Hello, swimmers! I'm barely a real swimmer... I come from a running background (middle distance, mostly, and a bunch of post-college 5ks) and a series of injuries forced me into the pool. I actually couldn't swim at all until 2013, but seemed to improve fairly quickly (at freestyle).
So here's my question. Can I keep improving without doing super-long swims?
I do not seem to recover or cope well with long swims. I've gone up to 3500 yards in a single workout (took almost an hour), but it basically wipes me out and I don't think I'm good enough at form to keep good form for the whole swim. But when I reduce my workout volume to 1800-2800 yards per workout (but lots of hard sets that a great triathlon coach writes for me) and swim 6 times per week, I do improve! I've brought my 100 yard time from 1:31 down to 1:21 in the past few months and my 500 from 8:00ish, to 7:28. I already have good muscle strength and aerobic fitness from all the lifting and training I did for running so I think mostly it's my form that holds me back in the swim.
So should I keep swimming shorter swims and wait for form to smooth out? Or should I push the distance (maybe even just once a week?). Will I EVER feel good going long?
One of the issues I have is that my health isn't great . I have an eating disorder history and tend to underfuel and that may be an issue too, though I'm doing much better now and am at a very healthy weight. I feel like my body is kind of exhausted, and while I like swimming, I want to get better at it without overexercising.
Also, how do I do a darn flip turn?? I feel like my times would drop if I could do one, but as is, I'm so clumsy at it that they slow me down.
Thanks, everyone. I hope to make swimming 'my' sport, even though I only began in my 20s and would love some input.
For me, in my current state, long and slow yardage is the way to go. It's not the "only" way, but here's why I'm taking that route:
My speed for about eight strokes of fly has been pretty consistent over the last decade. What’s different today, as opposed to a few years ago, is that I’m out of shape: When I swam a full 50 yards of fly a month ago, in my first meet in a long time, I died like a pig.
Thus, I feel the need for more yards at a low intensity – maybe even for so-called junk yardage.
To be sure, other training approaches might be better suited for other individuals who face different circumstances.
Consider, for example, Glenn Gruber, who ranked first in two events in the FINA world rankings (and 3rd in another event). He’s shown the value of Uniquely Short Race-Paced Training (USRP). Today, he’s logging fewer yards than in the past – with workouts that last less than an hour – even as he’s held his times essentially constant while advancing from the 50-54 to the 65-69 age groups, a period when most master’s men slow down significantly or just give up swimming altogether. It seems pretty clear that, if you are really in great shape, as Glenn has been for decades, and if you are in your 60s and can swim a 200 free within 10 seconds of your college times, then you should think about doing what Glenn is doing - and you really shouldn't do what I'm doing.
But my situation is different from Glenn’s, as is the situation of the original poster: a few years ago, Glenn pounded down about 4,500 yards in an hour-long postal swim; I on the other hand, don’t really have what it takes to swim 3,000 yards in an hour. In other words, unlike Glenn, I’m trying to get back in shape. (When I’m back in shape, by the way, I’ll join those who are experimenting with USRP, and I’ll certainly go back to my old ways of occasional high-intensity sets – but that might be a year away, still).
In going for junk yardage, I’m finding support in this bit of apparently “settled science” (full study: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.../24812628 ... Also see: www.swimmingscience.net/.../determinants-of-masters-swimming-performance-part-ii.html ):
“…a period of reduced volume and higher intensity can enhance sprint performance after a high volume base period. Likewise it can sustain fitness for middle distance events after a lower intensity/higher volume base period.”
I especially noted this phrase: “… after a high volume base period.” That seemed consistent with words I found in “Swimming Past 50,” Mel Goldstein and Dave Tanner:
“Interval training permits only incomplete recovery between repeats, whereas goal set training allows near-complete recovery. For example, a set of 5 x 100 with 30 seconds rest between each 100 is interval training, but the same set (done with a dive) with five minutes rest between repeats is goal set training … Because this type of training is very stressful and can result in fatigue that lasts for days, the past-50 swimmer should use it sparingly. A goal set once every two weeks during the high-intensity phase of the season is a reasonable guideline.”
The original poster noted fatigue, by the way:
... One of the issues I have is that my health isn't great ... I feel like my body is kind of exhausted, and while I like swimming, I want to get better at it without overexercising.
All of this points to a defense of Standard Issue Training(SIT), with high-volume and relatively low-intensity swims (with a lot ofkicking and some over-distance), with an occasional blast of a race-paced swim – at least until I’m inreasonably good physical shape ...
For me, in my current state, long and slow yardage is the way to go. It's not the "only" way, but here's why I'm taking that route:
My speed for about eight strokes of fly has been pretty consistent over the last decade. What’s different today, as opposed to a few years ago, is that I’m out of shape: When I swam a full 50 yards of fly a month ago, in my first meet in a long time, I died like a pig.
Thus, I feel the need for more yards at a low intensity – maybe even for so-called junk yardage.
To be sure, other training approaches might be better suited for other individuals who face different circumstances.
Consider, for example, Glenn Gruber, who ranked first in two events in the FINA world rankings (and 3rd in another event). He’s shown the value of Uniquely Short Race-Paced Training (USRP). Today, he’s logging fewer yards than in the past – with workouts that last less than an hour – even as he’s held his times essentially constant while advancing from the 50-54 to the 65-69 age groups, a period when most master’s men slow down significantly or just give up swimming altogether. It seems pretty clear that, if you are really in great shape, as Glenn has been for decades, and if you are in your 60s and can swim a 200 free within 10 seconds of your college times, then you should think about doing what Glenn is doing - and you really shouldn't do what I'm doing.
But my situation is different from Glenn’s, as is the situation of the original poster: a few years ago, Glenn pounded down about 4,500 yards in an hour-long postal swim; I on the other hand, don’t really have what it takes to swim 3,000 yards in an hour. In other words, unlike Glenn, I’m trying to get back in shape. (When I’m back in shape, by the way, I’ll join those who are experimenting with USRP, and I’ll certainly go back to my old ways of occasional high-intensity sets – but that might be a year away, still).
In going for junk yardage, I’m finding support in this bit of apparently “settled science” (full study: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.../24812628 ... Also see: www.swimmingscience.net/.../determinants-of-masters-swimming-performance-part-ii.html ):
“…a period of reduced volume and higher intensity can enhance sprint performance after a high volume base period. Likewise it can sustain fitness for middle distance events after a lower intensity/higher volume base period.”
I especially noted this phrase: “… after a high volume base period.” That seemed consistent with words I found in “Swimming Past 50,” Mel Goldstein and Dave Tanner:
“Interval training permits only incomplete recovery between repeats, whereas goal set training allows near-complete recovery. For example, a set of 5 x 100 with 30 seconds rest between each 100 is interval training, but the same set (done with a dive) with five minutes rest between repeats is goal set training … Because this type of training is very stressful and can result in fatigue that lasts for days, the past-50 swimmer should use it sparingly. A goal set once every two weeks during the high-intensity phase of the season is a reasonable guideline.”
The original poster noted fatigue, by the way:
... One of the issues I have is that my health isn't great ... I feel like my body is kind of exhausted, and while I like swimming, I want to get better at it without overexercising.
All of this points to a defense of Standard Issue Training(SIT), with high-volume and relatively low-intensity swims (with a lot ofkicking and some over-distance), with an occasional blast of a race-paced swim – at least until I’m inreasonably good physical shape ...
