Speed and endurance-question about practice pattens
Former Member
I have a question about practicing for speed and endurance. Consider two practice patterns:
a. You focus on improving speed in 25m swims; i.e. you don't swim consecutive laps, but pause for seconds/minutes after each length. After some months you will have increased your speed for very short distance (25m), but you don't know your speed for longer distance.
b. You focus on endurance by swimming non-stop for as long as you can, without regard to speed. So after some months, you will be able to swim some 1000s, in moderate or low speed.
What I am interested to know is, which practice pattern will likely help achieve the other practice goal more? In other words, will (a) help improve endurance more, or will (b) help improve speed more?
Man, I really need to learn how to communicate on these boards, because I'm beginning to realize I am terrible at it. I was being sarcastic with the "attack" comment.
No harm. Sarcasm doesn't transmit well electronically.
Mostly I was responding to the comment that training 25s could accomplish both objectives. But I could argue both sides easily enough:
-- doing lots of 25s with low rest will help you develop endurance; doing few of them with lots of rest can develop speed
-- doing 1000s at moderate pace develops endurance; varying speed during the 1000s (fartlek training) can develop both speed and endurance.
Of course, if I'm on a desert island, maybe I'd rather have the ability to swim LONG distances instead... :)
Man, I really need to learn how to communicate on these boards, because I'm beginning to realize I am terrible at it. I was being sarcastic with the "attack" comment.
No harm. Sarcasm doesn't transmit well electronically.
Mostly I was responding to the comment that training 25s could accomplish both objectives. But I could argue both sides easily enough:
-- doing lots of 25s with low rest will help you develop endurance; doing few of them with lots of rest can develop speed
-- doing 1000s at moderate pace develops endurance; varying speed during the 1000s (fartlek training) can develop both speed and endurance.
Of course, if I'm on a desert island, maybe I'd rather have the ability to swim LONG distances instead... :)
