I was trying to do a distance set last night but was tired from hitting the gym earlier in the afternoon. I was going 3 seconds/100 slower than I had when recently doing the same set.
For some reason, I can't handle the same workload or recover as well at 49 as I did at 21. :cane:
My question - Does my swimming benefit from struggling through a workout like that? My intensity, effort and heart rate were comparable to when I did the set without weights first and swam much faster.
While I agree that one must be careful not to over train, and also risk injury, I think there is always benefit in pushing yourself. For instance, if people stop moving when they develop arthritis, no matter how bad it hurts, if they stop moving, they will soon lose the ability to move. That being said, I also watch some of my triathlete friends - they always talk about certain times of the year when they are really ramping up the miles in & out of the pool, and how they look forward to when they taper back on the weights, because that's when their speed starts showing up. By doing weights and other strength training, increasing the distance in the pool with which you can go good quality swims without losing your stroke, you will certainly benefit at the end of the season. In fact, I personally think that after 4-6 weeks of adding in a new factor, you will acclimate & see an improvement in your strength and times. It's never easy to start something new. Just my 2:2cents:
While I agree that one must be careful not to over train, and also risk injury, I think there is always benefit in pushing yourself. For instance, if people stop moving when they develop arthritis, no matter how bad it hurts, if they stop moving, they will soon lose the ability to move. That being said, I also watch some of my triathlete friends - they always talk about certain times of the year when they are really ramping up the miles in & out of the pool, and how they look forward to when they taper back on the weights, because that's when their speed starts showing up. By doing weights and other strength training, increasing the distance in the pool with which you can go good quality swims without losing your stroke, you will certainly benefit at the end of the season. In fact, I personally think that after 4-6 weeks of adding in a new factor, you will acclimate & see an improvement in your strength and times. It's never easy to start something new. Just my 2:2cents:
