Wassup…I’ve been watching the Olympic swimming events and noticed that many of the sprinters, particularly Americans, are breathing every stroke. When I was swimming competitively, my coach was always on me for taking a breath every stroke in the 100. He insisted that keeping my head down was more aerodynamic and faster.
Now, I’m seeing even butterflyers breathing every stroke, even though we were always told it was faster to keep your head down. If the fastest swimmers in the world are doing it this way, why aren’t we taught the same technique? Or has something changed in training philosophies since I was competing?
Olympic swimmers often breathe every stroke to maximize oxygen intake, which is crucial for maintaining high energy levels and performance. Consistent breathing helps regulate their stroke rhythm and reduces fatigue, enabling them to sustain their speed throughout the race.
It’s to maintain the rhythm of your stroke and to stay on top of your oxygen debt. They eventually discovered that maintaining a repeating stroke with continuous oxygen flow is far more beneficial than the time obtained from holding your breath.
Their breathing is extremely efficient, so it doesn’t slow them down nearly as much as it would for an average swimmer. Furthermore, because of their ability, they require more oxygen because they are using a lot more energy to move.
