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Is Fitness More Important Than Technique?

Sunday, 22 March 2015 01:10

By Lance Watson (home.trainingpeaks.com)

Is fitness more important than technique for the new triathlon swimmer? The definitive answer to this question is, of course, it depends! In fact, many swim coaches will prescribe both within their swim sets.

As a triathlon swim coach I have the opportunity to see many types of swimmers as they join our group. Some are adults who swam a lot in their youth, either at the local pool, competitively on a high school swim team, or even in college. They may have been out of the water for 15 to 20 years and put on a few extra pounds, but as a coach, right away you know they can swim. Their technique may be a little rusty, and they may be out of breath after 50 yards but in a month or so they will be back making waves with their lane mates....

For this type of swimmer, fitness is the key to improvement. They’ve signed up for a half distance triathlon and the main focus should be building the yardage and getting comfortable at a slightly slower pace than they remember – I often see these swimmers sprint off the wall only to fade halfway through a 200! As with anyone getting back in the water, beginning with shorter distance like 50’s, 100’s and 200's are the way to develop fitness. Adding some pulling with paddles in limited amounts will also improve strength. READ MORE