The Quest for Better Swimming Performance

A lot of scientific research is now going into swimming, much of it is relevant to survival swimmers, lifesavers and lifeguards, who sometimes have to swim in difficult situations. Especially in Japan and Australia researchers have come up with unexpected results.

Swimming Research

Swimming is often studied from a disciplinary perspective (e.g. biomechanics or exercise physiology). To better understand swimming performance, you should use a multi-disciplinary approach.

For example, swimming technique is strongly related to both the mechanical and the metabolic load which swimming at a certain speed elicits. Rather than looking at any of these aspects separately, we seek to understand the relationships between metabolic, morphological, mechanical and coordinative aspects of swimming.

Training Load and Performance

A major goal of the research programs is to gain a better understanding of the adaptive processes that occur in training (and in the short term as adaptation to 'fatigue' due to maximal exertion). With respect to training we like to relate training load (input) to the change in performance capacity (output). Understanding and using this knowledge to optimise these input-output relationships (on an individual level) is the goal of our swimming research program.

Increased Oxygen Uptake (VO2Max)

Scientists found out that swimmers, swimming at the same speed, consume more oxygen when swimming fully clothed than when wearing a traditional swimsuit (Andersen, 1960).

The increase in energy consumption when swimming while wearing clothes probably results from increased water resistance, which hinders movement of the arms and legs (Keatinge, 1961).

Japanese scientists have found ways to increase the oxygen uptake (VO2Max) and thus almost double training efficiency.

Swimming Resistance

The resistance encountered during swimming is a major performance factor. When swimming through the water, the body will undergo a retarding force due to resistance, or drag. This force is, given the magnitude of the competitive swimming speeds, predominantly due to turbulence behind the swimmer.

Furthermore, when movement occurs at the water surface, additional resistance will arise due to wave formation by the swimmer. This total drag force is depending on swimming velocity to the power of at least two. Drag is therefore one of the factors that may limit swimming performance.

Therefore, a much better training result can be achieved by simply using clothes as a way to adjust swim training load. You can adjust the resistance by layering your clothes and thus adding weight and drag.