Cardinal Performance Swimming

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Cardinal Performance Swimming Cardinal Performance Swimming offers low barrier to entry sports science, swim programming and gym training for Swimmers, Teams and Organisations.

07/10/2026

.changchipolina from Gibraltar coming in with the win at the GASA Endurance Race!



Christian Chang-Chipolina with a fantastic result at the GASA Endurance Open Water Race with his 4th consecutive win! 💪F...
06/10/2026

Christian Chang-Chipolina with a fantastic result at the GASA Endurance Open Water Race with his 4th consecutive win! 💪

Fantastic Swimming and a great achievement!


Fantastic Swimming this weekend by Max Freedman Swimming a PB untapered in early October! Fantastic results and fantasti...
05/10/2026

Fantastic Swimming this weekend by Max Freedman

Swimming a PB untapered in early October! Fantastic results and fantastic effort. More to come from this man!

24/09/2026

Does your swim down actually help recovery? Part 2. 🩸🏊

We got the results from our lactate testing at Marjon University in Plymouth with Sports Scientist Georgia Gussy — and they raised even more questions.

After the high-intensity swimming:

🩸 Rob: 7.0 → 6.9 mmol/L
🩸 Zoë: 6.0 → 4.8 mmol/L

So yes, lactate decreased during the swim down.

But is that enough to create a meaningful performance or recovery benefit?

And this is where it gets interesting…

🤔 Could another recovery method produce a similar result?

🏊 Does an 800m swim down actually aid recovery, or could the additional swimming increase neurological load and prolong fatigue?

⏱️ Should we allow lactate to peak before starting active recovery?

🚴 Could a spin bike provide a similar or better recovery stimulus while reducing additional swimming load?

🫁 Does the lower oxygen uptake associated with swimming compared with some land-based exercise affect how effectively we clear lactate?

There are LOTS of questions here — and that's exactly why we wanted to test it rather than simply assume the traditional swim down is always the best option.

This isn't about saying that swim downs are good or bad.

It's about asking whether the way we currently prescribe them is actually producing the outcome we want.

So coaches and swimmers…

What do you think?

Do you have a set swim down that you swear by?

And more importantly — do you have data showing why it works? 👀

Drop your thoughts in the comments. Let's start the conversation. 👇

📩 DM
📧 [email protected]
🔗 Follow the link in our bio for our swim + gym programmes.

🌍 Trusted by international swimmers around the world.

23/09/2026

Does your swim down actually reduce lactate? 🧐🏊

We put it to the test.

Cardinal Performance Swimming headed to Marjon University in Plymouth to work alongside Sports Scientist Georgia Gussey and investigate a question swimmers and coaches have asked for years:

Does a standardised swim down actually help clear lactate and support recovery after high-intensity swimming?

Using lactate testing, we tracked what was happening following a hard swimming effort and compared the changes during the recovery period.

Rather than relying on what we think should happen, we wanted to measure it. 📊

🧪 High-intensity swimming
🏊 Standardised swim down
🩸 Lactate testing
📈 Tracking the recovery response

Does swimming easy after a hard effort actually make a difference?

We've got the data…

Part 2....⏳️

Follow so you don't miss it.

📩 DM
📧 [email protected]
🔗 Follow the link in our bio to join our swim + gym programmes.

🌍 Trusted by international swimmers around the world.

Congratulations to Christian Chang-Chipolina on his win at the gibraltar international runway swim!! A fantastic open wa...
21/09/2026

Congratulations to Christian Chang-Chipolina on his win at the gibraltar international runway swim!!

A fantastic open water achieve and a great place to be in this early season!!

05/09/2026

Does resisted swimming actually make you faster? 👀🏊‍♂️

Yes — when it’s used correctly.

Resisted swimming can be a powerful tool for developing the qualities that contribute to faster swimming:

💪 Increased force production
🧠 Improved mind–body connection and proprioception
🏊 Better awareness of how you’re actually moving through the water
🔍 Increased ability to feel technical flaws in your stroke
⚡ Improved explosive power

The resistance gives you more feedback from the water. It can make it easier to identify where you’re losing connection, slipping water or failing to apply force effectively.

