As a past swimmer, I vote for Division 1 Swimming and Water Polo workouts.

I know, I know, swimming races are sprints in comparisons to road racing, but the workouts leading up to those races involves miles and miles of grueling preparation.

I currently ride, not race, and do full contact MMA type workouts with an emphasis on Giu Gitso, and although both are tough, I still can not remember ever feeling the same pain I used to feel during beginning of the year swimming workouts.

It is probably all perspective, as when you get in your best "Fill in the blank (Swimming)" shape, the workouts seem easier and I can't imagine that any sport which places an emphasis on the heart and lungs don't all have valid points in this arguement. I can relate to the runners description of their workouts and remember many times where I have actually puked in the gutter of the pool. In "Reduced Breathing" sets, I often was driven to the point of "almost" blacking out. Yep, swimming.

Remember when CBS had the challenge of the stars competition which involved all sorts of professional athletes? If I rember correctly, it was always the atheletes who crossed trained, emphasized cardio and stamina that walked away with these competitions. It would be interesting to see a swimmer, a biker and a runner all cross compete in the others sports to see the results.... oh wait.

Regards.