A recent study analysed relationships between estimated muscle-fibre type, blood lactate and the sporting specialisation of swimmers.
The results suggest that physiological profiles can align reasonably well with an athlete's chosen event specialisation.
No single value decides
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Even so, no laboratory value should ever be considered in isolation. Lactate, strength, technique, competition performance, training history and subjective responses have to be interpreted together.
Good performance testing does not replace coaching judgement; it provides evidence that can sharpen it.
Physiology explains specialisation only partly
Sprinters and distance swimmers differ markedly in their demands. While short distances require high anaerobic capacity and great speed, longer events are influenced more strongly by aerobic capacity and economy.
Muscle-fibre distribution and lactate responses can provide clues about these individual characteristics. But they should never be treated as a fixed destiny. Training influences metabolism, strength and performance over many years.
Technical factors also play a role. A physiologically strong sprinter can lose a great deal of potential through poor body position or weak underwater phases.
A diagnostic profile instead of a single test
It therefore makes sense to combine several methods. Lactate step tests, sprint tests, strength diagnostics, stroke rate, stroke length and race analyses complement one another.
For training monitoring, the trend over time is more informative than any single reading. A lactate value means little without the speed at which it was measured and the way that relationship has changed since earlier tests.
Performance testing is valuable only when it informs concrete training decisions. The aim is not to collect as much data as possible, but to identify the information that matters for the individual athlete.
SCIENTIFIC SOURCE
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42647362/