Cardiocirculatory, metabolic, and perceptual responses in elite wheelchair fencing competition

• Published in: Apunts. educació física i esports 2024-07 (157), p.51-57
• Main Authors: Martín-Ruiz, Julio, Alarcón-Jiménez, Jorge, de-Bernardo, Nieves, Iglesias, Xavier, Ruiz-Sanchis, Laura
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Energy; Exercise; Fencing; Heart rate; Metabolism; Physical fitness; Sports training; Strength training; Wheelchairs; Women
• ISSN: 0214-8757
• DOI: 10.5672/apunts.2014-0983.es.(2024/3).157.06

Wheelchair fencing is a sport characterized by intermittent bursts of effort in which the speed of actions is at its maximum. However, there is a lack of literature concerning the evolution of fatigue in this sport when compared to the available information related to the Olympic discipline. The objective of this study was to calculate the cardiocirculatory, metabolic, and perceptual values in an international wheelchair fencing competition in order to enhance the resources for specific training for this sport. A total of 16 fencers from categories A (7) and B (9) competed. The participants were monitored for heart rate, blood lactate, and perceived exertion during each phase of the competition. Both heart rate (p = .014) as well as blood lactate (p = .037) and perceived exertion (p = .04) increased more in the direct elimination phase than in the pool phase and stabilized during the final portion of the competition. In conclusion, all the parameters analyzed tended to increase after the pool phase and reached their maximum values during direct elimination bouts. Despite the metabolic values slightly exceeding the aerobic threshold, there is a need to create training strategies to delay fatigue, and thereby prevent coordination errors, as preventing said errors is particularly important in this Paralympic discipline, as it requires heightened accuracy at maximum speeds.