You are working on Staging1

Chase Kalisz on Swimming More Yardage Than Ever: “Aerobic fitness is pretty undefeated”

2023 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Olympic champion Chase Kalisz is swimming more yards than he ever has before at age 29 and it seems to be working for him. Even though he had ups and downs in training this season as it was his first year back with his age group coach Bob Bowman since 2016, Kalisz made the world champ team in the 400 IM and will swim the event later this month in Fukuoka.

In This Story

34
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

34 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Ceccon - Kamminga - Milak - Popovici
1 year ago

Michael Andrew has left the chat

KSW

MA can’t ever catch a break. bros not even apart of this article whatsoever 😭

Lap Counter
1 year ago

I don’t believe he is training longer than he ever has….I would say same as always with Bob. If asu is training so much, you would think their distance group would have made a statement last week at Trials. I don’t remember anyone doing much in 800-1500

ReneDescartes
Reply to  Lap Counter
1 year ago

If he says he is he probably is. ASU doesn’t have 20 Chase Kalisz’s, they only have the one.

Anonymous
Reply to  Lap Counter
1 year ago

You are right. Bob Bowman gave an interview and they train about 6000-6500 in 11/2 hours. They take minimal rest in between sets.

Coach
Reply to  Lap Counter
1 year ago

You have to have the athletes to get those type of results. Most of their really good distance freestylers are international.

oxyswim
1 year ago

If you look at any other endurance sport where the best athletes excel into their early 30s. The biggest thing for those sports tends to be racking up a ton of heart contractions to increase left ventricle size which improves EDV. You also see great changes to capillary density, mitochondrial density and function. The intensity has to be closely monitored for athletes, but low intensity volume is much less likely to bury someone than pushing too hard on days that should be easy.

Shogun
Reply to  oxyswim
1 year ago

Would we call swimming the 2/4IM an endurance sport/event? I would argue this is more of a sprint, and the same mitochondrial density, stroke volume, and capillary density can be attained through HIIT training, not to mention the other benefits (increase in oxidative enzymes, RFD increase, and buffering capabilities).

NoFastTwitch
Reply to  Shogun
1 year ago

The 400 IM is an endurance event, not a sprint. Ask anyone who swims a competitive 400 IM.

Steve Nolan
Reply to  NoFastTwitch
1 year ago

It’s really not though. True endurance events are hours long.

NoFastTwitch
Reply to  Steve Nolan
1 year ago

There is no quantitative definition of “endurance” or “”true endurance”. However, anyone who doesn’t include endurance training in getting ready compete in a 400 IM is asking for a boatload of pain.

oxyswim
Reply to  Shogun
1 year ago

I like to come back to the track comparison on this one (despite obvious huge differences). The 4IM has a longer time domain than an elite 1500. Most of the best 1500 runners also have world class 5k and 10k times suggesting that the bulk of their training is hugely aerobic. MA is a good example that you can have success in the 200 IM as a male with a massive anaerobic focus, but that may not be sustainable over time with how much more CNS stress it elicits. He would also die in some of those races, but I think that had more to do with his pacing and freestyle mechanics than pure fitness.

Marmot
Reply to  oxyswim
1 year ago

The argument that Andrew’s fitness is okay-to-elite is a strange one considering he fairly recently set an American record in a 100 LCM event, yet chose not to contest it or to (apparently) really train for it for a World Championships meet.

If the fitness was there you’d think he’d compete in what is his best event.

He knew where he was, clearly.

Anonymous
Reply to  Marmot
1 year ago

It is because the 50 fly is on same day as 100 breast. If he made finals in both he would swim 50 fly final, then there is women’s final, then he would swim 100 breast final. The 50 free and 100 fly are also on the same day. His competition Ben Proud and Flo are only swimming the 50’s. They are not using up energy swimming any 100’s. Look at it like this. Ben Proud swims 3×50 fly. MA would have to swim 3×50 fly and 3×100 breast. Flo swims 3×50 free. MA would have to swim 3×50 free and 3×100 fly. Ben and Flo has a huge advantage.

Rotisserie chicken
1 year ago

He takin shots at MA

Anonymous
Reply to  Rotisserie chicken
1 year ago

It must BURN that a 50 sprint swimmer beat him royally in the 200 IM at Olympic Trials and at Olympics. Chase is always saying he is training harder than ever. He is just maintaining a 4:08

Marmot
Reply to  Anonymous
1 year ago

…says a poster who probably swims a 6:00.00+ 4 IM.

Christopher
Reply to  Marmot
1 year ago

hey im 45 and I’d be happy to go a 6 min. I’d be happy to finish one right now for that matter.

Joy
Reply to  Marmot
1 year ago

Are you talking 6min long course or short course?

Michael Lawrence
Reply to  Anonymous
1 year ago

Sustained elite performance in the 4IM ain’t all that easy! Nor is the training required.

Qqq
1 year ago

Michael Andrew begs to differ….from the stands…

612
Reply to  Qqq
1 year ago

🥱

SoCal Swammer
Reply to  Qqq
1 year ago

Brett Hawke punching the air reading this

Coach
Reply to  SoCal Swammer
1 year ago

sprinters gonna sprint

Can’t Touch This
Reply to  Qqq
1 year ago

🥶

Jasonherg34
Reply to  Qqq
1 year ago

You’re comparing a swimmer who swims aerobic dominant events, to a swimmer who swims anaerobic dominant events.

Luther Jones
Reply to  Qqq
1 year ago

Looking at the scientific evidence he should there are 2 ways to mitochondria biogenesis. Short high intensity intervals or continuous swimming.

oxyswim
Reply to  Luther Jones
1 year ago

Yes, but there’s only one way to elicit eccentric ventricular hypertrophy. Anything above 50 beats below maximum heart rate is going to elicit more concentric hypertrophy which is a less important adaption for events with a large aerobic component.

Shogun
Reply to  oxyswim
1 year ago

This is not absolute, and your comment neglects the many other cellular, respiratory, nervous system, and skeletal changes that occur as a result of both high/low intensity training. Ventricular hypertrophy is merely one of many systems in play that impact aerobic performance.

Col. Trautman
Reply to  oxyswim
1 year ago

This is analogous to taking a 1990s bicycle, putting a new carbon fork on the old bike, and saying that you can now race in the Tour de France.

Mclovin
Reply to  Qqq
1 year ago

Some of you are a little obsessed

usaswimerror
Reply to  Qqq
1 year ago

I find the amount of crap that MA takes in these comments sections to be staggering. Here is a guy that reached ultra-elite status in four Olympic swimming events. This, apparently, is a monumental achievement for anyone….except for MA. Everyone dumping on this guy talks as if the way to elite athletic performance has already been defined for all-time, but this is ridiculous. We are all patient populations of one. We have to find which training method is best for each of us, mentally and physically, and we need to do it within a very short window of opportunity. This is actually impossible for there are too many variables. For MA to try something completely different was brave, or perhaps… Read more »

Byron Shefchik
Reply to  usaswimerror
1 year ago

We all want to see MA train with a real team for a year. My prediction: he would break multiple world records.

Andrew
1 year ago

he’s a 400 IMer so this a rare case where the volume is needed and beneficial at the age of 29

Can’t imagine any sprinters or mid D doing this kind of distance in their late 20s

About Coleman Hodges

Coleman Hodges

Coleman started his journey in the water at age 1, and although he actually has no memory of that, something must have stuck. A Missouri native, he joined the Columbia Swim Club at age 9, where he is still remembered for his stylish dragon swim trunks. After giving up on …

Read More »