (2) 1000 yd, a pace type of exercise in which subjects swam as fast as possible prior to training and at the same rate after training. Plasma levels of glucagon increased and of insulin decreased during 1000 yd of swimming, but were not altered by 200 yd of swimming. No training effects were apparent in responses of plasma insulin and glucagon to these short-term, high intensity exercise tests. During the 1000 yd swim, plasma adrenaline was 0.8 ng/ml before vs. 0.1 ng/ml after training. Plasma noradrenaline response decreased from 3.4 to 1.2 ng/ml as a result of training. In the 200 yd swim, adrenaline, but not noradrenaline, was lower after training. © 1979 Springer-Verlag.