What Makes Elite Swimmers Fast?

Elite swimmers are a special breed of athlete, who spend hours on end training for ever faster times. But there’s more to an elite swimmer than just lots of swimming. There’s a whole host of factors that play into whether one person is faster than another, including:

• Genetics. There’s no denying that some people are just genetically better suited to becoming an elite swimmer than others. Some folks are born long and tall with longer torsos, shorter legs, and broad, strong shoulders that cut through the water like a boat’s hull. Longer arms and larger hands and feet are also an advantage. Many elite swimmers are taller than average and naturally lithe and flexible, all of which can be advantageous in adapting to the aquatic environment.
• Strength. Swimmers need to power through the water, and being strong can also help prevent injury. Strength training should always be part of your training protocol. In fact, Robert Jacobs, assistant professor of human physiology and nutrition at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, says swimmers should view weightlifting and strength training as “associated training,” or an extension of what they do in the pool, rather than as a form of cross-training.
• VO2 max. Jacobs says that in endurance sports, an athlete’s ability to use oxygen to create energy is critical. VO2 max is a measure of the maximum amount of oxygen an athlete can consume during intense effort. Scientists can test your VO2 max, and with consistent training you can increase it. The higher your max, the faster you should be able to go.
• Performance threshold. Along with VO2 max is your performance threshold, Jacobs says. “Somebody may have a very, very high VO2 max, but they’re only able to maintain a lower percentage of that VO2 max, whereas someone who has a lower VO2 max may be able to maintain it at a higher percentage than the first person,” with the result being they can keep going at a higher level longer. This is where terms such as “lactate threshold,” “ventilatory threshold,” “critical power,” and “critical feed” come in, he says. “Those are all different measures of a performance threshold,” and across the board, the higher your threshold, the longer you can keep going at maximal effort.
• Efficiency. Making your stroke as efficient as possible means making each movement as economical as possible—it’s all about reducing drag and maximizing power. The perfect, most efficient stroke technique will look different for each swimmer, depending on the peculiarities of a unique body, and it can take years to find what works best. But good coaching and plenty of drills to reinforce good technique can help.
• Training effort. How you approach training can make a big difference in achieving elite status. This means the volume of training you undertake, the frequency with which you train, and the specific approach. For example, if you’re hoping to be competitive in sprint events, you need to focus your training on building fast-twitch muscle fibers for explosive speed. That means focusing on all-out sprint sets with lots of rest. If you’re aiming to compete in the mile, you need to work on building slow-twitch muscle fibers that will fuel a steady endurance effort. Training the right way for a specific event can help you accomplish your goals.
• Nutrition. The food you put in your body is like the gas you put in your car. If you want to be driving a high-performance machine, you need the high-octane gas, and in human nutrition terms, that means eating healthy. Whole foods, balanced meals, and the right mix of vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients is important, but so is just plain eating enough calories to keep your motor humming at a high level. Many elite swimmers spend an enormous amount of time, money, and energy fine-tuning their nutrition, and a sports dietitian can help you find what works best for you.
• Recovery. The punishing workouts that elite athletes engage in are the stuff of many a movie montage, but perhaps more important—but a lot less dramatic to film—is how seriously the elites take their approach to recovering from workouts and competitions. Sleep is perhaps the biggest controllable component of improving performance, and smart athletes approach their recovery days and bedtimes with the same discipline as they do their toughest training sessions.
• Dedication. To be the best, elite swimmers focus nearly all their time and energy on getting and staying fast. This kind of dedication can be challenging for the everyday swimmer, but for those who are looking to win on the international stage, dedication is a key component of success in swimming.