Aerobic Verse Anaerobic Training

Aerobic- Any exercise that lasts longer than two minutes in duration in a continuous 'steady state' exercise is performed aerobically. These are endurance type exercises that increase a person's heart-rate.

Anaerobic- Any exercise 'without air' and refers to the body producing energy without oxygen. These are exercises that involve short bursts of energy like sprinting.

Swim workouts tend to be aerobic or a combination of both. But anaerobic training has its benefits. Sprint intervals can be used in Lactate Clearance workouts to help fight Lactic Acid build-up. By cultivating rapid production of lactate as large type 2 fibers increase activity. This forces the body which does not have time to properly respond to then rapidly stockpile molecules. Short rest periods will give the body a small window to re-establish self-regulation and force hydrogen ions clearance. It is those hydrogen ions that are making your muscles heavy and burn.

Another benefit was written about in 2014 analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Showcasing that people with "chronic lifestyle-induced diseases — like type II diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease —High Intensity Sprint or Interval Training significantly improved the heart’s ability to pump oxygen round the body compared to mid-range intensity workouts."

Read more at ~ https://www.issaonline.com and British Journal of Sports Medicine

Taper Training

The concept of taper was originally a training tool for runners. Designed to maximize performance at a strategic time, Just like with running taper is used before important competitions or Championship season. It is A gradual decrease of training intensity which allows for a period of rest and recovery.

Athletes can lessen fatigue and be fresh when they compete, potentially leading to enhanced performance. But tapering isn’t a silver bullet... It has limitations, and is only beneficial to athletes who have been training at high intensity.

Also Important to remember

Tapering will not be effective for younger athletes who have not yet reached puberty. If your swimmer hasn’t gone through puberty, their bodies won’t benefit from a reduction in training, and they will not benefit from a taper.

In Age Group swimmers, taper is unnecessary because the muscle mass is not large enough in most cases, to require a great deal of rest.

Prepubescent swimmers' performance capacity is different than older swimmers. Not only because they seem to have more energy but because physiologically, muscle mass and strength do not develop until after puberty.

So the focus on intense training and then tapering takes away focus from technique training.

Studies have shown over training in swimmers under 14 can actually reduce the chances of later success.