But there’s a BIG catch…

Too much resistance = slower swimming.

If the resistance is so high that your stroke completely breaks down, you aren’t teaching your body to produce force effectively at speed. You’re simply practising poor technique under load.

Resisted slow swimming isn’t automatically going to make you faster or stronger.

Think about resisted swimming in the same way you would plan a heavy or explosive pull-up in the gym:

➡️ High quality
➡️ Short efforts
➡️ Plenty of recovery
➡️ Maximum intent
➡️ Stop before technique deteriorates

The goal isn't to make swimming harder.

The goal is to use resistance to develop more force, better awareness and the ability to produce that force explosively — while still maintaining the technical qualities you need to swim fast.

Save this for your next swim session and share it with a swimmer or coach who uses resisted swimming. 🔥

📩 DM
📧 [email protected]
🔗 Follow the link in our bio to join our programmes.

🌍 Trusted by international swimmers around the world.

04/09/2026

How to build a muscle up for swimming performance. 💪🏊

The muscle up is a fantastic explosive exercise for swimmers — combining pulling strength, speed, coordination and control through a large range of motion.

But you don't need to be able to muscle up on day one.

Build it step by step:

1️⃣ Master the pull-up
Build the strength to control your body through the movement.

2️⃣ Make your pull-up FAST
A muscle up requires explosive pulling strength. Think about getting your chest towards the bar, not simply getting your chin over it.

3️⃣ Fast pull-up → chest over the bar
This is where the transition starts. You need enough speed and height to get your chest above the bar.

4️⃣ Press through the bar
Once your chest is over, drive through your triceps and press yourself into the top position.

Struggling with the explosive pull?

Use a band-assisted muscle up. It can reduce the load and allow you to practise the speed, transition and movement pattern while you're still developing the strength needed for a strict muscle up.

Why use muscle ups for swimmers?

⚡ Explosive pulling power
💪 Upper-body strength
🏊 Improved connection and control
🧠 Coordination at high velocity
🎯 Developing the ability to produce force quickly

There are also some interesting similarities between the muscle-up movement and swimming — particularly the connection between the hands, upper body and trunk while producing force and controlling your body through space.

The goal isn't just to perform a cool gym exercise.

It's to develop qualities that can transfer into faster swimming.

Save this reel and send it to a swimmer working towards their first muscle up. 👊

Want structured swim + S&C programming designed for swimmers?

📩 DM
📧 [email protected]
🔗 Follow the link in our bio to join our programmes.

🌍 Trusted by international swimmers around the world.

02/09/2026

3 reasons swimmers should train overspeed. ⚡🏊

Overspeed training isn't just about swimming faster than you normally can.

It's about teaching your body what FAST actually feels like.

1️⃣ Technique transfer
Can you maintain your catch, streamline, body position and stroke mechanics when velocity increases? Overspeed gives you an opportunity to practise your technique at speeds beyond your normal training pace.

2️⃣ Neurological adaptations
Moving at higher velocities challenges the nervous system to coordinate rapid muscle contractions and movement. We're teaching the body to switch on quickly and move with speed.

3️⃣ Body position
Higher velocity exposes inefficiencies. If your body position isn't working, you'll feel it quickly. Overspeed can help you learn to maintain a streamlined, efficient position while moving fast.

The goal isn't to make every swim an overspeed session.

It's about using it strategically to expose the body to higher velocities, then transferring those sensations back into normal swimming.

Fast swimming should feel familiar.

If you want to swim faster, you need to practise swimming fast. 🚀

Save this reel for your next training block and send it to a swimmer who needs to add more speed to their programme.

Want structured swim + gym programming designed around performance?

📩 DM
📧 [email protected]
🔗 Follow the link in our bio to join our programmes.

🌍 Trusted by international swimmers around the world.

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Sheffield
S60 4ES

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