How do you correctly "listen to your body"? If you swim on a regular basis you seem to build up a certain level of fatigue. So if on a particular day you feel more tired than usual and/or you're having trouble maintaining the paces you can typically maintain how do you know whether you should push through it or if your body needs rest? I've read in swimming books that you can get to a point of "failing adaptation" but I don't think I'm at that point because I swim appx 5 days a week and 3500-4500 yards each day.
Parents
Former Member
Intensity is more important that just pounding yardage when evaluating your speed and performance level. Better to do quality yardage than just long yardage.
If you feel you are getting broken down and are swimming regularly, try to keep the grind going for a week or so before you back off to recover. Obviously you don't want to keep the break down going indefinitely or you won't recover and get stronger. The trick is to bury yourself enough to get improvement and then recover and repeat the process. Note, I am not talking about a full rest like a taper for a big meet. Just back off enough to feel human again and then start the process over.
Old people get tired faster and easier and take more time to recover than kids and people in the 20 and early 30s.
I guess the answer to your question is.... it depends. It depends on what you are used to, what events you are training for and how well your recover compared to other people, are you healthy and not sick, whether you are supplementing your water workouts with weights, running, biking etc..... there's a lot of variables to consider
John Smith
Intensity is more important that just pounding yardage when evaluating your speed and performance level. Better to do quality yardage than just long yardage.
If you feel you are getting broken down and are swimming regularly, try to keep the grind going for a week or so before you back off to recover. Obviously you don't want to keep the break down going indefinitely or you won't recover and get stronger. The trick is to bury yourself enough to get improvement and then recover and repeat the process. Note, I am not talking about a full rest like a taper for a big meet. Just back off enough to feel human again and then start the process over.
Old people get tired faster and easier and take more time to recover than kids and people in the 20 and early 30s.
I guess the answer to your question is.... it depends. It depends on what you are used to, what events you are training for and how well your recover compared to other people, are you healthy and not sick, whether you are supplementing your water workouts with weights, running, biking etc..... there's a lot of variables to consider
John Smith
