Unfortunately for me, and fortunately for them, my answer is a definite yes. Especially if this base was built at young age, that is while the body is still growing.
Training regiment of this sort leave a permanent footprint.
I just don't see it. I am 45 and my last year of "serious" competitive swimming was at age 21, over half my life ago. No base remains from that.
I think you defined base as something like, the volume of work one can do in one week (I'm going from memory). If someone spent 20 years as a coach potato, I don't care how much he trained as a teenager, he won't have the base of almost any masters swimmer who practices regularly.
As Q pointed out, that doesn't mean he couldn't throw down a respectable 50 or even a 100 (though I bet the latter would hurt a lot), but it isn't due to any lingering base.
As far as some sort of permanent physiological footprint...maybe. But not a base as I understand you defined it, that will have a shelf-life unless actively maintained.
Unfortunately for me, and fortunately for them, my answer is a definite yes. Especially if this base was built at young age, that is while the body is still growing.
Training regiment of this sort leave a permanent footprint.
I just don't see it. I am 45 and my last year of "serious" competitive swimming was at age 21, over half my life ago. No base remains from that.
I think you defined base as something like, the volume of work one can do in one week (I'm going from memory). If someone spent 20 years as a coach potato, I don't care how much he trained as a teenager, he won't have the base of almost any masters swimmer who practices regularly.
As Q pointed out, that doesn't mean he couldn't throw down a respectable 50 or even a 100 (though I bet the latter would hurt a lot), but it isn't due to any lingering base.
As far as some sort of permanent physiological footprint...maybe. But not a base as I understand you defined it, that will have a shelf-life unless actively maintained.
