Swim Swam – “The Best Breathing Pattern In The 100 Freestyle”

“The human body is equipped with two systems to produce energy for fast swimming, aerobic (requires oxygen) and anaerobic(no oxygen required). Both are used in tandem to produce ATP, the fuel for our muscles, but there are significant differences between the two energy systems that you should consider when choosing a breathing pattern for a specific race.

While the purpose of this article is not to describe these different energy systems in detail and how they work, it is to try to come up with the best possible breathing solution for the 100 freestyle. The reason that the breathing pattern in the 100 freestyle (and butterfly) is more controversial than for other distances is that for events shorter than 100 meters, the energy is predominantly derived from the anaerobic system. In events longer than 100 meters, the energy is predominantly derived from the aerobic system. In the 100 meters, the energy derivation is about half aerobic and half anaerobic.”

 

Click here for full article.

Nutrition for Aquatic Athletes

FINA President’ message
“It is my great pleasure to introduce the FINA Yakult Nutrition Brochure, a very useful publication aiming at giving practical information on an important matter: the nutritional needs of our aquatic athletes.
FINA is fortunate to have great Stars in our six aquatic disciplines and much has been said and
written about their meticulous and demanding preparation for our major competitions. The
technique, the biomechanics, the dryland training, or the prevention of injuries are recurrent
themes in the specialised literature, but I believe that the specific theme of nutrition also
deserves a thorough work like the one presented in this brochure.
Based on a specific Conference hosted by FINA and Yakult in London (GBR), in 2013, this
publication details all the aspects related to a healthy strategy in this field, highlighting the
specific needs in each of our sports. It has also in consideration different groups (young
athletes, female competitors…) and multiple situations (training, travelling, competition…).
Our FINA Sports Medicine Committee has been very active in researching and publicising all matters related with the health of our athletes. The organisation of the FINA World Sports Medicine Congress, every two years, is a concrete example of this effort and is already a fundamental rendezvous for all the experts in this domain.
I am sure that this brochure will, once more, be a powerful tool to disseminate this message in such an impor
tant matter.
I take this opportunity to sincerely thank all those responsible for its publication and I also express my gratitude to the experts that gave their contribution on athletes’ nutrition.
Finally, I address my appreciation and recognition to our partner Yakult for its involvement and support to this project.
The best reward to this valuable work will be given by our Stars. Thanks to these guidelines, their preparation will improveand, in consequence, their performances will be even better. This will continue bringing additional value to Aquatics in the five continents!”

Click here for full PDF