TABLE 1.
Baseline, physical performance, and health characteristics of swimmers.
| Characteristics | All subjects | Elite level swimmers | Sub-elite level swimmers | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participants,n(%) | 187(100.0) | 103(55.1) | 84(44.9) | — |
| Gender | ||||
| Male,n(%) | 105(100) | 53(50.5) | 52(49.5) | 0.152 |
| Female,n(%) | 82(100) | 50(61.0) | 32(39.0) | |
| Age,years, mean ± SD | 19.3 ± 2.7 | 19.0 ± 3.3 | 19.5 ± 1.7 | 0.167 |
| Years of professional training, median(IQR) | 7.3(4.7,11.5) | 6.2(3.9,7.7) | 11.1(7.3,13.1) | <0.001 |
| BMI,kg/m2,mean ± SD | 22.5 ± 2.6 | 22.1 ± 2.2 | 22.9 ± 2.9 | 0.027 |
| Body fat percentage, %, mean ± SD | 16.8 ± 6.5 | 15.4 ± 5.9 | 18.6 ± 6.7 | 0.001 |
| Grip,kg,mean ± SD | 39.1 ± 10.1 | 39.3 ± 10.4 | 38.9 ± 9.8 | 0.761 |
| Back strength,kg,mean ± SD | 100.6 ± 28.8 | 103.3 ± 28.9 | 97.3 ± 28.4 | 0.167 |
| SLJ,cm,mean ± SD | 224.7 ± 31.2 | 228.6 ± 31.7 | 220.0 ± 30.1 | 0.064 |
| SVJ,cm,mean ± SD | 38.7 ± 8.4 | 39.2 ± 8.8 | 38.2 ± 7.9 | 0.458 |
| Abdominal curl,n/min, mean ± SD | 55.2 ± 8.6 | 57.7 ± 8.2 | 52.1 ± 8.1 | <0.001 |
| Vital capacity, litre, mean ± SD | 5.1 ± 1.2 | 4.8 ± 1.1 | 5.4 ± 1.1 | <0.001 |
| Sit-and-reach,cm,mean ± SD | 20.0 ± 8.3 | 22.0 ± 8.1 | 17.6 ± 7.9 | <0.001 |
| Acoustic reaction time,ms,mean ± SD | 260.6 ± 28.1 | 258.0 ± 26.8 | 263.7 ± 29.5 | 0.169 |
| Resting heart rate,n/min,mean ± SD | 73.1 ± 11.2 | 71.1 ± 11.0 | 75.8 ± 10.9 | 0.005 |
| Hemoglobin,g/L,mean ± SD | 141.4 ± 14.7 | 139.8 ± 14.9 | 143.4 ± 14.3 | 0.095 |
| EPO,mIU/mL,mean ± SD | 8.6 ± 3.4 | 8.4 ± 2.5 | 8.8 ± 4.2 | 0.446 |
| MYO,ng/mL,median(IQR) | 19.3(15.8,23.4) | 18.9(15.7,22.5) | 19.8(16.0,24.3) | 0.141 |
Abbreviation: BMI, body mass index; SLJ, standing long jump; SVJ, standing vertical jump; EPO, erythropoietin; MYO, myoglobin; SD, standard deviation; IQR, interquartile range. p < 0.05 marked in bold.