INTRODUCTION Building on the review of Sousa et al. (2014) there are different methods to measure V.O2 in swimming. Here, the post-exercise gas analysis of the V.O2 is an established method to determine the V.O2 during swimming (V. O2swim). To get valid and reliable values of V.O2swim, the used analysis method is of great importance. Therefore, the objective of this work is to systematically review the validity and reliability of the methods used for post-swim gas analysis. METHODS PubMed, SPONET, SPOLIT, Sportdiscuss with full text databases were used for the systematic literature search. Articles were included that addressed the reliability and validity of different methods of post-exercise gas analysis of V. O2 in swimming between 01.01.2012 and 31.03.2023. RESULTS From 1206 articles, seven were identified as relevant. Several methods to determine V.O2swim were found: average of the first 20 s (AV20s), linear, exponential, or semi-logarithmic backward extrapolation (BE) of the first 10-30 s, model by Fickfs equation. Depending on the method, the V.O2swim assessed by online measurement can be estimated without significant mean differences by breath-by-breath gas analysis from post-exercise oxygen uptake. Using the model according to the Fick's equation, overestimations are the lowest at 0.1 % - 4.3 % with no significant differences. For BE methods there were some significant differences. Overestimations of V.O2swim were obtained by linear (up to 13.9 %) and semi-logarithmic (up to 20.6 %) BE. The AV20s method underestimates the V.O2swim by up to 8.7 %. DISCUSSION Post-exercise breathing can be used to estimate actual oxygen uptake during normal pool swimming. Using the Fickfs equation leads to the best validity and reliability. Due to there are no restrictions for the test protocol or for the swimmer, it is particularly well suited for use in the field. However, difficulties in data collection may arise if even the first breath of the afterload is not recorded. Thus, a well-practiced test procedure is significant for valid and reliable test results.
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