Hello,
My 16 year old has been swimming 3000-4000 yards 5x week on the local team for the past 5 months. (This is after a year out for shoulder surgery, and a year of swimming prior to that. His shoulder is doing fine.) He has 6 months until high school varsity swim team tryouts in August. High school workouts will be 6000 yards 5x week beginning in August.
I want to plan his training to both peak for his varsity tryout in August, and to be acclimated to the increased yardage.
I know nothing about swimming tapers so I'm strictly guessing. Roughly I thought he might begin now adding 1 - 6000 yard workout a week say for the first month, then 2 per week etc, until in June he can do 6000 - 5x a week. I would guess that July he would taper in some way....maybe:
First week 6000 yrd 1x, 3000 4x
Second week 3000 yrd 4x
Third week 3000 yrd 2x
Fourth week 3000 yrd 1x
Your advice is appreciated.
Thank you!
Hey Georgio,
Your 16 year old should swim with a local team 6 to 9x per week
3000 - 4000 yards per practice isn't much
he should build up to 6k per practice
he can acclimate to increased yardage pretty quickly
I think you're confusing tapering with increasing yardage.
Tapering is where swimmers decrease yardage and rest up for competition.
Swimmers increase yardage to get in better shape and prepare for meets when the meet is months away, then they decrease yardage the peak meet approaches.
Your son should train to improve and prepare for meets, 1st SCY season then LCM season then HS. He shouldn't taper for HS try outs, but he should be in shape to make the team and handle the workouts.
If he wants to swim, put him on a the best team in your area, his coach will write the work outs and increase his yardage.
Hey Georgio,
Your 16 year old should swim with a local team 6 to 9x per week
3000 - 4000 yards per practice isn't much
he should build up to 6k per practice
he can acclimate to increased yardage pretty quickly
I think you're confusing tapering with increasing yardage.
Tapering is where swimmers decrease yardage and rest up for competition.
Swimmers increase yardage to get in better shape and prepare for meets when the meet is months away, then they decrease yardage the peak meet approaches.
Your son should train to improve and prepare for meets, 1st SCY season then LCM season then HS. He shouldn't taper for HS try outs, but he should be in shape to make the team and handle the workouts.
If he wants to swim, put him on a the best team in your area, his coach will write the work outs and increase his yardage.
