With a few training sessions under your belt and a good number of kilometers achieved, the beginner level is far behind you. Here's a short list of the vocabulary you need to know to tackle the next level. On your swimsuits!
Equipment
To perfect your style and build up your power, there are a few more useful tools.
- The elastic band: slips around your ankles. By immobilising your legs, it allows you to concentrate on your arm movements alone. It's a bit like the pull-buoy but without the float. As a result, you work well on your support and a lot on your strength.
- The hydro-brake: yes, there is such a thing. It's a foam 'doughnut' that soaks up water and becomes a constant brake. It can be worn around the ankles, but is most often pulled by a wire attached to the waist.
And for tech fans, the connected objects: glasses in which you can read your training data, and of course the smartwatch that you can sync with your OpenSwim app 😉.
With style
- Amplitude : it's all in the words. Go for the water as far as possible to ensure a good grip with a minimum of movement.
- Descending/Ascending: swim faster and faster (so swimming times decrease), or slower and slower (swimming times increase).
- Catch: Place your arms stretched out in front of you on the surface, with your left arm stationary. Move your arms all the way to the right until you catch your left arm. Then repeat with your left arm. No pause, fluid movement. With application...
- Flow: position of the body underwater after diving or pushing off, maximising the speed and efficiency of the swim.
Breathing patterns
3/5/7: Breathe every 3 strokes, then 5, then 7, to increase your lung capacity and thus your endurance. After that, you'll be able to do your 50m without breathing, just like the champions!
Intensities
This is where it gets more scientific...
- Aerobic/anaerobic: for the advanced athletes, these words are already familiar. But a quick reminder doesn't hurt.
Aerobic exercise (using the oxygen provided by breathing) develops endurance. The intensity is moderate, with short rest periods but increasingly long distances. Ex: 2 x 900 (100 Cr - 50 Br - 100 Cr - 50 Back) R : 1'
Anaerobic training (without using the oxygen provided by breathing - well, it's all relative) is used to develop power. The intensity is high, with longer rest periods and shorter distances. Ex: 4 x 50m Cr speed with 1’30’’ rest between each 50m then repeat in a different stroke.
- MAS: Maximal Aerobic Speed, the speed in km/h at which you consume the maximum amount of oxygen (VO2 max). Below this MAS, oxygen consumption increases with the intensity of the effort and energy comes from aerobic metabolism. Above this MAS, oxygen consumption increases with the intensity of the effort.
- HR: simply your heart rate in bpm.
That's all there is to it. With this 3rd level vocabulary, you're all set for training. Next time, we'll take you into the zones...
Do not hesitate to refer to the previous articles, Level 1 vocabulary and Level 2 vocabulary. And if you are in doubt, refer to the glossary in theOpenSwim app.