Glossary

Aerobic Exercise - aka "cardio". Extended periods of exercise that raise your heart rate. Makes body more efficient at delivering oxygen to rest of the body.

Anaerobic Exercise - Short-lasting, high-intensity exercise when body's demand for oxygen exceeds the oxygen supply available (literally means "without oxygen"). In swimming, it means sprints.

b - abbreviation for "base" as written on workouts.

Back - Shorthand for backstroke.

Banking rest - Leaving early to use some of the time you could be resting on the wall to swim easy, generally done after a hard sprint and before an easy swim. Allows you to keep moving for an active recovery instead of sitting on the wall. It does not change when you would leave for the next part of the set.

Base - the time established to complete one swim before starting the next swim (ie, I did 3 50s on a 1:00 base).

Buoy - Flotation device that fits between your thighs, used for pulling.

DPS - Distance Per Stroke. Maximizing the distance you go with each pull, or attempting to get the lowest number of strokes per length possible.

HR - Heart rate

Individual Medley (IM) - A single event where you swim all 4 strokes. Official events include 100, 200, and 400 IMs. Order of strokes is: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle.

IM Order - Butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle

KB - kick base. find your own by doing 4 x 50 kick @ :15 rest and see what you hold. 

K/D/S - Kick/Drill/Swim

Lactic Acid - an organic acid that builds up in the muscles during strenuous exercise. Feels like burning.

Lactate sets - Shorter swims at maximum speed to improve anaerobic threshold, strength, speed, and power.

Long Course - 50 meter pool.

Negative Split - Completing the second half of a distance faster than the first half.

Paddles - Plastic plates worn against the palm of your hand, equipment designed for arm strength and improving your pull.

Pull - Swimming with only your arms, using a buoy between your legs to prevent kicking and assist with body position.

Short Course - 25 yd pool.

Steady State (or Threshold) - Maintaining the fastest pace you can go without generating more lactic acid than your body can utilize and reconvert back into energy. Basically long and smooth with short periods of rest.

Streamline - A position the allows you to move underwater with the least resistance possible (basically making yourself into a pencil shape, with your arms extended overhead, hands overlapped, ears squeezed between your biceps, body in alignment). This position is used when pushing off the wall, diving into the water, and when doing certain types of kick sets.