Tell me again why LSD doesn't apply to Swimming (Page 3)

I used to swim competitively and I think that both LSD and intervals apply to swimming. These are different training techniques with different goals. However, I think there are a couple of points that make interval swimming more prevalent than intervals in cycling and running.

First, there are different types of intervals.

1) Low duty cycle, high intensity - (short swim, longer rest) - This is closer to weight training than endurance training. It builds strength and speed. It needs to be treated as such, meaning you wouldn't do this type of workout every day. You need recovery time for these workouts to be effective.

2) High duty cycle (rest is 15% or less of the swim time) - These are generally longer sets where pacing is important. The rest provides two key things. One is feedback on your pace. It is important to understand be able to match how you feel in the water with your actual performance. Being able see split times is useful for establishing a pace over a longer distance. The second thing is it provides just enough rest for you to refocus on your stroke mechanics. Over a particular distance everyone's stroke begins to degrade a bit. This type of interval allows you to do a longer distance with proper mechanics. Eventually, you train you muscles enough to allow you to go a longer distance before your stroke starts breaking down.

3) Low duty cycle, low intensity - (longer rest than swimming) These are primarily used for stroke drills, specifically focusing on things like distance per stroke etc.

The key points that I think cause these to be more prevalent in swimming are the following:

1) Form - This is by far the most important. As I mentioned on the high cycle duty intervals, re-establishing mechanics is critical. These mechanics are more important in swimming than in the other disciplines. Stroke drills are also critical to developing proper mechanics. The low intensity, low duty cycle intervals are more about developing technique than training. A low intensity interval is almost an oxymoron in the other disciplines.

2) Pace - Most athletes measure their pace on the bike and running. It's an important feedback mechanims to make the workout more effective. For example it's important to know whether you actually negative split a particular distance, or it just felt like you were pushing harder because you were fatigued. It's more difficult to measure swimming performance without stopping. The high duty cycle intervals allow longer swims with pace measurements.

3) Strength - The shorter intervals are important for building strength in swimming. This becomes particularly important during open water swims when you are being battered around by other swimmers and chop. This type of "interference" is less prevalent in running and cycling. The closest equivalent might be having to pickup the pace to pass a slower cyclist in the alloted 15 seconds. However, the maneuvering around in the water is much more dramatic so having extra strength reserves for short bursts is more important.

All this being said I use LSD as well as intervals. I done workouts of 3000 yards straight. However, I use mostly intervals of different types in my swim workouts.

Sorry for the long winded post. Hopefully Mike won't ding me for misinformation. Just my 2 cents.

Brittain

Edited by bfraley 2006-11-14 12:10 PM