How much is swimming going to help my aerobic base?

Not really. You're going to improve your lung capacity but you're not going to be able to push your heart rate high enough. Any gain you get in lung capacity is going to be offset by increased bulk in your upper body muscles. It's a great workout, but it's not really specific to running.

Swimming can be great complementary training to low miliage running. However if you want to see the biggest gains in translate into your running fitness, you have to go pretty hard and do more then 1000 yards per session. The lack of impact stress allows you to train harder and get big gains in aerobic fitness. Try doing interval swim workouts as you would running, using 400m running=100 yards swimming.

gopre26 wrote:

In the low mileage phase of my cross country build up and started swimming around 1000yds a day. Is this going to help me in the long run if I keep it up through out my training?

Swimming will not improve your base. There is no vertical height between running muscles and working heart as you are in horizontal position and your left ventricle will not stretch.

Best is:

1) ski (you are vertical, all muscles are working)

2) running

3) rowing on sup

4) cycling (double less effective compare to running, as you are seating and distance between heart and working muscles is shorter).

Canefis wrote:

Swimming will not improve your base.

I would not use such absolute statements, Slava.

I understand your sentiment, but to say that it will NOT improve at all is just radical.

There's a reason swimmers have practice that last hours and hours. 1000 yrd is of no benefit.

SummerSlogger wrote:

There's a reason swimmers have practice that last hours and hours. 1000 yrd is of no benefit.

It depends on how long it takes him. Swimmers can do an easy 1000 yds in 11-12 min while humming Christmas carols to themselves. Maybe this guy takes 20 min to do it and is gassed.

Running still makes people faster at running. Isn’t there something about aqua jogging, though?

the other thing wrote:

SummerSlogger wrote:

There's a reason swimmers have practice that last hours and hours. 1000 yrd is of no benefit.

It depends on how long it takes him. Swimmers can do an easy 1000 yds in 11-12 min while humming Christmas carols to themselves. Maybe this guy takes 20 min to do it and is gassed.

Running still makes people faster at running. Isn’t there something about aqua jogging, though?

If someone came on here and said they were jogging a mile every day, what's the benefit? Wouldn't you agree that it's negligible? I mean if you compare it to sitting on the couch doing nothing, of course it's of some benefit, but in regards to someone that is training, I don't see where it's of any benefit at all.

As a side note, you will not become a better runner by swimming. Spend that time aqua jogging, or actually running.

Swimming has absolutely helped my running.

Do you have any background with swimming?

Sometimes it takes new swimmers a while to improve technique to the point where swimming can become a good aerobic workout. If you are willing to stick it out it may be a great tool to use to complement your running.

I am in my 30’s now and a former college swimmer, but consider myself a “committed” runner now. I run 60 miles a week normally with 2 swims in. My workouts are not just straight swimming, I do sets. An hour workout in the pool is much harder than an easy hour run. My heart rate can get very high during these workouts if I chose to swim hard.

I will also swim more and run less if I fee any impact injury pop up and I don’t feel like I loose fitness.

Also swimming a couple time a week isn’t enough to really build upper body muscle especially when you are running.

If you can get your yardage up to maybe 2000-2500 it may be more beneficial. Also, look up some swimming sets online. Don’t just hop in and start swimming nonstop. You’ll get more out of it by doing repeats.

I agree with swimmer and have a similar story.

Lots of injuries at times in college, so I supplemented with swimming and biking, but especially swimming.

For two months during the winter season I just swam every day 30-60 minutes. My heart and lungs were at threshold effort - basically every day for two months.

I returned in the spring, and had my best spring track season of my life! Certainly the threshold work in cross-training is amazing. One can work the lungs and heart and not stress the legs.

If i were to coach someday, I would be a coach that sees the absolute benefit to cross training.

Good luck!

Alan Webb swam sprints in addition to running.

Canefis wrote:

gopre26 wrote:

In the low mileage phase of my cross country build up and started swimming around 1000yds a day. Is this going to help me in the long run if I keep it up through out my training?

Swimming will not improve your base. There is no vertical height between running muscles and working heart as you are in horizontal position and your left ventricle will not stretch.

Best is:

1) ski (you are vertical, all muscles are working)

2) running

3) rowing on sup

4) cycling (double less effective compare to running, as you are seating and distance between heart and working muscles is shorter).

What you stated about needing to be vertical sound like nothing more than Bro Science. Do you possess a master degree in biology or PhD? Are you a physiologist? Poster, Alan Webb was a competitive 500 yard swimmer in high school through at least his sophomore school year. You may respond: Why don't we see more Alan Webb-types? Most swimmers who reach Olympics were all in before the age of 6. Some swim coaches do have their swimmers run some for cross-training. That does not go well often though. Swimmers legs tend to be fragile from not doing enough weight bearing exercises. Also, most runners cannot jump in the pool and swim 1000 plus yards.

Swim, but whatever you do, don't worry about form. Form is only pushed by bad coaches. Forget form. Just swim and run by flailing your arms wildly. And don't pay attention to any coach who tries to correct your form. Any coach that talks about form is a terrible coach, as BP knows.

Nolan Shaheed said playing trumpet made him better at running for respiratory reasons.

gopre26 wrote:

In the low mileage phase of my cross country build up and started swimming around 1000yds a day. Is this going to help me in the long run if I keep it up through out my training?

Spend that time swimming if you want to get better at swimming or triathlons. If you want to get better at running, spend that time running. On the other hand, if you enjoy it or want to swim for some upper body strength, go for it.

gopre26 wrote:

In the low mileage phase of my cross country build up and started swimming around 1000yds a day. Is this going to help me in the long run if I keep it up through out my training?

The reason why many XC coaches and many runners will say swimming is useless, swimming 1000 yards is roughly equal to 4000 yards of running though the 1000 yards of swimming will feel more difficult for a runner not used to swimming. Skipping (5 to 12.5) mile runs to swim only 1000 yards is like skipping (5 to 12.5) mile runs for a 2.27 mile run. [4000 yards / 1760 yards = 2.272727 miles.]

This analysis become interesting when a swimmer swimming (6000 to 8000) yards a day five or six days a week adds (10 to 15) miles of running a week.

This analysis becomes interesting when a runner logging (60 to 80) miles per week adds (2000 to 4000) yards a day three days a week of swimming.

If swimming were a super effective way to train to be a good runner then the best runners, best teams, and elite coaches would all have their charges swimming, but instead where are they?? On the roads, on the track and on the trails...

Poster, did you read all posts on this thread? I addressed that issue in an earlier post. Most runners are not capable of swimming (2000 to 4000) yards per day.

Combating bro science with more bro science! Fight fire with fire, brah!

There is something to the horizontal vs vertical piece. Probably not a lot, but it gets mentioned in the swimming training books

Also, swimmers don’t have “fragile legs.” They probably wouldn’t be wise to jump into running 100 mile weeks, but they’re not fragile. Ankle flexibility, on the other hand, is a big deal. Swimmers need more ankle flexibility for a better kick. Runners need less for a good spring action in the toe off.

JosePublico wrote:

Nolan Shaheed said playing trumpet made him better at running for respiratory reasons.

SFH played a helluva skin flute.