For most people, I would think swimming butterfly would be the most demanding stroke, raising the heart rate the highest. So, leaving that stroke out of this discussion, which stroke raises your heart rate the highest while working on DPS?
Saturday is recovery day for me, so I take Paul Smith's advice by aiming to keep my heart rate below 120. For my recovery swims, I have been swimming various 100's, resting for 20 seconds, on the advice of James Adams. I work on DPS and technique by doing various drills, as well as full stroke. After each 100, during the rest period, I take my pulse for 10 seconds and multiply x6, to determine my heart rate.
My normal resting heart rate is 50-54; it used to be 68 when I was a power walker/ gym rat, before returning to swimming. So, it has improved quite a bit. But, I have found it difficult to keep it down while swimming breaststroke (my best competitive stroke). And, I am curious if others have experienced the same thing.
While working on DPS and trying to keep a good propulsive phase and streamline for each of the strokes, this is my typical heart rate on a recovery day:
Freestyle- 17 (10 seconds)/ 102 (per minute)
Backstroke- 20/ 120
Breaststroke- 24/ 144 :afraid:
If I just work on my breaststroke pull (no pull buoy), I can keep my heart rate closer to 120, but it still gets to high. And, if I just work on my kick (no board, on stomach, arms out in front), I can keep it even lower. But, once I put the stroke together, fuhhhgetaboutit! (And, yes, I am exhaling fully on each stroke.)
So this is what I can't figure out: Why was breaststroke so easy when I swam back in high school and had a race time 11 seconds faster on my 100 than I do now? It seemed like I could swim breaststroke forever! At the time, it was freestyle that was so difficult and got my heart rate jumping. I hated it! But, now, it's breaststroke that is the more heart-racing stroke. (On both strokes, my technique is much better now than it was then.)
I will be curious to hear what others have experienced...
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I was testing a few things today while wearing my Polar HRM. I record my heart rate as a percentage of maximum heart rate (previously measured while in a pool). I did one of Betsy's 1 hr workouts intending recovery and technique. By distance it was 44% free (and drill), 30% back, 14% *** and 12% fly.
At the end I did three 25 sprints of each stroke. I want to re-do this again with better methodology, but I got these averages (take with a grain of salt):
fly = 90% MHR
back = 88% MHR
*** = 80% MHR
free = 86% MHR
My average across the entire workout was 75% MHR, and removing the brief sprint set it was ~71-72% MHR which was close to my intention.
(I hope this information is interesting to someone. I am going to rethink my methodology and try again using greater distances. If anyone can link me to relevant studies, it would be appreciated.)
As to ElaineK's questions, I don't know if I currently possess any competitive strokes (haha) but I used to race fly/back/free and only did *** as part of a medley. I have a good DPS, and actually I have been working on increasing my stroke rate. I don't know enough about breaststroke to have any comments about what might be causing your elevated heart rate. It is very possible there are environmental or psychological issues as others have said -- it can be as simple as you are especially dialed in on your best event.
I was testing a few things today while wearing my Polar HRM. I record my heart rate as a percentage of maximum heart rate (previously measured while in a pool). I did one of Betsy's 1 hr workouts intending recovery and technique. By distance it was 44% free (and drill), 30% back, 14% *** and 12% fly.
At the end I did three 25 sprints of each stroke. I want to re-do this again with better methodology, but I got these averages (take with a grain of salt):
fly = 90% MHR
back = 88% MHR
*** = 80% MHR
free = 86% MHR
My average across the entire workout was 75% MHR, and removing the brief sprint set it was ~71-72% MHR which was close to my intention.
(I hope this information is interesting to someone. I am going to rethink my methodology and try again using greater distances. If anyone can link me to relevant studies, it would be appreciated.)
As to ElaineK's questions, I don't know if I currently possess any competitive strokes (haha) but I used to race fly/back/free and only did *** as part of a medley. I have a good DPS, and actually I have been working on increasing my stroke rate. I don't know enough about breaststroke to have any comments about what might be causing your elevated heart rate. It is very possible there are environmental or psychological issues as others have said -- it can be as simple as you are especially dialed in on your best event.
