BLOOD PRESSURE IS THE KEY PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICATOR OF HIKING PERFORMANCE IN LASER SAILORS

Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the physiological basis of hiking performance, which is the determinant of performance in laser class sailors. Method: This research was conducted with 16 male athletes between the ages of 15-25 who actively attend laser class races held by Turkish Sailing Federation. The participants were classified as High Performance (HP) and Low Performance (LP) according to their race results and the number of attended international races (as a member of national team). Physical and anthropometric measurements, performance measurements (isometric muscle endurance test during hiking position in simulator) of these volunteers were obtained. During the simulator test, heart rate per minute, systolic and diastolic blood pressure values were monitored and recorded as well. Mann Whitney U test was used to analyze the differences statistically among the groups. Result: Statistically significant differences were observed in the parameters of body mass index, isometric muscle endurance(time to exhaustion),diastolic blood pressure and heart rate during and after the test, and recovery heart rate in the FP and DP groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this study show that changes in the blood pressure parameters during the Hiking performance are an important indicator of performance. Monitoring blood pressure in the hiking position in competition-based training can contribute to the determination of the sailor's performance level and training needs. also shows that extensive researches with higher numbers of athletes are needed for future studies.