Max Vo2, Anaerobic, LT, Aerobic Swimming

I am a runner and using swimming (right now) mostly for crosstraining, please don't hurt me. :D I know what these different zones are for running, but I don't know how they would correspond to actually swimming (putting them in practice). For runners, at least in the basic plan I'm following (Lydiard), you are not supposed to do any anaerobic training in your base phase (which I'm in), or very very little. I want to make sure that I am not going into anything more intense than LT, or at least be knowledgeable of what it takes to go into each zone. I must add - I love swimming, I am thinking of maybe doing a triathlon one day or perhaps joining a club. Thanks for the help! -x xxsprint - I enjoy running and swimming also, and I coach a small masters group that has quite a few folks that run. That being said, I have learned that there are some similarities between running and swimming and there are some differences. In running, I know in your base phase, long, slow runs are often the norm. Don't do this in swimming. It is a good way to get in the habit of having sloppy technique. Instead, in the base phase of swimming, I suggest focusing on lots of stroke drills -25s and 50s. For building your endurance in the base phase of swimming, I would suggest sets of build 50s and 100 with 15 seconds - 30 seconds rest between each swim. By build, I mean starting off each swim easy and building into a fast pace by the end of the swim. After this introductory stage, you can go to longer stroke drill swims, i.e. sets of 200s and 300s. You must, however, be mindful of practicing perfect technique on these longer swims. Basically, I would work on technique first and building up speed before you go into doing whole swims in an anaerobic state. In the base phase, take your HR after you swim a set or wear an HR monitor. If you go past your AT in the base phase of swimming, you are probably going a little too hard. I'd keep it at 80-85% tops in the early season. Hope that helps! Edit - If you are going to do triathlons, I suggest you read The Triathlete's Training Bible by Joe Friel. He has a self-test you can do to establish various swim zones. He also has workouts as well. I'm not a fan of long swims until good technique is well-established. Long swims using the wrong technique can be asking for an injury.

I am a runner and using swimming (right now) mostly for crosstraining, please don't hurt me. :D I know what these different zones are for running, but I don't know how they would correspond to actually swimming (putting them in practice). For runners, at least in the basic plan I'm following (Lydiard), you are not supposed to do any anaerobic training in your base phase (which I'm in), or very very little. I want to make sure that I am not going into anything more intense than LT, or at least be knowledgeable of what it takes to go into each zone. I must add - I love swimming, I am thinking of maybe doing a triathlon one day or perhaps joining a club. Thanks for the help! -x xxsprint - I enjoy running and swimming also, and I coach a small masters group that has quite a few folks that run. That being said, I have learned that there are some similarities between running and swimming and there are some differences. In running, I know in your base phase, long, slow runs are often the norm. Don't do this in swimming. It is a good way to get in the habit of having sloppy technique. Instead, in the base phase of swimming, I suggest focusing on lots of stroke drills -25s and 50s. For building your endurance in the base phase of swimming, I would suggest sets of build 50s and 100 with 15 seconds - 30 seconds rest between each swim. By build, I mean starting off each swim easy and building into a fast pace by the end of the swim. After this introductory stage, you can go to longer stroke drill swims, i.e. sets of 200s and 300s. You must, however, be mindful of practicing perfect technique on these longer swims. Basically, I would work on technique first and building up speed before you go into doing whole swims in an anaerobic state. In the base phase, take your HR after you swim a set or wear an HR monitor. If you go past your AT in the base phase of swimming, you are probably going a little too hard. I'd keep it at 80-85% tops in the early season. Hope that helps! Edit - If you are going to do triathlons, I suggest you read The Triathlete's Training Bible by Joe Friel. He has a self-test you can do to establish various swim zones. He also has workouts as well. I'm not a fan of long swims until good technique is well-established. Long swims using the wrong technique can be asking for an injury.