Anaerobic Vs. Aerobic Swimming Workouts
There are two different kinds of swimmers: long-distance swimmers and sprint swimmers. The major difference between their muscles is the ratio of anaerobic (Type II) muscles to aerobic muscles (Type I).
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Basics
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Every swimmer has a preferred style. If a swimmer feels that long-distance swimming is easier for him than intense sprinting, he most likely has a larger number of aerobic muscle fibers as opposed to anaerobic muscle fibers; vice versa for short-distance swimmers.
Short Distance Swimming
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Since short-distance swimmers have a larger proportion of anaerobic muscles, they can produce a lot of energy for a short amount of time. The number of anaerobic muscle fibers a person has is entirely dependent on his genetic makeup. Some people were born to be sprinters. Other people were born to be long-distance swimmers.
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Long-Distance Swimming
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Long-distance swimmers were blessed with more aerobic muscle fibers. Their muscles can keep them swimming for hours, but they can't generate as much power as sprinters. Ehow swimming writer "Cloudness" offers this description as the ideal long-distance swimming workout: "Think of it as a casual walk, not a race. There's no need to get there as fast as you can, it's not a race and you'll only tire yourself."
Long-distance swimmers may have a muscular makeup of 80 percent aerobic and 20 percent anaerobic, while sprinters may have a makeup of 80 percent anaerobic and 20 percent aerobic.
Workouts
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Exercises that train the aerobic muscles will consist of long swims that last for more than a half-hour. Workouts that stimulate the fast-twitch muscles can be no longer than 300 meters. An example of an aerobic swimming workout would be swimming 1,500 meters without stopping at the highest pace you can go without losing breath. A 100-meter all-out sprint is the ideal workout for a sprinter.
Effects
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Swimming sprints enlarges your muscle and makes it harder and faster. Michael Phelps is an example of a sprinting swimmer. Long-distance swimming may not even change your physique at all, unless you are trying to lose weight. Aerobic muscle becomes larger much more slowly than anaerobic muscle.
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