Aging in the pool
If you think Speedos should be outlawed after the age of 30, you haven’t been hanging around with the masters swim crowd who wear their Speedos like a badge of honour. And why not? This dedicated group of athletes spends hours in the pool every week in an effort to stay fit. Many also look forward to getting faster in middle age than they were in their youth.
Why is masters swimming so popular? It’s easy on the joints, age-friendly and more forgiving on the body than high-impact activity. And since much of swimming is technique-based, even if the engine loses a few RPMs over time, most swimmers can still cut through the water like a pro.
Given swimming’s unique properties, does age affect performance as much as other sports? And while it’s a given that swimmers will see their times increase as the decades add up, is there any way to mediate the march of time through modifying training plans?
To learn more about the role age plays in swimming performance, Portuguese researchers reviewed several studies of masters swimmers. All of the studies reported that performance in the pool decreased with age, with some studies suggesting time to finish increased by 62 per cent as swimmers moved from the youngest age group (25-35 years) to the 55-plus crowd. Women seemed to slow down more with age than men, a factor that evened out as the distance increased.
An example of age-related performance decline was illustrated in a 60-minute swim test. The oldest male swimmers completed 84.7 per cent fewer lengths in an hour than the youngest group of men, while the older women swam 105.5 per cent fewer lengths than their younger counterparts.
Another study charted swim times over the course of a 12-year period and noted a more significant slowdown in long-distance events versus shorter-distance swims. Among this group, peak performance in the 1,500-metre event was maintained into the mid30s, after which there was a decline until age 70.
Several factors contribute to the slowing down of masters swimmers, including technique. Older swimmers take fewer and shorter strokes, which means they don’t get as far with each stroke and expend more energy.
That said, the technical ability of masters swimmers varies considerably. Many hit the pool later in life and lack the technique of those who swam competitively in their youth, making it hard to lump all masters swimmers together.
Changes to the body and to training volume and intensity also play a role. The extra pounds that come with age combined with change in body composition ( less muscle, more fat) can result in small changes in technique. So what’s the bottom line when it comes to being the best you can be in the pool despite middle age? The Portuguese researchers recommend more focus on improving technique and efficiency in the water rather than more time swimming.