I have a problem that I hope the more seasoned swimmers here might be able to clarify for me. First, some background: I never swam competitively. I started swimming 'seriously' in Dec/Jan, knowing how to swim, but not knowing how to structure a decent workout program. I'd like to think that I've improved in the latter regard. I swim 6-7x a week for about 60-90mins at a time, getting in anywhere from 2500 to 4000yds a session. I don't have a race that I focus on, but I tend to enjoy 50 fr/bk, 100 fr & 100 IM---so basically, the shorter stuff. Most of my workouts involve strong effort sets with a good amount of rest.
Now...here's my question. Do I need to be doing sets like Nx100 or Nx50 on an interval that gives me :5-:10 seconds rest? If so, how often should I be doing these? Since I'm a beginner, I feel like I need to add stuff like this to my workout, just to improve my overall conditioning. But am I wrong?
I've started doing the following main set every Sunday: 12x100 broken into 3 rounds of 4x100s as fr/IM/bk, on intervals that give me :5-:10 rest; followed by 9x100 broken into 3 rds of 3x100 of the same. My goal is to progress enough each week so that I can lower the intervals. This has been working OK for the past few weeks, in the sense that my intervals are coming down. But I feel like that's all I'm getting out of it---getting better at swimming 100 repeats, and apparently not much else. Is this worth it if I don't ever plan on racing a 200+ distance?
Sorry for the long post but I'd really appreciate any input on this! I swim solo so I have nobody else that I can discuss these things with.
(Incidentally, today is Sunday, and I'm about to head to the pool to do the workout mentioned above. I'm really starting to dread it. It's a tough workout for me---which is fine, if it weren't for the nagging voice in the back of my head telling me that it's tough and pointless, which makes it even more tough! Am I just being a wimp?)
msf87, for what it's worth, I think if you enjoy the shorter distances and that's where you want to focus, then your misgivings about repeats with low rest are valid. I have been tracking my yardage and workouts since I got back to swimming seriously eight years ago, and I do not see a correlation between longer yardage and less rest with race performance. I swim 50s, 100s and 200s in competition. The seasons where I have seen my best performance have combined consistent training (4x and 5x a week) and focus on higher intensity sets. I have come to realize that repeat sets of 100s on short rest are almost worthless to me. (Although I do get something out of broken 200s as 4x50 with low rest.) For 100s in particular I'd rather have a little more rest and swim a little faster, or just do a long swim and focus on form. That said, I am very clear that my whole approach to the sport is based on sustainability. If I do workouts that challenge me but are fun, I am more likely to get to the pool. The moment it feels like drudgery, I know there's a problem.
msf87, for what it's worth, I think if you enjoy the shorter distances and that's where you want to focus, then your misgivings about repeats with low rest are valid. I have been tracking my yardage and workouts since I got back to swimming seriously eight years ago, and I do not see a correlation between longer yardage and less rest with race performance. I swim 50s, 100s and 200s in competition. The seasons where I have seen my best performance have combined consistent training (4x and 5x a week) and focus on higher intensity sets. I have come to realize that repeat sets of 100s on short rest are almost worthless to me. (Although I do get something out of broken 200s as 4x50 with low rest.) For 100s in particular I'd rather have a little more rest and swim a little faster, or just do a long swim and focus on form. That said, I am very clear that my whole approach to the sport is based on sustainability. If I do workouts that challenge me but are fun, I am more likely to get to the pool. The moment it feels like drudgery, I know there's a problem.
