Prime years for male swimming.

Originally posted by Ion Beza ... So, age 29 is now considered within the "prime years for male swimming" in this sport that is physically fitness-driven. Matt, I threw in "..that is physically fitness-driven." and lenghten my statement, knowing that it brings a contentious point. 1) It is reported in www.fina.org that Olympian Alex Popov (Rus.) after a number of second placings in major competitions in mid-90s, cranked up his training in 1998 at in between 80 and 90 kilometers per week, with a majority of anaerobic threshold sets. In the year 2000, at age 28 and a half, he nailed a :21.64 in 50 meter freestyle in a 50 meter pool, new world record. So to do it, he increased his sprinter training mileage up to the level of an international middle distance swimmer. He boasts that he is dominating other sprinters with superior physical fitness. 2) It was reported in the year 2000 before the Olympics, in www.nbcolympics.com that Tom Dolan (US) was physically outtraining international competitors, with 70 miles per week workouts. Out of this 70 miles, less that 1 mile was technique drills and more than 69 were for the physical fitness conditioning. 3) I remember reading in www.swiminfo.com a few years ago, that when the 400 meter world record holder for women, Janet Evans (US) was training at Stanford, the coach Richard Quick declared that she taught him technique doesn't matter that much. 4) I was smiling in the year 1999 when training in New York made me see this woman doing way more than 50% of her workouts on technique drills, and me less than 10% of my workouts on technique drills, yet I would be blazing past her in any straight swim. 5) The San Diego Union Tribune on Monday March 4, 2002 reads: the "...aerobic capacity, as measured by maximal oxygen uptake tests..." among all sports is the highest in cross-country skiers, swimmers and marathoners. Achieving the biggest possible aerobic capacity, it is physical fitness, and is best done in teen-age years when the body grows. Unlimited more fitness conditioning is not better since it is physically draining to the point of regress, but more fitness conditioning up to a saturation point for each one to discover, it is better. When a new adult swimmer attempts to do a 200 butterfly for example, the major obstacle is not to understand the technique by means of visualization, the major obstacle is to execute the technique with brain conditioning and physical conditioning: blood vessels connecting the heart and the triceps are missing, blood vessels connecting the heart and the lats are missing, the muscles lats are missing, the kicking muscles are missing, the lungs are small, the aerobic capacity is nil, etc.. What I am saying is that better fitness allows for better technique but not than vice-versa.

Originally posted by Ion Beza ... So, age 29 is now considered within the "prime years for male swimming" in this sport that is physically fitness-driven. Matt, I threw in "..that is physically fitness-driven." and lenghten my statement, knowing that it brings a contentious point. 1) It is reported in www.fina.org that Olympian Alex Popov (Rus.) after a number of second placings in major competitions in mid-90s, cranked up his training in 1998 at in between 80 and 90 kilometers per week, with a majority of anaerobic threshold sets. In the year 2000, at age 28 and a half, he nailed a :21.64 in 50 meter freestyle in a 50 meter pool, new world record. So to do it, he increased his sprinter training mileage up to the level of an international middle distance swimmer. He boasts that he is dominating other sprinters with superior physical fitness. 2) It was reported in the year 2000 before the Olympics, in www.nbcolympics.com that Tom Dolan (US) was physically outtraining international competitors, with 70 miles per week workouts. Out of this 70 miles, less that 1 mile was technique drills and more than 69 were for the physical fitness conditioning. 3) I remember reading in www.swiminfo.com a few years ago, that when the 400 meter world record holder for women, Janet Evans (US) was training at Stanford, the coach Richard Quick declared that she taught him technique doesn't matter that much. 4) I was smiling in the year 1999 when training in New York made me see this woman doing way more than 50% of her workouts on technique drills, and me less than 10% of my workouts on technique drills, yet I would be blazing past her in any straight swim. 5) The San Diego Union Tribune on Monday March 4, 2002 reads: the "...aerobic capacity, as measured by maximal oxygen uptake tests..." among all sports is the highest in cross-country skiers, swimmers and marathoners. Achieving the biggest possible aerobic capacity, it is physical fitness, and is best done in teen-age years when the body grows. Unlimited more fitness conditioning is not better since it is physically draining to the point of regress, but more fitness conditioning up to a saturation point for each one to discover, it is better. When a new adult swimmer attempts to do a 200 butterfly for example, the major obstacle is not to understand the technique by means of visualization, the major obstacle is to execute the technique with brain conditioning and physical conditioning: blood vessels connecting the heart and the triceps are missing, blood vessels connecting the heart and the lats are missing, the muscles lats are missing, the kicking muscles are missing, the lungs are small, the aerobic capacity is nil, etc.. What I am saying is that better fitness allows for better technique but not than vice-versa.