RESEARCH ARTICLE Intermittent hypoxic training improves anaerobic performance in competitive swimmers when implemented into a direct competition mesocycle Miøosz Czuba1*, Robert Wilk2, Jakub Karpiński2, Maøgorzata Chalimoniuk3, Adam Zajac1, JoÂzef Langfort1 a1111111111 1 Department of Sports Training, the Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice, Faculty of Physical Education, Katowice, Poland, 2 Department of Swimming, the Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical a1111111111 Education in Katowice, Faculty of Physical Education, Katowice, Poland, 3 Department of Tourism and a1111111111 Health in Biala Podlaska, JoÂzef Piøsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland a1111111111 a1111111111 *
[email protected] Abstract OPEN ACCESS The main objective of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of intermittent hypoxic train- Citation: Czuba M, Wilk R, Karpiński J, ing (IHT) on anaerobic and aerobic capacity and swimming performance in well-trained Chalimoniuk M, Zajac A, Langfort J (2017) swimmers. Sixteen male swimmers were randomly divided into a hypoxia (H) group (n = 8), Intermittent hypoxic training improves anaerobic performance in competitive swimmers when which trained in a normobaric hypoxia environment, and a control (C) group (n = 8), which implemented into a direct competition mesocycle. exercised under normoxic conditions. However, one participant left the study without expla- PLoS ONE 12(8): e0180380. https://doi.org/ nation. During the experiment group H trained on land twice per week in simulated hypoxia 10.1371/journal.pone.0180380 (FiO2 = 15.5%, corresponding to 2,500 m a.s.l); however, they conducted swim training in Editor: Michal Toborek, University of Kentucky normoxic conditions. Group C performed the same training program under normoxic condi- Medical Center, UNITED STATES tions.