High Vs Low Cadence For Swimming: Which Is Best?

High or Low cadence? It’s time to explore one of the most commonly debated areas of many sports; and that is cadence. Today we’re exploring swimming cadence! With the help of Form Swimming goggles, we’re going to investigate what is best in the water!
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It’s time to explore one of the most commonly debated areas of many sports; and that is cadence. Meaning how quickly we move our arms or legs. For instance, in running we track steps per minute, cycling, we track revolutions per minute, we could go on.
But today we’re exploring swimming cadence. And there is a whole host of opposing and contradicting advice out there - it is VERY confusing!
So, today I’m going to look into the difference between swimming with a high cadence versus a low cadence. With the help of Form Swimming goggles - which have an augmented reality display within them, we’re going to investigate what is best in the water!
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[@gtn]

Have you tried experimenting with your stroke rate when swimming? What did you learn?

[@MarceloG..]

I have for a long time, but the higher rates gets me really tired. After seeing this video I think is time be be smarter about it and use my watch to count cadence and compare it with time/speed... Brilliant Mark, Thank you!!!

[@trepidati0n533]

I know mine is too slow for open water. However, I have a hard time balancing between higher rate and modulating the power I'm putting through to not "swim faster" and thus keep my efficiency high.

[@richcrompton6891]

My stroke rate really changes depending on the speed I’m trying to achieve. Always fast for sprints, but slow and gliding for long distances. When I was training exclusively for swimming, I could keep up quite a high race for hours. Not the case now 40 years on! Great video and really thought provoking about something that is so natural to me. Next time I get the chance to hit the water, I will be having a play with cadence once again... old (sea) dog - new tricks?...

[@lwittrock1]

Great video!

[@iggalan]

If you try to keep your arms a bit more separated than usual, that will favor a slight bend in your elbow improving propulsion and it will slightly increase your cadence as well. This has worked for me, the increase in cadence has allowed me to swim about 10s faster with the same effort.

[@jacklauren9359]

What do u mean mate? More than shoulder width apart?

[@iggalan]

@@jacklauren9359 I mean you should make sure your hands don't go too close to your center as you make each stroke. You may need a friend that records you while swimming, because it's hard to tell for yourself.

[@christophebelanger8372]

Hey great video ! Im now swiming competitively for 15 years and I can see that your arm when your breathing is drowning to fast. Next time, try to keep your hand a second more to the surface before doing the pull ;)

[@callumthorsen5474]

Changing candence with swimming plays havoc with my breathing timing... I'm all for a candence that is comfortably uncomfortable and with time it will naturally increase.. Works for me anyway 😅

[@jaydesimone4297]

Just checked my data from my Polar watch. I'm still a slow swimmer and my cadence shows it...34 strokes/min. I find it very difficult to increase my stroke rate without massively increasing the workout. I also struggle with being able to get a full breath in that shorter time. Are these just a matter of building up over time? I've only been swimming for triathlon since June (although I did know how to swim freestyle with unilateral breathing at that time) and have gotten used to bilateral breathing and typically breathe every 3 strokes.

[@kurtjacobs8208]

I would assume this is the 1 arm rate? So you'd have to double that number. Or do you reckon you really take 2 seconds per stroke?

[@jaydesimone4297]

@@kurtjacobs8208 Good question. I think you're right. I'd have to be covering a massive distance with each stroke at that rate, and I'm not. It must be the single arm.

[@yFutureDy]

Key is pressure not cadence! You can swim fast with low cadence and high pressure. So it's better to focus on technic and pressure during the pull then on cadence.

[@jeremysweeten2792]

Don’t knock OVERGLIDING too much. It has a purpose in keeping you high in the water (when done right) and maximizing efficiency. Yes, dead spots are bad…but not during intended drills or warm up/cool down. I wish coaches would speak more on the importance of GLIDING through the water rather than muscling through.

[@levbobrov1398]

I don't think I've ever seen the pool with the water so still... spooky.

[@Danny-mh2dx]

H Mark, I'm confused. How about low cadence for IM distance with 1 footbeat per 1 stroke? e.g. OceanWalker technique... ? Seems quick and(!) effortless TNX

[@jacklauren9359]

The question is how tall is the total immersion swimmer though? If he is 6 foot or more then, don’t you think it will look he is travelling further due to his height. There’s lots of acceleration and deceleration in the that technique.

[@eight10man]

Once you think you've found your "ideal" stroke rate (whatever that may be), would you use that stroke rate for both tempo and above-threshold sets?

[@markthrelfall3577]

Personally I find that mine increases a touch as I speed up. As I said, I swim naturally with a cadence around 60 at an aerobic pace, but I’m sometimes above 80 when swimming above threshold

[@benjaminnicholls3982]

I have a really low cadence when swimming. Not too sure how it's calculated on garmin 735xt? Because of turning around in the pool. But how can you keep my heart rate down whistle increasing the cadence? Cheers

[@realalbertan]

Garmin is shown cycles/minute x2 for strokes/minute

[@benjaminnicholls3982]

@@realalbertan i did think that 🤔. But just wondering if it takes and average per length and that doesn't include the tumble turn if you get me?

[@realalbertan]

@@benjaminnicholls3982 the watch tracks acceleration so if your turns are slow it might have issues overall and not just stroke rates. If your distance is calculated accurate that's not a factor.

[@glazetube]

I'm confused. My Garmin says I'm at 26/min. Is that really 52 or is my rate way too low?

[@willhogarth9945]

I normally use a tempo trainer set somewhere from 54-58, my HR hardly ever gets out of the 80s :D I am not fast (1:15+/- 05 for IM) but i am relaxed

[@realalbertan]

Strokes VS Cycles / minute. Watches track cycles so be careful when trying to hit a target. I see people trying to hit a ultra high cadence and its clear the don't understand the difference

[@markthrelfall3577]

A very good point. I tried to elude to that at the start, but thanks for dropping a comment on it

[@benosullivan288]

Looks like i've got a lot of work to do in regard to my cadence... o.O

[@willbert7715]

congratulations to you new sponsor form googles.

[@MrBraindead101]

There's no point in changing cadence unless it impacts on swimming efficiency.

[@Matt-cp9wh]

exactly. i find at 75 i got the exact same speed as at 80 stroke rate. so no point going up in stroke rate yet

[@bronxcheer1484]

No such words as triaflete or triaflon.

[@markthrelfall3577]

Clearly I must try better 😂

[@bronxcheer1484]

@@markthrelfall3577 - I’ll swap you places: I’m good at grammar, you’re good at triathlon and presenting.

[@user-lm7sw8jn3f]

4 minutes of blablabla

[@markthrelfall3577]

Hopefully 6 were useful then

[@MarceloG..]

@@markthrelfall3577 haha... nice Mark!

[@dannybowles6181]

terrible catch