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
Parents
Former Member
I think Kirk was right in asking your age. 27 year olds still have magical recovery and healing capabilities. :) But a day off is still a good strategy regardless.
Some people alternate between higher intensity days and active recovery days. And they seem to adjust quite well to 5 or 6 days a week of practice month after month. Us swimmers tend to be highly self-motivated athletes and it's fairly easy to work one's self too hard which can lead to injury. At the end of the day, I think most people will discover when they have reached their limits.
A higher than normal resting heart rate and muscle soreness that doesn't go away after a day off are a couple of warning signs that the work load might be too much.
...Fortress's blog is a great resource for your specific question about training.
I think Kirk was right in asking your age. 27 year olds still have magical recovery and healing capabilities. :) But a day off is still a good strategy regardless.
Some people alternate between higher intensity days and active recovery days. And they seem to adjust quite well to 5 or 6 days a week of practice month after month. Us swimmers tend to be highly self-motivated athletes and it's fairly easy to work one's self too hard which can lead to injury. At the end of the day, I think most people will discover when they have reached their limits.
A higher than normal resting heart rate and muscle soreness that doesn't go away after a day off are a couple of warning signs that the work load might be too much.
...Fortress's blog is a great resource for your specific question about training.
