How do you approach aerobic capacity training?
If you swim slow, you use the aerobic system directly as the majority of your energy needs come from the aerobic energy system.
If you swim fast, you use the aerobic system indirectly. Recovering from the anaerobic work taxes the aerobic system, plus unavoidable direct use of the aerobic system.
I do not see a reason why you would need to train just at a aerobic level. There is no avoiding the aerobic system becoming trained unless you do no training at all. But there is a need to train anaerobically.
Let me propose a different volume model. Instead of yardage, worry about energy expenditure. Energy demands increase exponentially as speed increases linearly, and this is obvious to everyone who has tried to go just one second faster and noticed that it is so much harder than the previous second was.
This is much more difficult to track I am afraid.
How do you approach aerobic capacity training?
If you swim slow, you use the aerobic system directly as the majority of your energy needs come from the aerobic energy system.
If you swim fast, you use the aerobic system indirectly. Recovering from the anaerobic work taxes the aerobic system, plus unavoidable direct use of the aerobic system.
I do not see a reason why you would need to train just at a aerobic level. There is no avoiding the aerobic system becoming trained unless you do no training at all. But there is a need to train anaerobically.
Let me propose a different volume model. Instead of yardage, worry about energy expenditure. Energy demands increase exponentially as speed increases linearly, and this is obvious to everyone who has tried to go just one second faster and noticed that it is so much harder than the previous second was.
This is much more difficult to track I am afraid.
