What's more important: striving for maximal health/fitness and a long life or setting WRs or national records or team records in swimming?
I think the latter is overrated. I'm all for improving one's stroke and striving for PBs. Who isn't? PBs produce euphoria and pride and keep you on the path to improvement. But I wonder if restorative, technique based workouts that might help you improve in swimming and/or achieve world or local fame really help make one extremely fit or improve one's health? I think someone referred to Gary Hall as doing "sprinter" type high intensity training and doing his aerobic/strength training outside the pool, which seems perfectly sound. He's getting it all in. I think you need to get it all in and work hard. You gotta break a sweat. A lot. Frequently.
So will TI-ing your life away and looking pretty make you as fit as you can be? Isn't there something to be said for hard training? Not necessarily because it will improve your 50 free (everyone seems to agree it won't), but just to improve health, mental outlook, physical well being and keep the bod hot and the spouse interested? Plus, if you're a distance swimmer you gotta have some endurance. Talent and technique only get you so far, at least IMHO.
I just thought we were supposed to exercise more, and more intensely for optimal health.
What's more important?
I think you need BOTH! I watch this guy swim at the pool who is lean, muscular and fit and he is in his 60's. When he swims, he expends tons of energy, he has to be burning calories galore, but he does not GO anywhere. He twists and turns and his freestyle makes you look at him and go ug, and he comes in and swims freestyle everyday for an hour like that.
Now if he straightened himself out and learned to fix his stroke, he probably would not burn as many calories in the same distance, BUT, he would go farther in the same time, so probably could be as fit.
For me, I try to intermix technique and training and get the best of both, and I am a long way from either.
What's more important?
I think you need BOTH! I watch this guy swim at the pool who is lean, muscular and fit and he is in his 60's. When he swims, he expends tons of energy, he has to be burning calories galore, but he does not GO anywhere. He twists and turns and his freestyle makes you look at him and go ug, and he comes in and swims freestyle everyday for an hour like that.
Now if he straightened himself out and learned to fix his stroke, he probably would not burn as many calories in the same distance, BUT, he would go farther in the same time, so probably could be as fit.
For me, I try to intermix technique and training and get the best of both, and I am a long way from either.
