The Navy SEAL Physical Fitness Guide - Uniformed Services ...

Target heart rate during warm-up should beabout 60% of maximal.During your warm-up, work on efficient stroke “stealth” swimming! Warming-upis an appropriate time to include stroke drills. This serves the purpose of providing strokepatterning along with the warm-up.Basic Principles of Interval TrainingSEALs need to concentrate on swim training that will enhance endurance: intervalswim training will allow this to happen. Interval training sets (for both strength andendurance) are generally comprised of repeated swims lasting 45 seconds to 4 minutes.Basics of interval training include the following:" Swim at a slow to moderate pace for five to ten minutes to warm-up musclesand cardiorespiratory system." For anaerobic training, sets should be performed until repeat times can nolonger be held. There is no magical number of repetitions for a set, but thedistance is typically 50 to 100 meters, or a time of about 45 seconds." Swimming at a prescribed intensity pace for as long as possible is mostimportant. When desired pace can no longer be sustained, the set should beterminated." Work:recovery ratios play an important part in the type of adaptation thatoccurs. A 1:1 work:recovery ratio would be to swim 45 seconds and rest 45seconds, whereas a 1:2 ratio would be to swim 45 seconds and rest 90 seconds." To stimulate endurance adaptations, recovery intervals between repetitionsshould be less than 30 seconds. For maximum benefit, it is best to keep theinterval less than 15 seconds." For anaerobic adaptations to occur, recovery intervals should be in excess ofone minute and up to at least twice the duration of the repetition swim. Theseeffects occur independent of the repetition distance or pace." The longer the rest interval, irrespective of the distance being repeated, thegreater the use of the anaerobic system. With long rests, it takes considerablylonger for the aerobic energy system to be reactivated. Short rest intervalskeep the aerobic system functioning, particularly during initial recovery.Interval training is the backboneof a swimming workout.The Navy SEAL Physical Fitness Guide 81