My big question is...how often should I swim/train to achieve my swim goals?
I never know if swimming 5 days a week vs swimming 7 days is better because some days your body is just tired and you end up having not-as-good-workout. Does that make the workout productive or is rest better?
I was swimming everyday for 3 months straight practically, working myself really hard, doing twice a week weights, and then I hurt my shoulder for the 1st time in my life! I swam competitively in high school and never had an injury. It made me feel old.
However, I still want to work hard and achieve my goals but I just don't know if swimming everyday is the answer. I understand that it also depends WHAT I swim daily and how intense I work as well...but I just do whatever workout the masters coach gives us that day. So it varies.
I feel like I'm training without any idea of how to get to where I want.
I have a very ambitious goal...but fortunately I told myself I'd just like to achieve this some time in my life..whether it's in two years or 20 years....but I would like to drop 5 seconds in my 100 freestyle. Someday. Yes, it's obviously incredibly difficult to drop that much time in a sprint event but I want to! The question is...how to get there? Is swimming everyday the key? Or maybe it has nothing to do with number of times I work out but more about what I'm actually doing at the practice. But what should I be doing? Of course technique is important.
I'd just like to hear some suggestions. I feel like I'm swimming in the dark!
Thanks!
-Helen
The question is...how to get there? Is swimming everyday the key? Or maybe it has nothing to do with number of times I work out but more about what I'm actually doing at the practice.
I think both are important, but WHAT you are doing definitely trumps frequency. I don't think you can work hard every day. You need recovery days. I like to be out of the pool entirely, but I think if you still want to swim on recovery days it should be very easy and technique focused.
If you want to drop five seconds in the 100 free you need to be--first and foremost--swimming fast in practice. How often are you swimming race pace or faster during practice? If it's not a lot then you need to increase this. Swimming every day won't help your sprinting much unless you are swimming fast.
The question is...how to get there? Is swimming everyday the key? Or maybe it has nothing to do with number of times I work out but more about what I'm actually doing at the practice.
I think both are important, but WHAT you are doing definitely trumps frequency. I don't think you can work hard every day. You need recovery days. I like to be out of the pool entirely, but I think if you still want to swim on recovery days it should be very easy and technique focused.
If you want to drop five seconds in the 100 free you need to be--first and foremost--swimming fast in practice. How often are you swimming race pace or faster during practice? If it's not a lot then you need to increase this. Swimming every day won't help your sprinting much unless you are swimming fast.
