Training intervals

The standard USRPT set for 200s and up is 50s with 20 sec rest. Your goal time is 1/4 of your 200 goal time. If you miss the goal time you skip the next send off. If you miss it twice in a row, or three times total, the set is finished. I also like to do 100s with the goal time of the second 100 split of the 200. I give myself a lot of rest for those, enough to make the time, maybe 2x the swim time.

Thanks for the tips. How many should I expect to be able to do to convince myself I can come close to the goal splits when I swim the full event unbroken?

Just swim the full 200 fly once a week in practice. You know you'll go that fast or faster in the meet. And, if you do USRPT (and I'm not saying you should) you'll know what that means for you in terms of X 50s at Y means Z time. If you're swimming actual fly in practice, more rest, and thus quality fly, is your friend. Don't make 50s with five seconds rest a goal set - you may as well just do a race simulation at that point. When I trained for the 200 (I managed to get down into the 2:20 range) I did a lot of mixed free/fly sets, basically alternating strokes every 25 or 50. I think that let me do quality fly at pace for race distance without practicing the piano.

Thanks! Fly/free combinations sounds a lot better than all fly!

The standard USRPT set for 200s and up is 50s with 20 sec rest. Your goal time is 1/4 of your 200 goal time. If you miss the goal time you skip the next send off. If you miss it twice in a row, or three times total, the set is finished. I also like to do 100s with the goal time of the second 100 split of the 200. I give myself a lot of rest for those, enough to make the time, maybe 2x the swim time. I'm in the same situation as Betty. Although 200's are my worst events, those are the ones I am competing in these days (for various reasons). I would like to improve all four of my 200's. Let's say, for example, my goal for 200 breaststroke is to hit my 50's on :52. If I miss :52 on my next one, I would skip the next send-off. Does that mean I would wait :20 + :52 + :20 before I start again? Other questions: 1. Once I miss three times total and the set is finished, do I rest and try doing another USRPT set with another stroke? If not, what type of sets would I do? Drills? Kicking? 2. I swim 6 days/week. How many days per week would you recommend I train USRPT sets for 200's to improve my times, but not physically break down my 55-year-old body? Thanks!

I'm in the same situation as Betty. Although 200's are my worst events, those are the ones I am competing in these days (for various reasons). I would like to improve all four of my 200's. Let's say, for example, my goal for 200 breaststroke is to hit my 50's on :52. If I miss :52 on my next one, I would skip the next send-off. Does that mean I would wait :20 + :52 + :20 before I start again? Other questions: 1. Once I miss three times total and the set is finished, do I rest and try doing another USRPT set with another stroke? If not, what type of sets would I do? Drills? Kicking? 2. I swim 6 days/week. How many days per week would you recommend I train USRPT sets for 200's to improve my times, but not physically break down my 55-year-old body? Thanks! I am not an expert in USRPT, I just dabble in it. For more in depth check out forums.usms.org/showthread.php or if you really want to get in depth coachsci.sdsu.edu/.../47GUIDE.pdf . From what I know, yes, if you miss a goal time you would wait 20+52+20 for the next one. I usually do one USRPT set per workout, so once I get to failure I'd do something else,drills, long slow stuff etc. People who are committed to USRPT would probably do active recovery and then start another set. Since you are going to failure the sets are self limiting, so you could really do them every workout, except not if you feel unduly in pain. If you have unusual pain, wait until that is better to start again. One thing that has helped me in doing these sets lately, that I think might help you, is broadening my definition of "failure". Instead of just going by time, I am now going by stroke count and feel. If my goal is 50 BR in 39 with a 6 1/2 stroke count and I do it in 39 but with a 7 stroke count I count it as a failure, since my stroke is off somehow.This is my idea anyway.

The standard USRPT set for 200s and up is 50s with 20 sec rest. Your goal time is 1/4 of your 200 goal time. If you miss the goal time you skip the next send off. If you miss it twice in a row, or three times total, the set is finished. I also like to do 100s with the goal time of the second 100 split of the 200. I give myself a lot of rest for those, enough to make the time, maybe 2x the swim time. I do USRPT, too, and, for the 200 free, have gone to using for a 50 target time. The difference is only about 1/2 second, but that makes a huge difference the ability to complete a meaningful number of repetitions before failing out of the set. I would certainly recommend a similar strategy for the 200 fly. The first 50 in that race can really throw off the target time if you use the (200 time/4) method. Unless your goal time is pretty close to your current time, it's probably too much of a stretch to train USRPT as your basis for target times. Not likely to get many successful reps. You gotta start where you are now, and work down.

