This blog is by Tony McGuinness, owner of Neurotech swimming and mentor to Richard Watts, head coach at The Swim Guru. A report to the Biomechanics & Medicine in Swimming VII (pp. 201-207) By Mujika, I. Busson, T., and Geyssant A. & Chatard J. C. (1996) Training content and its effect on performance in 100- and 200-meter swimmers.
J. P. Troup, A. P. Hollander, D. Strasse, S. W. Trappe, J. M. Cappaert, & T. A. Trappe (Eds. The following was stated:
“Relationships between training intensity, volume, frequency, and performance variations were examined in elite French swimmers (N =18). There were also differences between swimmers who improved their records over a given season. All swimmers noticed that seasonal improvements were strongly correlated with their season’s training intensity but not with their training volume or frequency. The swimmers who suffered the most from the off-season were less likely to improve in the following training season. Implications: The key to producing a training effect is intensity.
This research has made it clear that their velocity is the most critical factor in continuous progress for swimmers.
This research also reveals that swimmers must adapt to this type of work at a physiological level.
Nearly 100% of the swimmer’s muscle fibers are involved in events up to 182.88m (220 yards).
High-velocity training over short distances can enhance swimmer’s buffering ability. This is in addition to the endurance and speed-through-temporality methods. A swimmer who needs to be positive and proactive in their training will need to recruit all of the swimmer’s muscle fibres to do the best work.
My observation is that open water swimmers and distance swimmers don’t do any fast, high-velocity work that requires them to swim at their maximum speed. They may go through aerobic training at the same speed or do interval training where they swim at a faster pace.
These workouts are great, but distance swimmers often fear other types of exercise like sprinting. Both can be very beneficial to your swimming. Swimming training is incomplete if there isn’t high-speed sprint work. Are there any benefits to master swimmers who participate in open water events such as the 800m, 1500m, or 1500m? Simple answer: Yes.
Why does sprint training for swimmers competing in 800m/1500m events and open water events work? The majority of training logic in swimming today points to sprint training as the key to endurance events. It makes sense on a superficial level, and I don’t dispute it. However, you need to have a strong aerobic base to compete in the 800m/10k+ events.
High velocity sprint training increases your aerobic base and makes your muscles more efficient. High velocity short distance training will only help your overall performance if you have an aerobic base or a program that will get you on the path to building one. If you’re doing the basics correctly, high-velocity short distance training can only help. You will see the magic 2% to 3% improvement. This is the icing on the cake.
This type of training focuses on your maximum swimming velocity. You will see an improvement in your VO2max. Their aerobic capacity does not limit most swimmers’ VO2max, but rather their inability or inability to swim fast enough. Most distance/open water swimmers are slow learners who practice slowly to improve their muscle firing.
Swimmers must train their neuromuscular system to get the most out of their aerobic training. This is not all. Your body will swim faster when you do sprint training at high velocity. Your 800m, 1500m, and 10k times will appear slower if you practice swimming at your maximum speed. Sprinting at high speed creates neuromuscular efficiency, which teaches your muscles how best to move.
Sprint work at high velocity is also great for recruiting all your muscle fibres. A swimmer can make their muscles stronger and more efficient by involving all of their muscle fibres in a 100% effort sprint. This will protect them against injury.
Swimming at maximum effort will raise your heart rate, and require more coordination. Your intensity may not be high enough. You can burn more calories and speed up your metabolism by including sprint work in your training.
