538 Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2007, 21(2), 538–542  2007 National Strength & Conditioning Association EFFECTS OF TAPER ON SWIMMING FORCE AND SWIMMER PERFORMANCE AFTER AN EXPERIMENTAL TEN-WEEK TRAINING PROGRAM MARCELO PAPOTI, 1 LUIS E.B. MARTINS, 2 SERGIO A. CUNHA, 1,2 ALESSANDRO M. ZAGATTO, 1,3 AND CLAUDIO A. GOBATTO 1 1 Sa ˜o Paulo State University–UNESP, Rio Claro, Sa ˜o Paulo, Brazil; 2 University of Campinas–UNICAMP, Sa ˜o Paulo, Brazil; 3 University of Mato Grosso do Sul–UFMS, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. ABSTRACT. Papoti, M., L.E.B. Martins, S.A. Cunha, A.M. Za- gatto, and C.A. Gobatto. Effects of taper on swimming force and swimmer performance after an experimental ten-week training program. J. Strength Cond. Res. 21(2):538–542. 2007.—The pur- pose of this research was to examine how an 11-day taper after an 8.5-week experimental training cycle affected lactate levels during maximal exercise, mean force, and performance in train- ing swimmers, independent of shaving, psychological changes, and postcompetition effects. Fourteen competition swimmers with shaved legs and torsos were recruited from the Sa ˜o Paulo Aquatic Federation. The training cycle consisted of a basic train- ing period (endurance and quality phases) of 8.5 weeks, with 5,800 m·d -1 mean training volume and 6 d·wk -1 frequency; and a taper period (TP) of 1.5 weeks’ duration that incorporated a 48% reduction in weekly volume without altering intensity. At- tained swimming force (SF) and maximal performance over 200- m maximal swim (Pmax) before and after taper were measured. After taper, SF and Pmax improved 3.6 and 1.6%, respectively ( p  0.05). There were positive correlations ( p  0.05) between SF and Pmax before (r = 0.86) and after (r = 0.83) the taper phase. Peak lactate concentrations after SF were unaltered be- fore (6.79  1.2 mM) and after (7.15  1.8 mM) TP. Results showed that TP improved mean swimming velocity, but not in the same proportion as force after taper, suggesting that there are other factors influencing performance in faster swimming. KEY WORDS. periodization, lactate, training INTRODUCTION R eduction in training load some weeks before major competitions is common practice with swimming trainers. The objective of this re- duction is to improve swimmer performance in specific training periods. This procedure is called ‘‘taper’’ and, physiologically, seems to promote en- ergy substrate supercompensation from the stimulated depletion in each intensive training session. Despite insufficient scientific data, trainers and ath- letes alike report that the success of every cycle training, especially those that precede competitions, seems to de- pend on taper period (TP). This period consists of main- taining training intensity, but with a progressive reduc- tion in exercise volume. These training period character- istics, associated with swimming technique evolution and body hair shaving, help swimmers reach their peak phys- ical and psychological (5, 6) condition on competition day, resulting in increased performance (10, 11). Some studies have shown that maximal oxygen up- take (V ˙ O 2 max), blood lactate concentrations in submaxi- mal exercise, and economy of movement can increase or can remain unchanged in highly trained athletes during TPs prior to competition (12) and that these improve- ments in tapered athletes are linked more closely to neu- romuscular (12, 18) and specific muscular changes than to changes in metabolic processes (7, 9, 17, 20). Neary et al. (15) investigated changes in performance and enzyme activity in 25 cyclists and triathletes before and after 4- and 8-day TPs with progressive volume reduction and maintained intensity. They measured ventilatory thresh- old, maximal endurance, and the activity of enzymes in- volved in aerobic (carnitine palmityltransferase, citrate synthase, -hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase and cyto- chrome oxidase) and anaerobic (lactate dehydrogenase) metabolic systems, and stored glycogen by lateral vastus muscle biopsy. These authors reported a significant in- crease in aerobic capacity after taper, demonstrated by improved endurance, increased ventilatory threshold, and a 35% gain in muscle glycogen concentrations. How- ever, they did not find improvements in aerobic and an- aerobic enzymatic activity in either taper protocol. Significant improvements in force and power seem to be the main adaptations after taper (2, 8, 9). Even so, increased swimming power is not always accompanied by improvements in performance (5). Researchers investigating taper frequently encounter methodology difficulties. For example, the ideal time to test aerobic and anaerobic effort is a few days before an important competition, yet this could harm swimmer per- formance. However, conducting these tests 1 or 2 days after the competition could have a negative influence on the results. Another taper investigation problem is the effect of body hair shaving; this is normally done about 24 hours before a competition and can lead to overesti- mates of metabolic adaptations in this period, because it causes a difference between pre- and posttaper test con- ditions. With this in mind, this investigation examined the effects of an 11-day taper after an 8.5-week experi- mental training cycle on lactate levels during maximal exercise, as well as on mean force and performance in training swimmers, independent of the possible effects of body shaving and postcompetition psychological changes. METHODS Experimental Approach to the Problem In an attempt to neutralize any positive or negative post- competition effects, swimmers were submitted to an ex- perimental TP especially tailored to this research; 2 days before and 2 days after taper, swimmers shaved exposed body hair and performed a 30-second maximal effort test using the front crawl to determine swimming force (SF). Twenty-four hours after the SF test, they performed a 200-m maximal effort using the front crawl.