After doing a spinning (i.e. stationary bike) class yesterday I got to wondering if there would be a benefit to training for swimming in a similar manner. So, for those who aren't familiar with spinning classes, they involve cycling continuously for an hour or whatever, varying tempo and resistance, but always keeping the pedals moving, even in the rest segments. The instructor rides along with the class, facing them, and explains what to do. For example, "ok, now we'll do 30 seconds sprint, followed by 20 seconds rest, repeated five times." You get the idea.
Obviously most competitve swimmers don't do their workouts quite like this. Yes, we vary the intensity while swimming, but the true rest is done standing at the wall. The logistics to a continuous workout in swimming would be more difficult because everyone's heads would be underwater, but if the technical glitches could be worked out would it be better than the current method?
So do you think this would work in swimming? It seems to me it might be especially useful in masters swimming where many of us are under time constraints and need to get our workouts in quickly. Honestly, I don't know if it would be better, worse or the same as the current swimming training philosophy, but it seems like it's at least a good discussion topic :)
Lastly, yeah I know there's already a poll thread asking whether we swim continuously or do intervals: forums.usms.org/showthread.php,
but this is different. I'm proposing continuous swimming AND intervals.
Interesting question.
Some coaches use "active recovery" and have the swimmers swim easy or drill between sets instead of resting at the wall.
The main difference in a spinning class and a swimming workout is the pace clock. Without using the pace clock, you can't be sure how fast you are going. If you swim continuously, you tend to swimmer slower. The only way to see the clock and calculate your time is to stop. On a bike, you can check a readout of your speed or your rpm.
I also think what you are training for makes a difference. Learning and practicing your race pace are essential to racing. Even marathon runners do intervals as part of their training.
As I have thought this through as I wrote the reply, my personal opinion is that if you are just conditioning, it would work. If you are serious about competition, it wouldn't work.
Originally posted by Betsy
The only way to see the clock and calculate your time is to stop. On a bike, you can check a readout of your speed or your rpm.
I disagree with this. I use the pace clock constantly while I'm swimming, not just when I stop. Also, the bikes at the gym I go to have no type of readout, so I can't use that. You have to rely on your body to tell you how hard you're working. I think you could easily do the same thing swimming.
Yeah, the use of "active rest" was one of the things that made me think this would work in swimming. I definitely feel better after a very hard swim if I can do some easy swimming rather than standing at the wall, huffing and puffing.
It's definitely an interesting idea. However, I'd have trouble remembering a whole hour workout and keeping time without stopping to look at the clock. I guess the coach could use a grease pen on a board and lower it in the water at the walls to tell you the time or what's next.
Would the speedplay (fartlek) training method be similar to the bike spinning class? Something like swim 3 x 1000 on your interval - alternate 200 easy, 200 moderate?
I think this is mostly used at the beginning of a season when building aerobic base.
Yes, I'd say it's identical to fartlek or "speed play" training just taken to another level since you'd never stop. It wouldn't be 3 x 1000, it would be a 3000.
I agree trying to remember the entire workout wouldn't work. Ideally I think the coach would need to be heard underwater using an underwater speaker or headsets for each swimmer.
My training schedule now doesn't really allow it. I swim with a team and couldn't just break off and do something different on my own. The only way I could do it would be to swim lap swim at a public pool and I'm not a big fan of those! Someone who already does most of their swimming without a coach would be a prime candidate for this.
Not trying to be a smartass....
Give it a shot Kirk. Try this system for 30 days and report back to us letting us know what sort of results you obtained. It would be best if 3-4 people tried this system to get a better idea of how it works from person to person. I would volunteer but my workouts are far too brief lately to qualify me for this task.
Hopefully by the time you guys figure out if this routine will be beneficial, I will be ready to use it!:)
I hear ya. Well, my meet this weekend has inspired me to push for greater things so maybe I will add this to my list of things to do. If/when I do, I will let you know.
Assuming you swim in the deep end, one sort of variation on this theme is to switch to vertical kicking any time there's a break. You can hear the next set that way, and keep the heart rate up if that's your goal.
I'll do it sometimes after warmup when the coach is making the morning announcements, but I'm usually quite content to rest in the gutter once the main sets start.
Our coach sometimes has us do long kick sets where he uses a whistle to indicate changes in speed/intensity. It seems you could do the same thing with a continuous freestyle set. Lapping and passing might be a slight issue and would be more of an issue if you mixed strokes.
