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By Coach Yan Busset
Racing & Training Differences Between Swimmers and Triathletes: Understanding the Unique Needs
Training for competitive swimming and swimming within triathlon may seem similar at first glance, a bit like comparing a track bike to a time trial bike. Both have two wheels, a saddle, and pedals, but the goals, techniques, and training that go with each are completely different because they’re designed for entirely different race conditions. Many tips and training methods often come from the world of competitive swimmers. While these insights can be valuable, they don't always fully apply to triathletes. Competitive swimmers focus on short, intense bursts of speed under controlled conditions, while triathletes must prioritize endurance, energy efficiency, and adaptability to open-water environments. Unlike in swimming races, triathletes also need to sustain their performance well beyond the swim segment. To optimize your training, it is crucial to understand these differences, allowing you to filter through the advice and determine what best fits the unique demands of triathlon.
1. Race Goals and Objectives: Most of the swimmers pool races are max 2 minutes or shorter, with a focus on maximum speed. Age group triathletes, on the other hand, may swim (depending on the race) from 10min up to one hour and half. While the objective shifts to maintaining a steady, efficient pace to conserve energy for cycling and running, integrating sprint work can still be highly beneficial for triathletes but the aerobic efficiency is key.
Key Takeaway: Triathletes should balance energy management with speed development, focusing on both stroke efficiency and pacing strategies to optimize performance.
2. Racing Environment: Competitive swimmers primarily race in pools with clear lanes and consistent conditions. In contrast, triathletes often race in open water, where conditions can be unpredictable, with waves, currents, and varying visibility. Additionally, triathlons may feature dense mass starts or rolling starts, creating physical contact and group dynamics that can disrupt rhythm and focus.
Although much of the training takes place in pools, it is crucial for triathletes to simulate race-specific demands by incorporating open-water sessions whenever possible. Training in a group can help mimic race conditions, allowing athletes to practice essential skills such as sighting, swimming in a straight line, and adapting to physical contact.
Key Takeaway: Train for the unique demands of open-water racing by practicing sighting and group swimming. Incorporate specific open-water sessions to build confidence and adaptability under race conditions.
3. Technique Adjustments: In the pool, swimmers perfect a smooth, controlled stroke with long, powerful movements and an arm return close to the water surface. This style can be maintained under calm conditions. However, in open water, where athletes may face shoulder-to-shoulder contact and choppy waves, adaptability becomes essential. Triathletes need a higher arm return to clear waves and maintain momentum when disrupted. A faster stroke cadence when needed can help regain momentum and control when faced with challenging conditions. The goal is to balance adaptability with striving for a stroke that mirrors pool efficiency as much as possible.
Key Takeaway: Develop a flexible stroke that can adapt to open water conditions, practicing both efficient technique and the ability to increase cadence or adjust arm return when necessary. Additionally, train to handle varying paces, enabling you to respond to race dynamics and changes in conditions effectively.
4. Breathing: In short, high-intensity pool races, competitive swimmers can afford to enter prolonged hypoxia by breathing infrequently. This strategy may enhance speed but isn't suitable for triathletes, who must prioritize frequent breathing to maintain oxygen levels and avoid performance-diminishing oxygen debt. While developing the skill to breathe bilaterally is valuable for balance and sighting, I recommend primarily breathing every two strokes to ensure sufficient oxygen intake.
Key Takeaway: Train for frequent breathing to prevent oxygen debt and balance your stroke. Practice bilateral breathing to improve sighting and adaptability, but use a two-stroke breathing pattern to optimize oxygen intake during races.
5. Efficiency and Energy-Saving Methods: In swimming, competitive athletes often rely on powerful leg kicks to maximize propulsion, particularly in short, high-intensity pool races where efficiency takes a backseat to pure effectiveness. However, this approach doesn't translate well to triathlon. For triathletes, excessive leg use can deplete oxygen stores rapidly, as the large muscles in the legs consume significant amounts of oxygen. Instead, the legs play a more stabilizing role, helping to maintain balance and streamline positioning without expending excessive energy. Efficient kicking conserves strength needed for the cycling and running portions of the race. Technique wise, aim for a two beat kick rhythm, meaning one kick per arm stroke only.
Another crucial energy-saving technique is drafting. Swimming in the slipstream of another athlete, either directly behind or slightly to the side, reduces water resistance and allows for easier pacing. Mastering this skill can significantly improve energy efficiency, but it requires practice to ensure it doesn’t disrupt your stroke rhythm.
Key Takeaway: Focus on using your legs for balance rather than propulsion and practice drafting to conserve energy. It doesn’t mean you need to skip practicing your kicks in training, as the few kicks you do will still need to be efficient.
6. Efficient Training Approach: Unlike competitive swimmers who may train daily in the pool, triathletes must balance swimming with cycling and running sessions. This often means fewer swimming sessions, making it essential to maximize the return on investment for each workout. Triathletes need to focus on targeted, efficient training sessions that emphasize technique, endurance, and adaptability.
Using training aids, such as pull buoys, paddles, or fins, can help add variety to sessions and work on specific aspects of swimming. While these tools should not replace the core focus on technique, they can enhance efficiency and help optimize limited training time. Additionally, triathletes must avoid unnecessary "junk miles" in training, instead prioritizing purposeful sessions that yield tangible improvements.
Key Takeaway: Maximize your limited swim training time by focusing on effective, purposeful sessions. Utilize training aids strategically to enhance technique and efficiency without compromising your overall development.
While competitive swimming and triathlon swimming share fundamental elements, they diverge significantly in terms of objectives, technique, and environmental challenges. By understanding these differences, you now have the keys to better evaluate the relevance of various training tips you may encounter online. You can discern which advice applies to your needs and which may be less effective for triathlon-specific goals.
Always keep your final goal in mind and question whether a particular tip aligns with your discipline's demands. Avoid simply copying training methods designed for pure swimmers, as triathlon is a unique sport with its own specific requirements. This principle also applies to tips from cycling or running specialists. Remember, triathlon is not just the addition of swim, bike and run, its a specific sport on its own, so your training need to reflect that too.
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