Would someone be able to advise me please. At my local swim club I have difficulty in completing the sets at the times given to us. I am able to start off OK, but then need the aid of fins to continue at the pace about half way through.
So the question is; Is is better for me to complete the whole set's distances at the times given (with the aid of fins half way through), OR better to swim with no fins but cut distances and times?
I assume at the moment it is better to swim the distances at the times given with the fins (although I feel as if I am cheating in a way, compared to everyone else - because it is perceived as easier etc etc.)
But is it right for me to think I am still increasing flexibilty and strength and stamina so I will eventually be able to do the sets without the need for the fin?
Parents
Former Member
Your heart and lungs don't care what activity you are doing, as long as they are working hard. However, your muscles need specificity to perform best at an activity. Swimming with zoomers is LIKE swimming without them, but swimming without zoomers IS swimming without zoomers. It would be best to swim without zoomers. Now, the kind of long set on which getting behind is likely to be a problem is probably the kind of set that is for aerobic conditioning. You are getting less rest with the zoomers than the fastest people making the set easily are getting. You can legitimately get more rest than you are getting and still get the aerobic benefit of the set. So you should not feel bad if you have to mix in a few 50s in a set of 100s while swimming without zoomers.
On a medium or long set like this I would make as many as I can, then miss the interval, and rest out one, and then make as many as I can, etc. On a set of 100s, this might work out to be: make the interval on 1-5, miss on 6, wait, make 8 and 9, miss on 10, make 12. Suppose they were on 1:30:
1:15 feeling good
1:20 breathing heavily
1:23 definitely out of breath
1:25 cranking along
1:28 I'm GOING to MAKE this one
1:38 Just plain tired
skip one
1:22 still a bit tired,
(I didn't bang the feet of the person in front of me!)
1:28 definitely tired
1:35 slowing down
skip one
1:20 last one, go fast
I personally like doing aerobic sets with zoomers because I like to have good leg conditioning, but swimming without zoomers is what you do in a race.
What you decide to do depends on how many people in the lane and how irritable they are. If there are a lot of people in the lane and you are getting passed a lot, that could be a problem. If you are in your own lane or half a lane, or it is long course, you can just decide to swim through the whole distance until you get lapped. Remember, what you do is none of their business unless you are affecting their practice negatively. If they can't handle an occasional pass or turning with someone resting over by the lane rope, they need to get over it. If you are doing fly drill on a fly set and going last, who cares. But if you are doing elementary backstroke and 5 people pass you in a length, that's a problem. If you lead the lane and decide to go on a faster interval, that's a problem.
There are some people that are good at longer sets and are in better shape. I used to train with a gal who would catch up to me and pass me in a longer set, but I could beat her by 6-7 seconds in a 100 yard free. If I got in good shape I could stave her off for longer, but it wasn't easy.
swim fast,
Greg
Your heart and lungs don't care what activity you are doing, as long as they are working hard. However, your muscles need specificity to perform best at an activity. Swimming with zoomers is LIKE swimming without them, but swimming without zoomers IS swimming without zoomers. It would be best to swim without zoomers. Now, the kind of long set on which getting behind is likely to be a problem is probably the kind of set that is for aerobic conditioning. You are getting less rest with the zoomers than the fastest people making the set easily are getting. You can legitimately get more rest than you are getting and still get the aerobic benefit of the set. So you should not feel bad if you have to mix in a few 50s in a set of 100s while swimming without zoomers.
On a medium or long set like this I would make as many as I can, then miss the interval, and rest out one, and then make as many as I can, etc. On a set of 100s, this might work out to be: make the interval on 1-5, miss on 6, wait, make 8 and 9, miss on 10, make 12. Suppose they were on 1:30:
1:15 feeling good
1:20 breathing heavily
1:23 definitely out of breath
1:25 cranking along
1:28 I'm GOING to MAKE this one
1:38 Just plain tired
skip one
1:22 still a bit tired,
(I didn't bang the feet of the person in front of me!)
1:28 definitely tired
1:35 slowing down
skip one
1:20 last one, go fast
I personally like doing aerobic sets with zoomers because I like to have good leg conditioning, but swimming without zoomers is what you do in a race.
What you decide to do depends on how many people in the lane and how irritable they are. If there are a lot of people in the lane and you are getting passed a lot, that could be a problem. If you are in your own lane or half a lane, or it is long course, you can just decide to swim through the whole distance until you get lapped. Remember, what you do is none of their business unless you are affecting their practice negatively. If they can't handle an occasional pass or turning with someone resting over by the lane rope, they need to get over it. If you are doing fly drill on a fly set and going last, who cares. But if you are doing elementary backstroke and 5 people pass you in a length, that's a problem. If you lead the lane and decide to go on a faster interval, that's a problem.
There are some people that are good at longer sets and are in better shape. I used to train with a gal who would catch up to me and pass me in a longer set, but I could beat her by 6-7 seconds in a 100 yard free. If I got in good shape I could stave her off for longer, but it wasn't easy.
swim fast,
Greg
