Effects of Training and Taper on Blood Leucocyte Populations in Competitive Swimmers: Relationships with Cortisol and Performance

The effects of 12 weeks of training and 4 weeks of taper on blood leucocyte populations and cortisol were investigated in 8 well-trained competition swimmers. Blood samples were taken at rest in the mid-season (week 10), before taper (week 22) and after taper (week 26). Swimmers improving by more th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of sports medicine 1996-04, Vol.17 (3), p.213-217
Main Authors: Mujika, I., Chatard, J.-C., Geyssant, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Basophils - cytology
Biological and medical sciences
Efficiency
Eosinophilia - pathology
Eosinophils - cytology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Granulocytes - cytology
Humans
Hydrocortisone - blood
Immunology
Leukocyte Count
Leukocytes - cytology
Leukopenia - pathology
Lymphocyte Count
Lymphocytosis - pathology
Male
Neutropenia - pathology
Neutrophils - cytology
Psychomotor Performance
Swimming - education
Swimming - physiology
Vertebrates: body movement. Posture. Locomotion. Flight. Swimming. Physical exercise. Rest. Sports
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Summary:The effects of 12 weeks of training and 4 weeks of taper on blood leucocyte populations and cortisol were investigated in 8 well-trained competition swimmers. Blood samples were taken at rest in the mid-season (week 10), before taper (week 22) and after taper (week 26). Swimmers improving by more than 2% with taper (N = 4), efficient (GE), were compared with swimmers improving by less than 2% (N = 4), less efficient (GLE). No significant changes were observed in leucocyte subpopulations or cortisol during training. The percentage of neutrophils decreased during taper (p < 0.05). Basophils and the percentage of granulocytes tended to decrease, while lymphocytes tended to increase. The increment in lymphocytes was positively related with the reduction in training volume during taper (r = 0.86, p < 0.05). Cortisol levels did not change with taper and were not related with leucocyte status and kinetics. GE swimmers had higher pre- and post-taper eosinophil counts than GLE swimmers (p < 0.05). Lymphocyte counts in GE tended to be higher, too. Cortisol decreased with taper in GE, while it increased in GLE. In conclusion, taper appeared to have an influence on leucocyte populations, which did not seem to be related with blood cortisol.
ISSN:0172-4622
1439-3964
DOI:10.1055/s-2007-972834