From the Olympics to Training: Swimming Physiology

Activation and technique: dryland routines

One of the primary distinctions Puccinelli notes between elite and amateur athletes is not merely swimming volume, but the discipline applied to pre-swim routines out of the water. While Olympic swimmers perform individualized mobility and neuromuscular activation routines for up to 40 minutes before entering the pool, masters swimmers often skip this stage due to time constraints or ingrained habits.

He also underscores the profound technical connection elite swimmers have with the water, characterized by superior hydrodynamic efficiency and energy conservation. This mechanical advantage makes foundational dryland training and general physical preparation even more essential for swimmers who lack an extensive motor background built from childhood.

High lactate and clinical monitoring

When evaluating elite athletes in the lab, the primary goal is always to establish baseline health through hormonal panels, inflammatory markers (such as cortisol, CRP, and ESR), and comprehensive cardiovascular screenings. Building on that foundation, specialized field tests are used to monitor systemic responses to training stress.

A striking example shared by Puccinelli is the lactate dynamics observed in world-class sprinters. While an everyday swimmer reaches exhaustion at moderate levels of muscular acidosis, sprinters like Nicholas Santos can register lactate readings as high as 22 mmol/L at peak effort. Even more intriguing is the pre-race warm-up for 50-meter events: many sprinters perform high-intensity neuromuscular activations—utilizing jumps, resistance parachutes, and medicine balls—to enter the water with elevated lactate levels (around 9 mmol/L), using the metabolite as a readily available energy substrate while jump-starting metabolic clearance pathways.

Intensity and durability in open water

International marathon swimming has undergone a major tactical shift across recent Olympic cycles. With fast pool distance swimmers transitioning to open water, 10 km races no longer start at a conservative pace. Today, the elite pack sets a blistering tempo right from the horn, requiring competitors to possess high physiological durability—the ability to sustain paces close to the anaerobic threshold for hours and recover on the fly without slowing down.

This high-durability physiological profile is the hallmark of accomplished swimmers such as Ana Marcela Cunha. Puccinelli points out that this exceptional capacity for prolonged exertion and swimming through heavy currents positions the Brazilian athlete well for extreme ultra-marathon challenges, including crossing the English Channel.

Strength, injury prevention, and longevity for masters swimmers

For amateur and masters swimmers, program design must be centered on the individual, their daily routine, and their medical history rather than an arbitrary, detached training goal. Starting around age 40 in women and 50 in men, the body experiences an accelerated natural decline in muscular strength and power. Consequently, heavy resistance training and dedicated strength work become non-negotiable tools to slow this functional decline.

Orthopedic care also demands targeted attention to the shoulder joint, which absorbs substantial repetitive stress from high stroke counts. Strengthening the posterior chain and correcting imbalances across the rotator cuff prevents shoulder impingement and chronic wear, preserving athletic longevity over time.

Fueling strategies and the three-hour barrier

In extended open water events and ultramarathons, the sharp drop in performance seen around the three to three-and-a-half-hour mark is rarely just psychological: it stems from glycogen depletion in the liver and muscles, dehydration, and sodium loss. Once internal reserves drop below critical thresholds, the central nervous system triggers involuntary fatigue mechanisms to protect the body.

To prevent this collapse, carbohydrate, water, and electrolyte intake must be practiced methodically during daily workouts rather than left to race day. For amateur athletes—who spend significantly more time in the water to cover the same distance as elites—fueling stops must be viewed as an essential time investment to sustain pace all the way to the finish line.