The new Master's coach philosophy is to do lower yardage and more IM. Lots of kicks (strengthen the core), lots of drills, and lots of toys (snorkel, skull finger paddles, regular paddles, zoomers, regular fins, *** stoke fins, finis tempo trainer, light weight kick board...) (disclaimer...I have not bought any of this stuff, just have the normal toys). I am in my 60's, have swum forever, many years in masters, raised age-group kids through college swimming, and am very confused.
I am used to 10 x 100 or 5 x 200's or couple 500's, IM once in a while, option to swim IM or free, kicks as a set in a workout, you know what I'm talkin' bout.
Now I am exhausted doing 90 minutes of kicks and sprints and only going 2000 yards. Flipping at the end of every set, using weight balls in the water, doing 6 x 100 *** stroke kick no hands, doing tandem training, example: swimming arm in arm with the other 60 year old doing fly kicks then holding his legs while I kick and he strokes, then vise versa. Now it is not always exhausting, but it seems always to be frustrating.
Working hard is not the problem, but working hard doing fly kicks in 50 meter pools is frustrating. And my distance flog is suffering. Not just 4 x 50 fly kicks, but 10 x 50 fly kicks.
It has been 4 months with new coach. Others say that they workouts are making them stronger for races and allowing them to be tougher. I worry about hurting my back, my shoulders, and not getting in my yardage.
Fitness swimming should be challenging and fun; I am a wimp? Should I give it more time? I like my team!
A new training philosophy makes swimming interesting.
Yes. Plus, if you are finding the workouts very tiring, that's probably a sign that you need to do them.
After years of doing things a certain way, fear of injury with a new type of workout is a valid concern. Just be sensible, if it starts hurting then back off a bit. Other than that, though...what doesn't kill you makes you tougher. :-)
you are a wimp and need to suck it up, buttercup.
Aquageek, I was just feeling all sorry for myself for some injury setbacks there's not a thing I can do about and I really needed Hello Kitty pointing this out to me. I may need to print a pic of hello kitty with your quote and stick it by my bed for a bed. You rock! :)
Meet with your coach 1 on 1. You need to communicate what you are used to, what works for you (i assume you know this having swum for the years you've swum) and your goals. Then you will want to hear more from your coach about his philosophy - in some more detail.
The meetings are key. Swimmers need to buy in - and the meetings are a chance to get a better understanding of what is going on, provide feedback, etc. If you and your coach talk regularly (before, after practice, monthly, etc.), that will be beneficial to you both. Who knows, maybe he'll change things up and give a 10x100 practice the next week!
It is a struggle sometimes to learn new things, especially after many years of the same routine. You're likely tired because you are using muscles you've ignored for years. Don't worry about the yardage. Quality vs. Quantity. If you are doing his practices right, you can get more out of a 90 minute 2000 yard practice than you will slogging through 90 minutes of free and going 4k. As for the injuries - make sure you are asking your coach for feedback throughout practice to make sure you don't get hurt (doesn't sound like you are getting hurt, just worried about it).
We've undergone a similar transition on my team. I'm sure we may have lost a few people who prefer slogging through the boring 4-5-6k free workouts, but in general, our numbers are now consistently higher than they were each of the last 3 years. Some of the people still swimming but not with our group have regressed in their technique and speed. On the contrary, those who have bought in to the new coach's philosophy (they are old and young, tris, distance swimmers, sprinters, meet-swimmers and fitness swimmers) are swimming faster and better than ever before.
You've been at this 4 months, so it sounds like you're willing to give this guy a shot. But I don't think you've fully bought in. Meet with the guy. Buy a new toy or two. Ask him for his recommendation on "if i bought 1 item from your list, what do i need?" (probably the snorkel and/or tempo trainer would be my guess). Get to know and understand the workouts - ask "WHY?" (but do so nicely ;) ). I think if you buy in completely, you'll find the challenge to be quite fun.
I think what is most important is to be considerate of those who are hesitant about new training approaches. Masters swimmers are adults, not age groupers, and they should be treated as such by the coach. Coming in as a new Masters coach requires patience, communication and preserving harmony within the team. Losing swimmers for the sake of enforcing a unilateral training approach regardless of the level of the swimmers is not an ideal situation. Again, this is a Masters team and different adult swimmers will have different needs that should be accommodated within reason. As many others have encouraged, talk to your coach about your specific needs.
We've undergone a similar transition on my team. I'm sure we may have lost a few people who prefer slogging through the boring 4-5-6k free workouts, but in general, our numbers are now consistently higher than they were each of the last 3 years. Some of the people still swimming but not with our group have regressed in their technique and speed. On the contrary, those who have bought in to the new coach's philosophy (they are old and young, tris, distance swimmers, sprinters, meet-swimmers and fitness swimmers) are swimming faster and better than ever before.
Hey, Muppet, will you please post a few examples of these workouts? I train on my own, because the closest team trains too far away for me to travel round trip each evening. (I also prefer to swim in the mornings.) I currently do workouts I've gotten from several Forumites (Allen Stark, PWB, Ande, The Fortress, etc.); however, I am always open to new ideas and more variety. Please share! :agree: THANKS!
Yes, I would say you are a wimp and need to suck it up, buttercup.
From a coach's perspective, using this approach towards the swimmers on the team should not be an option.
Though I would personally love the type of workouts you describe, I can understand your concerns about such a radical change in philosophy. I would definitely talk to the coach to voice your concerns about injuries, and at the same time, gain a better understanding of his approach, as there is likely more to it than meets the eye. You can also share with him your swimming goals, whether it is fitness or competing in specific events, so he can keep them in mind while designing workouts. Most importantly, keep the discussion a conversation and see what you can learn. Hopefully, he'll want to learn from you as well. I'm a coach, and I would welcome such a conversation with a swimmer. At the same time, I would not want swimmers to complain about my workouts behind my back. I'd much rather them come to me with concerns.
Just curious: Why do you need to get in a certain amount of yardage?
Yes, I would say you are a wimp and need to suck it up, buttercup. A new training philosophy makes swimming interesting.
I disagree with the first sentence (and completely agree with Swimspire's comment about it); however, I totally agree with the second one. ;)
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. So the question has become, have you tested yourself to see what results you have?
Since you have been swimming so long, why not share some of your experiences with the coach? The only true source of knowledge is experience. He/she maybe able to incorporate into the season plan. This way everyone will benefit. Just my opinion.
