Is swimming very high volume the only way to get better?

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 ...

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). Last spring I was completely out of shape. I hadn't swam in 27 years and hadn't really worked out in about 24. I was also 75 lbs over my high school graduation weight. I changed my diet, started biking 5-10 miles 3-4 times a week. I dropped about 25 lbs in the first 2 months. In the summer, I started going to the Tuesday/Thursday morning open lap swims' at the local outdoor pool. It's a short season, I maybe got 12 - 14 unorganized workouts in by Labor day when the pool closed. Down another ~15 lbs, I started swimming at the YMCA in September, 2-3 times a week. After 3 weeks of hodgepodge workouts, I stumbled across USRPT on the internet. It seemed like the most efficient way to get up to competitive speed, so I fully committed to USRPT at that time. At first I was going 3 times a week, then 4, now 5-6. Most workouts are less than a hour, and range from 1500-3500 yards; most commonly in the 2200-2500 range. In early October, I swam my first masters meet and did a 2:47 200 meter (short course) freestyle. That converts to about a 2:30 in yards, or 40 seconds slower than my lifetime best swam 28 years ago. Less than 5 months later, I swam a 2:08 200Y free in a meet. A few days later, I did a 1.2 mile (2100 yard) time trial at 27:40. I've lost 20 more pounds since I started USPRT, for a total of 60. Less than a year after I started, I'm only 15 lbs over my graduation weight, and about the same weight at 46 as I was as a 20-year-old soldier. The improvements at this point are coming in smaller bits, but I'm still improving. I expect to be able to swim within 10 seconds of my LTB 200 free time by summer's end. The moral of the story? USRPT isn't just for people who are already in good swimming shape. It can be a great way to get back into shape, assuming you have a latent "feel for the water" from previous swimming experience. I went into it with a very, very minimal base. Like 30,000 yards worth. I'm not saying you should switch. I'm just telling you that it worked great for this out-of-shape slug. Sure, I would have seen improvements with a SIT program as well. I wholeheartedly believe they would not have been nearly as dramatic, however. And I wouldn't have been able to do it, anyway, because I really wouldn't have had the time.

Gary -- your story is amazing! Good on ya! I've been using USRPT type sets as well, and they work. I get just as tired after an hour as I do with "normal" workouts, and I don't think my average heart rate over the hour is lower. I'm also sore after USRPT workouts because I go to failure, like lifting. But the more time you spend at full speed, the more time you have to learn how to go fast. That is an important aspect. I've also been coaching a group of 8-12 year olds, despite my daughter moving up to a more advanced group. I started sending out videos from youTube and from other places showing the drills we were going to do that week. Those that watch the videos have made noticeable improvements and at very least most of the kids know how to do the drill. There are a lot of basic videos of Olympic athletes swimming which are valuable to watch, especially the slow motion or underwater ones. You might not be able to swim like Matt Grevers, but you can probably pick up one or two of the good things he does and incorporate those aspects into your practice.

I’ve been pondering the same sort of question. So…the general consensus is that one would see more improvement by swimming more frequently with lower yardage than from fewer higher yardage workouts? For example...same weekly yardage but in 4-5 workouts per week instead of just 2 or 3 workouts per week. (Presuming that technique and such is good) Dan

That honestly doesn't sound too bad, especially for someone who only took up swimming in the last couple years. I can do a length of a 25 yard pool in as little as 14 strokes (counting the break-out pull) at a ~1:20/100 pace, but at 500 free "race pace" (1:10/hundred) I start at around 18 and get up to 20 or 21 when fatigued. FWIW, I took up swimming last year after a 27 year layoff. I had pretty much zero endurance at the beginning. Not only had I not swam for 27 years, I hadn't really worked out for most of that time either. But I did have a reasonable "feel for the water" from all the mileage I swam as a kid/teen so I didn't have the same kind of technique learning curve a newcomer would. My training has pretty much been only sets of 25's, 50's, and 75's with short rests (USRPT), and my total workouts are typically only 2200-3500 yards. After 6 months of that, 3-5 times a week, I tried a 1.2 mile swim* for time and was able to hold a ~1:20/100 pace to the half way point and then ~1:18/100 on the back half. So I would say no, you don't have to do mega yardage to improve your endurance. Technique and stroke efficiency matter, but you need conditioning to be able to hold the technique/efficiency together when you fatigue. You can get just as much conditioning, and arguably more, doing short distances at high pace as you can at longer distances but slower pace. If you can do a length in 18 strokes, your technique can't be all that bad. How's your streamline off the wall? When I'm doing a length in 14 strokes, I'm past the flags before I take that first stroke. I'm guessing you probably don't make it that far. That would make your 18 closer to my 14 than the difference might suggest. You always want to be mindful of your technique, but I think you may be ready for more high intensity work within the time/yardage you're already committing to. *This was an in-pool time trial to give myself a baseline time for an upcoming 1.2 mile open water event. That's very enlightening! I've actually been doing just that since I came here: similar volume (about 2000-2500 yards per workout six times a week) but higher intensity/less rest, with a bunch of short intervals on a miniscule amount of rest. Times have dropped several seconds in just a few weeks, and so has stroke count with some drills. Now I can do 15 strokes to a lap at easy pace (1:35/100 yards) and 18 when in the 1:20s. My new 400 yard time is 5:48 and I swam 1500 straight in 22:57 on Monday. I think I can better that, and I'm hitting consistently under 1:25 per 100 for many short intervals with short 's contributed. by the way, I should note that as a middle distance runner, almost all improvement I saw was from high intensity/low rest. Long slow distance did little but break me down.

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 ): 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: The original poster noted fatigue, by the way: 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 ...Thanks. I'm so glad someone said this. Personally, I think it is best to incorporate some of both types of training, but when I was most out of shape, I too worked on improving my endurance by focusing on distance. Not long, lazy swims, but increasing distances and reducing time, and making sure I got enough rest after swimming long distances. I lost 60 lbs in 3 months, but also greatly increased my endurance at the same time and increased the weights I was using in strength-training. I went from being able to swim three laps to swimming 3 miles continuous in three months. The first three times I swam 3 miles, I needed a week to recover, but within two months time, I was able to swim 3 miles 3 times per week. I did not neglect intensity. During one month, I improved my 1-mile time by 10 minutes, from 40 minutes to 30 minutes. Now that I'm able to do the 3-mile distance comfortably and continue to focus on improving times, I will be incorporating more interval training by practicing with the local swim team. Different things work differently for different people. I used to be a long-distance runner and love the endorphins and aerobic loop so I gravitated toward this type of swimming when major foot surgery ended my running. But I also knew the importance of interval training and always planned on incorporating this as well. Coaches are obviously very important, and I too would like to get one soon.