Test sets for evaluating the aerobic and anaerobic muscular endurance of swimmers

The reason that coaches and athletes want to test the aerobic and anaerobic muscular endurance is to get an estimate of the changes that are taking place above the anaerobic threshold, principally changes in buffering capacity. This type of set provides information about the slope of the lactate-velocity curve and whether it is flattening above the anaerobic threshold. This test may be the best measure of how well an athlete is maintaining the balance between aerobic and anaerobic training.

The repeat set should be 1200 to 2000 m in length or take between 15 to 20 minutes to complete so that both aerobic and anaerobic metabolism are fully involved. The set should be done on a standardized send-off time that provides between 15 and 30 seconds of rest after each repeat. The best repeat distances for this purpose are between 150 and 400 meters. Some examples of good repeat sets for monitoring changes of aerobic and anaerobic muscular endurance are 10 x 150 and 6 x 300.

The average repeat speed for the set is the principle statistic used to determine the nature of any changes in aerobic and anaerobic muscular endurance. When it improves, the swimmer’s aerobic and anaerobic muscular endurance has probably also improved. Exercise heart rates could be counted to ensure honest efforts, although they are not necessary for purposes of evaluation. The exercise heart rates should be near maximum on all sets of this type; therefore, they probably will not change much from one test to the next. Recovery heart rates, however, should be measured. Slow times with slower recovery almost certainly indicate failing adaptation, whereas slow times with rapid recovery signal lack of effort.

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