Session Aims and Abbreviations – Athletica

Session Aims

Session aims of Athletica align with the physiological targets shown in Figure 1 alongside different contexts. Thus, Athletica prescribes training in line with the specific training load and contexts needed to gain an optimal gain in performance potential and physiological response/adaptation Training session aims are outlined below.

Abbreviation	Session Aim	Description
AER	Aerobic	A session completed at an aerobic intensity (<L2) with the aim of enhancing aerobic endurance.
OPW	Open Water	It's important to get familiar with open water swimming before your race, so practice in the race environment in this session. Wear your wetsuit if preparing for a wetsuit legal race.
Rec	Recovery	A recovery session is completed at low exercise intensity (i.e., L1). This session is good for activating the body, getting the circulation going, but keeping overall stress low. Anecdotally speaking, many athletes feel better doing a short Rec session compared to sitting around and doing absolutely nothing.
SE	Strength Endurance	A session that alters the motor pattern of movement, creating what feels like a functional strength session.
SPD	Speed	For a speed session in swimming, the focus is on swimming very fast and close to your maximum. This session usually triggers the VO2max response.
TEC	Technique	Swimming is a technical sport. So for the technique session, we usually focus on a series of drills, which are exercises you can use to work on your swimming technique. A TEC session is also typically performed at a low intensity, and so is often used for recovery as well.
Tmp	Tempo	A session with a MS focus on zone 3 (tempo) work.
TST	Testing	In this session, we are specifically performing a test to establish physiological and performance parameters.
Vo2	Vo2 Max	A session with a MS focus on zone 5 (VO2max) work. v02 max
VT2	Second ventilatory threshold	A session with a MS focus on zone 4 work.

Session Aims

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