800m - 10K Events...

 

P.A.C.E.R +™ training for 800m upwards uses velocity coupled with stroke technique efficiency as its main ingredient because these two variables are reliable, accurate and very east to measure and track. As the swimmer becomes fitter the length of time it takes them to recover will become shorter. Simply put, there are three primary physiological benefits from performing P.A.C.E.R + ™ workouts consistently:

 

 

A ... An increased ability to tolerate higher levels of +hydrogen ions through increased buffering capacity

 

B ... improved velocity, form and swimming efficiency through improved functional strength and improved neuromuscular recruitment.

 

 

C ... An increase in the swimmer’s cardiac output via an increase in their heart stroke volume.

 

The third benefit, an increased cardiac output, is the adaptation every swimmer should take particular interest in since it has a significant impact on improving performance regardless of race distance.

 

 

So, why is Cardiac Output so important?

 

Again simply put, the greater the amount of oxygen that is available in your blood stream, the greater the potential for improved swimming performances. Cardiac output is the volume of blood that can be pumped by the swimmers heart. If a swimmer can pump a greater volume of blood through their blood system for a set period of time, the effect is to increase the amount of oxygen that is made available at any one time to their working muscles, thus increasing the potential for improved performances. 

 

Remember this formula:  A swimmers Cardiac output = max heart rate x stroke volume.  That being the case, an individual swimmer’s cardiac output can be increased in one of two ways:

 

 

1 ... Increase the number of beats per minute of the heart, or increase the amount of blood pumped with each beat of the heart. The number of beats per minute is referred to as the maximum heart rate of an athlete. Unfortunately, this factor is limited by heredity and can't be influenced through training.

 

 

2 ... The amount of blood pumped with each beat of the swimmers heart is referred to as the swimmers stroke volume. Fortunately for swimmers, their heart stroke volume can be greatly improved through correct training. The result of increasing the swimmers heart stroke volume is to increase the amount of oxygen that is made available to the swimmers working muscle, which corresponds to a potential increase in work capacity. The primary training adaptation that increases VO2 max and ultimately leads to faster race times is through training that leads to an enlargement of the left ventricle of the heart, as well as an improvement in the ability of the heart to contract.  So, increasing stroke volume equals improved swimming performance.

 

 

 

Have you ever wondered why, as your fitness improves, your resting heart rate lowers? It's because, as you gain fitness, the strength of your heart improves and your left ventricle is able to pump a greater volume of blood with each beat. As a result, less beats are required to keep you going during normal activity. So, the training effect occurs in the swimmers heart.