Effects of Different Ischemic Preconditioning Protocols on Sprint Swimming Speed: A Crossover Study

This study aimed to analyze the acute effect of different ischemic preconditioning (IPC) protocols on the swimming speed of athletes in a 100-meter freestyle event. This is a crossover clinical trial in which 12 male athletes (16.2 ± 1.5 years), swimmers, were randomly submitted to 4 protocols: 1) ischemic preconditioning in the upper limbs / IPC-UL; 2) ischemic preconditioning in the lower limbs / IPC-LL; 3) ischemic preconditioning in the upper and lower limbs / IPC-UL/LL; and 4) control / IPC-CONT. There was no significant difference between the different IPC protocols on the swimming speed of athletes in a 100-meter event (P > 0.05). However, in analyzing the absolute values ​​of each swimmer, it was noted that the IPC-UL and IPC-LL protocols were more effective in reducing the race time in 66% and 83% of the sample, respectively, when compared to the control protocol. It was concluded that there was no improvement in physical performance from a statistical point of view; however, from an individual point of view, the IPC-UL and IPC-LL protocols showed a reduction in the 100-meter race time in relation to the IPC-CONT, constituting a promising result in supporting the ergogenic effect of IPC in freestyle swimmers.