As we have already mentioned, the stroke most commonly used to develop your metabolic capacities is the freestyle.
Let’s see how we can improve our endurance, breathing capacity and cardiovascular efficiency using this stroke.
You can perform all of the following exercises after learning the right swimming technique, warming up and (possibly) measuring your MHR (maximum heart rate).
The intensity you are looking for is a heart rate of between 65%-80% of your MHR. If you do not know what your maximum heart rate is, work at an intensity that makes your face go “pink” without it ever turning “red”. Your face should stay the same colour and you should be able to talk without too much difficulty during rests.
Here are two training methods I recommend for increasing your endurance:
1. Over-Distance Training: this involves long continuous swims with no breaks. This exercise should last a total of over 45’.
Amateur swimmers, and even more experienced swimmers who are basically sprinters, should perform long but not excessively long sets, possibly repeating them 2-3 times.
The intensity of this exercise should be moderate, but it is also advisable to include a small amount of speed work with occasional sprints without stopping to induce the desired…
