I've only been swimming (competitive) for a little over 2 years. I've discovered through my coach and through experience over the last couple of years that I'm a definite sprinter. Is there any benefit for me to train at race pace for longer distances than I plan on racing or is this just a waste of time? Should I avoid swimming longer sets and concentrate more on sprints? I've read articles that swimming long yardage may even hamper fast twitch muscle fibers. For you sprinters (and non-sprinters) - what is the best method of training for short distances?
On a serious note....I believe you need to vary your workouts. You can burn yourself out, physically and mentally, doing sprint workouts every day! You do need to do some longer swims to build your endurance. Mix in some variable speed sets. A good example would be 5x200's easy/fast by 50's. This way you get the endurance building yardage and the sprinting all at once! Have at least one day a week that is a "LSD" day=long slow distance. You can get some great workouts from this site. If you are trying to peak for a specific meet, you can do less yardage and more speed work with lots of rest for a week or two leading into the meet. This is what works for most people. Everyone is different though! You really have to experiment and see what works for you.
On a serious note....I believe you need to vary your workouts. You can burn yourself out, physically and mentally, doing sprint workouts every day! You do need to do some longer swims to build your endurance. Mix in some variable speed sets. A good example would be 5x200's easy/fast by 50's. This way you get the endurance building yardage and the sprinting all at once! Have at least one day a week that is a "LSD" day=long slow distance. You can get some great workouts from this site. If you are trying to peak for a specific meet, you can do less yardage and more speed work with lots of rest for a week or two leading into the meet. This is what works for most people. Everyone is different though! You really have to experiment and see what works for you.
