Cumulative Effects of a Week's Training Loads on Shoulder Physical Qualities and Wellness in Competitive Swimmers.
Matias Yoma, Lee Herrington, Tanya Anne Mackenzie
PMID 34956735WHAT IT FOUND
One week of training reduced shoulder external rotation range and worsened soreness and fatigue in swimmers, but strength stayed the same.
Higher weekly volume made training feel harder without causing extra physical or wellness deficits compared to lower volume.
Key findings
01Shoulder external rotation range of motion decreased significantly in both low-volume and high-volume groups after one week of training.
02Self-reported muscular soreness and overall wellness worsened in both groups, while fatigue and sleep quality worsened only in the high-volume group.
03There were no significant differences between the low-volume and high-volume groups for any shoulder physical quality or wellness factor, despite the high-volume group reporting higher perceived exertion.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Participants were assigned to volume groups by convenience, not randomisation, which may introduce bias. The study lasted only one week, so it cannot determine long-term adaptations or recovery patterns. External factors like academic or social stress were not controlled and could have influenced wellness scores. The high-volume group was tested at the end of the week and the low-volume group mid-week, so differences in fatigue and soreness may reflect time of day or day of week rather than volume alone. Results are averaged, which hides individual variability in response to training loads.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that higher weekly swim volume causes greater shoulder pain or physical deficits. The study found no significant differences in shoulder range of motion, strength, or wellness scores between the high-volume and low-volume groups, despite the high-volume group feeling the week was harder.