If you are looking for a lactate threshold set, the short rest intervals are exactly what you are looking for. These are NOT race pace sets. A lactate threshold speed is closer to 30 minutes race pace. When we do a threshold set for freestyle, it might look like 10x200 on 20s rest, or 18x100 on 10s rest. This is like at an effort of 6-7 out of 10. By the end of the set, you couldn't go any faster if you tried, but the starting effort is relatively easy. For me, this speed is useful for my freestyle as I will race the 1,000, 1650, and open water distances up to 10K. In theory, these type of sets train your body do clear lactate more efficiently. While some people might do sets like this to train for the 200 Free, I've never heard of anyone training a 200 *** or Fly this way (perhaps this is where I'm going wrong. haha!) My 200 Breaststroke, on the other hand, I try to get my aerobic work in other ways. I might do things like 75's on 10s rest as 25 breaststroke kick, 25 breaststroke drill, 25 breaststroke swim. This allows me to hold together a good breaststroke form but stay in either the aerobic or threshold zone depending on how hard I push it. Another set I might do to work the 200's in the aerobic/threshold zone is say 10x150's on 15 seconds rest, split as 100 free, 50 ***, trying to hold threshold pace on the free and maintain that feeling on the 50 ***. These sets will give you good conditioning but they won't give you that punch you need to hold on in the last 50 of a 200 stroke. To do that, you'll need more race speed simulation. USRPT sets are designed to be race pace on short rest, this is an option. Those who adhere to USRPT do ONLY USRPT sets. However, I've always had sets like this mixed into my more traditional training. These sets definitely get the lactate monkey on your back but the beauty is when your body can't handle the pace anymore, you get a break. If you really put everything you've got into them and allow your body to fail, not your mind, you gain the ability to trust that you can still swim fast despite all the sensations you are feeling. Personally, I will do sets like 4x50 AFAP on 10s rest once a week. I suspect if you can't hold onto the same pace you did for 4x50 on 8 sec rest in a race situation, it has more to do with the mental training than the physical training. The 8 seconds rest is enough rest to not get the full brunt of the monkey. That last 50 in a race is going to hurt like h e double hockey sticks. You just can't think about it or let it get to you. You can swim fast even though you feel like a lead brick. Train yourself to trust that.

I'm in the same situation as Betty. Although 200's are my worst events, those are the ones I am competing in these days (for various reasons). I would like to improve all four of my 200's. Let's say, for example, my goal for 200 breaststroke is to hit my 50's on :52. If I miss :52 on my next one, I would skip the next send-off. Does that mean I would wait :20 + :52 + :20 before I start again? Other questions: 1. Once I miss three times total and the set is finished, do I rest and try doing another USRPT set with another stroke? If not, what type of sets would I do? Drills? Kicking? 2. I swim 6 days/week. How many days per week would you recommend I train USRPT sets for 200's to improve my times, but not physically break down my 55-year-old body? Thanks! Fast swimming, Elaine. I recently did a 54 in workouts in Breaststroke but it was resting for about 2 minutes and a slow 50 swim before doing it. I only recently did 51.21 in a race compared to doing 42 as a 45 year old. Now, I'm 59 and in 2 months 60. So, I think your goal is great.

I am not an expert in USRPT, I just dabble in it. For more in depth check out forums.usms.org/showthread.php or if you really want to get in depth coachsci.sdsu.edu/.../47GUIDE.pdf . From what I know, yes, if you miss a goal time you would wait 20+52+20 for the next one. I usually do one USRPT set per workout, so once I get to failure I'd do something else,drills, long slow stuff etc. People who are committed to USRPT would probably do active recovery and then start another set. Since you are going to failure the sets are self limiting, so you could really do them every workout, except not if you feel unduly in pain. If you have unusual pain, wait until that is better to start again. One thing that has helped me in doing these sets lately, that I think might help you, is broadening my definition of "failure". Instead of just going by time, I am now going by stroke count and feel. If my goal is 50 BR in 39 with a 6 1/2 stroke count and I do it in 39 but with a 7 stroke count I count it as a failure, since my stroke is off somehow.This is my idea anyway. 39 or 40 seconds is similar to me between the ages of 14 to 19 where I swam breaststroke between 1:16 to 1:21 in 100 yards and 50 yards between 36 to 38 at the same ages.