There was some confusion over the previous poll "What is your favorite stroke?", as the word "favorite" can be interpreted many different ways. For example, someone may think it's his/her favorite because it's most graceful and likes to watch this stroke the most, but he/she may not necessarily swim this stroke.
So this is the new poll.
Please only select the stroke you PERSONALLY train and spend most time swimming (and thinking about).
Parents
Former Member
Originally posted by knelson
I think you're wrong there. Sprinters probably warm up just as much if not more than distance swimmers. 1200 yards isn't really that much. We sometimes do up to around 2000 or so. This isn't all just slow swimming, though. Maybe the first few hundred is just to get loosened up, but from then on you'll probably be varying your speed including maybe some short fast swimming to get your heart rate up.
And, yes, the vast majority of competitive swimmers at all levels will train more freestyle than anything else. I'm guessing even splitting 50/50 with another stroke is somewhat atypical.
With due respect, to do that much as warmup is simply a curious concept to me. I can see the point of loosening up your joints for someone with less flexible joints due to aging (as butterud pointed out), but for many others I don't see the point. Most people will be warm after a few laps (imagine you need 20-40 minutes to get into the real swim status at a meet?). I especially don't believe this is true for competitive swimmers.
I have read in many sources that although a lot of swimmers think doing laps after laps for miles and miles will make them a faster swimmer, that really is not the way to go. The key is technique and intensity. The importance of technique is even more apparent in the other three strokes. If that's the case, how can you expect to improve the other three strokes when you barely have time to practice them beacuse you already spend most of your time on freestyle.
If you do some searches on the web, you will find plenty of articles supporting the research findings that you don't become a faster better swimmer simply because you can swim 5000 meters per workout.
For example,
www.pponline.co.uk/.../0952.htm
I like this article because it compares swimming to running.
"If you told a 100m runner that the best way to optimise his sprint technique at maximum speed would be to complete many miles a week at 10k pace, you would be laughed off the track!"
One of its findings: "Over the whole season the swimmers who made the biggest improvements were those who performed more of their training at higher paces. The volume of training had no influence on swim performance. "
In any case, this is what I believe. In no way am I advocating making your workout so easy that you barely feel you get anything done. All I am saying is that intensity is extremely important, and you can achieve intensity better in a shorter amount of time by simulating your training to your race as much as possible.
Originally posted by knelson
I think you're wrong there. Sprinters probably warm up just as much if not more than distance swimmers. 1200 yards isn't really that much. We sometimes do up to around 2000 or so. This isn't all just slow swimming, though. Maybe the first few hundred is just to get loosened up, but from then on you'll probably be varying your speed including maybe some short fast swimming to get your heart rate up.
And, yes, the vast majority of competitive swimmers at all levels will train more freestyle than anything else. I'm guessing even splitting 50/50 with another stroke is somewhat atypical.
With due respect, to do that much as warmup is simply a curious concept to me. I can see the point of loosening up your joints for someone with less flexible joints due to aging (as butterud pointed out), but for many others I don't see the point. Most people will be warm after a few laps (imagine you need 20-40 minutes to get into the real swim status at a meet?). I especially don't believe this is true for competitive swimmers.
I have read in many sources that although a lot of swimmers think doing laps after laps for miles and miles will make them a faster swimmer, that really is not the way to go. The key is technique and intensity. The importance of technique is even more apparent in the other three strokes. If that's the case, how can you expect to improve the other three strokes when you barely have time to practice them beacuse you already spend most of your time on freestyle.
If you do some searches on the web, you will find plenty of articles supporting the research findings that you don't become a faster better swimmer simply because you can swim 5000 meters per workout.
For example,
www.pponline.co.uk/.../0952.htm
I like this article because it compares swimming to running.
"If you told a 100m runner that the best way to optimise his sprint technique at maximum speed would be to complete many miles a week at 10k pace, you would be laughed off the track!"
One of its findings: "Over the whole season the swimmers who made the biggest improvements were those who performed more of their training at higher paces. The volume of training had no influence on swim performance. "
In any case, this is what I believe. In no way am I advocating making your workout so easy that you barely feel you get anything done. All I am saying is that intensity is extremely important, and you can achieve intensity better in a shorter amount of time by simulating your training to your race as much as possible.
