AUTHOR=Venâncio Tiago F. , Costa Mário J. , Santos Catarina C. , Batalha Nuno , Hernández-Beltrán Víctor , Gamonales José M. , Espada Mário C. 

TITLE=Evolution of documents related to strength training research on competitive swimmers: a bibliometric review

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sports and Active Living

VOLUME=Volume 7 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2025.1603576

DOI=10.3389/fspor.2025.1603576

ISSN=2624-9367

ABSTRACT=BackgroundThe purpose of this study is to conduct a bibliometric and scoping review to map the evolution of scientific literature on strength training in competitive swimmers.MethodsWeb of Science database was used considering the time frame between 1980 and 2024. The following terms were used to search documents: “swimmers”, “strength”, and “training”. A total of 460 documents were included for statistical analysisResultsUntil 2000, fewer than 5 manuscripts were published annually, and only after 2011 did the number regularly exceed 20, peaking in 2021 with 43 publications. Among the top 10 authors, 7 are Portuguese, each with at least 7 published papers. A total of 726 institutions were identified, with 29 having published at least 5 studies. The “Universidade da Beira Interior” had the most publications (20), while the “University of Copenhagen” received the most citations (619) with just 3 papers. Sixty countries contributed overall, with 10 publishing at least 20 documents; the United States of America led with 83. The most prominent keywords over time were “sports performance,” “speed,” and “swimming performance.”ConclusionThese results highlight that bibliometric analysis provides pertinent information, very useful regarding research trends and networks, aiming for future research on the topic of strength in swimmers.