Background: Tapering, a period of reduced training load following intense training, contributes to performance enhancement. However, research on recovery status during tapering is limited. This study investigates the impact of recovery status on race performance.
Methods: Total quality recovery (TQR) scale scores were
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Background: Tapering, a period of reduced training load following intense training, contributes to performance enhancement. However, research on recovery status during tapering is limited. This study investigates the impact of recovery status on race performance.
Methods: Total quality recovery (TQR) scale scores were monitored over two seasons in 22 college competitive swimmers (age: 19.7 ± 1.8 years), including 6 females. They participated voluntarily in the study. Rolling averages (TQR
ra) and exponentially weighted moving averages (TQR
ewma) over 7, 14, 21, and 28 days before the race were calculated. Performance data from 550 race days were analyzed by quartiles, and odds ratios were computed for TQR-related variables against race performance improvements.
Results: The median TQR was 11 (interquartile range: 10–13). Seasonal bests were achieved in 31.6% of races (174 of 550). The highest odds ratios (ORs) for performance improvement in the highest quartile (Q4) of TQR and z-TQR were 3.13 (
p < 0.001) and 4.35 (
p < 0.001), respectively. Significant ratios for TQR
ewma were observed for 7d:21d (OR: 2.62,
p < 0.001) and 7d:28d (OR: 2.48,
p < 0.001) comparisons.
Conclusions: Better recovery status on race day has been associated with improved swimming performance. Additionally, optimizing the TQR
ewma ratio of the most recent 7 days compared to the preceding 21 to 28 days may further enhance race performance. It highlights the need to monitor an athlete’s recovery over several weeks as an important pre-race strategy.
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