It's not a matter of choosing either swimming faster or swimming longer; both are crucial for well-rounded swimming development. Swimming longer distances at a slower pace builds a strong aerobic base, while speed work helps you become faster and more efficient.
Understanding the Benefits
Here's a breakdown of what each type of training provides:
Swimming Longer Distances (Slow Pace)
- Aerobic Capacity: Building a solid aerobic base is essential. Longer, slower swims improve your heart's efficiency and your body's ability to use oxygen, enabling you to sustain effort for extended periods. This is the foundation for more intense training.
- Endurance: Longer swims increase your stamina, which is vital for longer races or challenging swim sessions.
- Technique: Swimming at a slower pace allows for more focus on proper technique, which can translate to faster times as technique is refined.
- Strength: As referenced, swimming the distance makes us "structurally faster" when combined with tempo-intervals and speed training.
- Mental Toughness: Completing longer swims builds mental discipline and the ability to push through fatigue.
Swimming Faster (Speed Work)
- Speed: This training focuses on increasing your maximum speed.
- Power: Speed drills develop the power you need to propel yourself through the water.
- Efficiency: While speed work will feel like pushing, it also challenges you to find better efficiency at faster speeds.
- Race Preparation: Speed work is key for preparing for races, where going fast is the ultimate goal.
Combining Both for Optimal Results
The most effective training combines both types of swimming. Here's an example of how to incorporate both:
| Training Type | Focus | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Long, Slow Swims | Aerobic base, endurance, technique | 2000m continuous swim at a comfortable pace |
| Speed Intervals | Speed, power, efficiency | 8 x 100m sprints with recovery between sets |
Conclusion
The key takeaway is that neither speed nor distance training is inherently better than the other. Both are critical for developing a well-rounded swimming performance. As the reference indicates, "swimming the distance makes us stronger swimmers and swim structurally faster when combined with tempo-intervals and speed training." Your training should incorporate both long, slow swims to build endurance and speed work to improve your pace.
