Strength of top swimmers

Interesting link - www.gsv1.de/freq_speed.htm I found this to be the most interesting study of the three (though maybe it was because it was the only one I could examine in detail). The only real relationship to strength is the fact that dryland training was not included in the experimental group, so the influence of strength training on performance was not directly addressed. Certainly the concept of getting faster while increasing both stroke rate and distance-per-stroke over the course of an entire race is simple enough, and ultimately all training programs try to do this one way or another. Just not quite so explicitly. For example: "It has previously been reported that elite swimmers have stroke frequency-velocity curves that are shifted up and to the right, greater distances per stroke, and higher stroke rates and velocities compared to less competitive swimmers. The stroke frequency-velocity relationship, when shifted up and to the right, has been shown to be associated with a reduced energy cost of swimming. High performance is related to higher stroke rates, greater distance per stroke and the ability to sustain these throughout the race. ... improving performance would necessitate a shift in the curve up and to the right. The data from the present study demonstrate that it is possible to shift the stroke frequency-velocity curve by as much as 10% per year, or 40% over four years. ... A significant shift in the stroke frequency-velocity curve for competitive velocities would not be expected in swimmers trained with long-distance. This later hypothesis needs to be tested on a population of swimmers engaged in a contemporary over-distance-based program." The truth (or not) of that last statement seems kind of important to verify. It seems to me that the top swimmers that come out of over-distance training are able to achieve exactly this kind of shift with such training, that's why they become good. Maybe training that is more explicitly focused on stroke frequency/velocity would achieve the same or better improvement more easily. But it might require more technically-proficient coaches to achieve. I do wish they had chosen faster swimmers for their study, the final sentence is a little weak: "Because we have no evidence to suggest otherwise, it is likely that this novel, unconventional training may be equally suited to elite swimmers as well as the more average athlete." I suppose they would have trouble getting top college swimmers to agree to be guinea pigs for 4 years. Still, it is a fairly old study (2000), why couldn't they interest some better swimmers based on the results of this work? Then again, top swimmers have presumably enjoyed much success with their high school training programs (or they wouldn't be elites!) and it might be difficult to sell them on something radical. The training had a lot of 25s in it...I hate 25s, though I understand their necessity. And the training/taper cycle is practically imprinted into my bones since I've been doing it for much of my life, it would be hard to think of doing something so different (though the study group did have a training cycle). Here is more about Budd Termin: www.teamtermin.com/coachtermin.shtml

Interesting link - www.gsv1.de/freq_speed.htm I found this to be the most interesting study of the three (though maybe it was because it was the only one I could examine in detail). The only real relationship to strength is the fact that dryland training was not included in the experimental group, so the influence of strength training on performance was not directly addressed. Certainly the concept of getting faster while increasing both stroke rate and distance-per-stroke over the course of an entire race is simple enough, and ultimately all training programs try to do this one way or another. Just not quite so explicitly. For example: "It has previously been reported that elite swimmers have stroke frequency-velocity curves that are shifted up and to the right, greater distances per stroke, and higher stroke rates and velocities compared to less competitive swimmers. The stroke frequency-velocity relationship, when shifted up and to the right, has been shown to be associated with a reduced energy cost of swimming. High performance is related to higher stroke rates, greater distance per stroke and the ability to sustain these throughout the race. ... improving performance would necessitate a shift in the curve up and to the right. The data from the present study demonstrate that it is possible to shift the stroke frequency-velocity curve by as much as 10% per year, or 40% over four years. ... A significant shift in the stroke frequency-velocity curve for competitive velocities would not be expected in swimmers trained with long-distance. This later hypothesis needs to be tested on a population of swimmers engaged in a contemporary over-distance-based program." The truth (or not) of that last statement seems kind of important to verify. It seems to me that the top swimmers that come out of over-distance training are able to achieve exactly this kind of shift with such training, that's why they become good. Maybe training that is more explicitly focused on stroke frequency/velocity would achieve the same or better improvement more easily. But it might require more technically-proficient coaches to achieve. I do wish they had chosen faster swimmers for their study, the final sentence is a little weak: "Because we have no evidence to suggest otherwise, it is likely that this novel, unconventional training may be equally suited to elite swimmers as well as the more average athlete." I suppose they would have trouble getting top college swimmers to agree to be guinea pigs for 4 years. Still, it is a fairly old study (2000), why couldn't they interest some better swimmers based on the results of this work? Then again, top swimmers have presumably enjoyed much success with their high school training programs (or they wouldn't be elites!) and it might be difficult to sell them on something radical. The training had a lot of 25s in it...I hate 25s, though I understand their necessity. And the training/taper cycle is practically imprinted into my bones since I've been doing it for much of my life, it would be hard to think of doing something so different (though the study group did have a training cycle). Here is more about Budd Termin: www.teamtermin.com/coachtermin.shtml