Swimming, as a full-body workout, can be either mild aerobic or vigorous anaerobic depending on the distance of the race, the intensity of the exercise, and the duration of the exercise. In swimming, if you swim at a speed that is not urgent, you can usually easily cover a distance of several hundred meters with stretching limbs. In this state, the athlete's breathing is steady, oxygen is sufficient**, and the heart rate is kept below 85% of the maximum heart rate, which is a typical aerobic exercise.
However, when swimming transitions to speed competition, the situation is very different. In the 50-meter or 100-meter sprint, athletes need to exert extreme explosiveness and speed, similar to a sprint race, when swimming becomes a typical anaerobic exercise. Due to the speed and power of the movements, as well as the high intensity of energy consumption, the athlete's body cannot replenish the required oxygen in time, and can only rely on the energy sources stored in the body, such as phosphocreatine and glycogen for anaerobic digestion, at the cost of lactic acid production, to obtain short-term energy support.
In contrast, in swimming competitions of 400 meters or more, athletes face endurance and physical challenges. This kind of competition requires athletes to move forward with more steady and rhythmic movements, and distribute their physical strength reasonably to ensure physical maintenance throughout the competition. In this case, the athlete's breathing and movements need to be highly coordinated to ensure the efficient use of oxygen and the continuous use of energy**, so as to achieve aerobic metabolism and support long-term endurance competition.
Whether it's a short-distance speed challenge or a long-distance endurance race, swimming tests the performance of athletes in different states of energy metabolism. From anaerobic explosiveness to aerobic endurance, competitive swimming showcases the subtlety of energy utilization in sports science and the extreme pursuit of fitness management by athletes. In addition, by comparing the energy metabolism mechanisms of short-distance and long-distance swimming, we can not only gain a deeper understanding of the principles of exercise physiology, but also provide a scientific basis for athletes' training and competition strategies, thereby driving the continuous improvement of swimming sports techniques and tactics.