Is swimming the best way to aerobically train?

I don't think thats Lukas' key to success. But I think you are right, my mom was a swimmer and ran cross country but never ran in the off season, just swam, and she was still 1st or 2nd on the team.

Whereas Geb and Paula break world marathon records by doing lots of running... for all I know they don't even know how to swim.

Considering cross country skiers have the highest VO2 maxes in the world (~weight bearing/using lower AND upper body = greatest stress on heart), I'd say that's the most "cardiovascularly demanding". Running is probably a close 2nd. The problem with swimming is that your heartrate doesn't get as high as running, mostly because of the water keeping the body temperature cooler and because it's non-weight bearing.

Actually swimming is a very poor aerobic exercise. If you look at studies, great swimmers had incredibly poor MaxVo2s. It has to be sports that primarily use the big muscles of the body.

X-Country skiing, running, rowing (believe it or not)

mostly because of the water keeping the body temperature cooler.....

No way you can be that stupid. I'll buy the weight bearing portion as you've got that right, but the water keeping the body cool? FAIL

VO2 Max is not a particularly useful way of comparing sports.

I suspect one reason you see a lot of swimmers become good runners is that youth development in swimming is pretty intensive in the US. It's not that swimming is good for running, but that lots of aerobic exercise, year round, at a young age is good for running.

Just a guess.

Also, water pressure keeps the heart rate lower while swimming.

Swimming only conditions you to swim. It is not very useful for improving running performance. There is no such thing as "aerobic strength."

Chilly Willy1234 wrote:

mostly because of the water keeping the body temperature cooler.....

No way you can be that stupid. I'll buy the weight bearing portion as you've got that right, but the water keeping the body cool? FAIL

Just stating what my Ex Phys professors always stated. I guess they must be 'stupid'. :/

Swimming is a great substitute for running when you can't run, and is a good supplemental training activity on recovery days. Jordan Hasay regularly swims about 90 minutes on her one day a week of approximately 30 minutes of running. She gets the same recovery benefits but more aerobic gain from this.

Don't substitute swimming for running... but if you are already running as much as you can adding more swimming will only help, not hurt.

Just stating what my Ex Phys professors always stated. I guess they must be 'stupid'. :/

If they said this, then yes, they are stupid.

99.99999% of the swimming population is doing so in a pool where temps are in excess of 80F and not some open water, English Channel, 55F water. If you or your prof think that swimming in 80F water keeps ones heart rate down, I now understand what ex phy is a joke major.

pr100 wrote:

Whereas Geb and Paula break world marathon records by doing lots of running... for all I know they don't even know how to swim.

Not to say that swimming (or aqua jogging) is better preparation for running than running, but when she's been dealing with injuries, Paula has spent vast amounts of time in the pool.

Alan Webb, U.S. mile record holder, and high school mile record holder, was a very successful age group swimmer as a child in Reston, Virgina.

Chilly Willy1234 wrote:

99.99999% of the swimming population is doing so in a pool where temps are in excess of 80F and not some open water, English Channel, 55F water. If you or your prof think that swimming in 80F water keeps ones heart rate down, I now understand what ex phy is a joke major.

And what is the human body temp?

Where I'm from, swimmers are generally better then the normal person when it comes to running without any training. However, all of the best runners in the state, along with the best newbies to the team, are almost always cross country skiers. We get kids who have done all kinds of sports, including swimming, but no one can touch the skiers. They just have way better endurance and lactic threshold when they first join the team then anyone else. Also, every now and then some team will have a boxer, who comes on the team and is in the top 7 in no time.

800 dude wrote:

I suspect one reason you see a lot of swimmers become good runners is that youth development in swimming is pretty intensive in the US. It's not that swimming is good for running, but that lots of aerobic exercise, year round, at a young age is good for running.

^ this

There are just not that many youth running programs that start kids out at 6 or 7 and develop them for several years, but there are thousands of youth swimming programs that do that. So you get some kid that's had aerobic training for 5-6 years and then they start running of course they're going to do better than someone without that base.

To answer the debate on heart rate in water and the reasons it is lower than running, there are a few factors at play. First, water cools the body with less effort than air resulting in lower heart rate. Think about sweating and where it would be easier to dissipate sweat, a pool or air.

Second, in a pool your heart does not have to work as hard to pump blood up to it from within the body because the water lessens the effect of gravity on the blood.

Third, water is much denser than air and compresses your body, resulting in a lower heart rate.

Youre missing the main point:

The #1 reason HR's are lower in the pool is that there is no weight bearing exercise of the body's largest muscles.

that's it, thats why.

haha YO wrote: To answer the debate on heart rate in water and the reasons it is lower than running, there are a few factors at play. First, water cools the body with less effort than air resulting in lower heart rate. Think about sweating and where it would be easier to dissipate sweat, a pool or air.

For those of you who are continuing to push this, here's a little experiment. Jump in a warm pool w/ a heart rate monitor & go as hard as you can go for 5mins - check your average HR.

Now go outside in the freezing cold, run hard for 5mins and see what your avg heart rate is.

Your avg will be MUCH higher running and has absolutely nothing to do with the temperature of the air or water.

As for the water is much denser.....MUCH DENSER? Me thinks you is rite and must be an anglish mayjor.