I've heard different opinions on tapering. I also know that Sprinters and Distance swimmers generally taper differently, however, is there a general rule that one should use to know when they should taper? And what they should be doing during taper?
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Former Member
Everyone tapers a little differently. You just have to try different tapers to find out what works best for you.
In general sprinters will taper down to less yardage than distance swimmers.
When I swam in college (distance swimmer) what worked best for me was a nice 4 week taper. Dropping morning swim practices the first week. Then for weeks 2-4 dropping 500 yards every other day, down to 3000 yds. I'd continue lifting until week 3. As the yards dropped, the intervals increase. Didn't work as hard for the entire set ; but max effort was greater on the last repetition(s). Started to really focus on drills/stroke technique - fine tuning. Getting a feel in the water for swimming really fast. LOTS of pace work. Everyday would do 5x100s trying to hold the pace I wanted for either the 500 or 1650. Or I would do 4x50s holding the pace I wanted for my 200.
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Former Member
Everyone tapers a little differently. You just have to try different tapers to find out what works best for you.
In general sprinters will taper down to less yardage than distance swimmers.
When I swam in college (distance swimmer) what worked best for me was a nice 4 week taper. Dropping morning swim practices the first week. Then for weeks 2-4 dropping 500 yards every other day, down to 3000 yds. I'd continue lifting until week 3. As the yards dropped, the intervals increase. Didn't work as hard for the entire set ; but max effort was greater on the last repetition(s). Started to really focus on drills/stroke technique - fine tuning. Getting a feel in the water for swimming really fast. LOTS of pace work. Everyday would do 5x100s trying to hold the pace I wanted for either the 500 or 1650. Or I would do 4x50s holding the pace I wanted for my 200.
