At what point do I stop lifting weights for my taper for naionals? I have heard everything from 2-3 weeks prior to gradually decreasing reps and weight load to doing a "speed lift" week 2 weeks out. I suppose I am a sprinter, if that makes any difference. (longest swim will be the 200 IM)
The real test is that of your confidence. If you have been training consistently with weights and swimming, you will lose nothing in strength if you stop even 4 weeks out (too late now). Then you could concentrate on technique and speed work in the water while your muscles repair and rest.
If you are like most self tapered people, use max weights up to the last possible moment and taper for 2 days. No, no, don't do that.
The taper is about rest, lots of it, speed work, and technique tinkering. No weights are necessary or desired. Also no need to taper off of weights. Do them or stop. You will not encounter withdrawal pains. You also do not need paddles or fins, you need to be at one with the water. And leave on the interval, OK? Starting 3 seconds early doesn't fool anyone.
The biggest drawback to a taper is the guilt of thinking that you should be doing "something". Nothing is farther from the truth. What you should be doing is resting and psychologically preparing yourself for the races at Nationals. You have spent months and months swimming and lifting, what makes you think that 10 more days of either will somehow help? Not only will they not help, they will be the absolute reason that you do not swim your very fastest times.
Ask some of the fastest sprinters what they did a week before nationals and most will say,"nothing". Excellent advice.
This is not for those who choose to compete in distances longer than 200 yards. They need to keep a feel for pace. They still don't need weights other than for warmups a month out.
It really is a challenge: you don't want to lose the strength that you have gained but you do not want your muscles to be tired. I do not recommend the gradual decrease approach, and instead do normal weights all the way up to week before the meet. The week of the meet I use the same (or close) weights but will do half the sets. The rule is decrease frequency (reps) not intensity (max weight).
It is very unlikely that you will lose much strength if you taper weights for 10 days, so just to be safe you may want to start that far out. But listen to your body so you can make a better decision next year.
So if you are swimming on Thursday the 11th, your last day of normal weights should be monday the 1st
I guess this is very indivudual. Some people need to take it easy on weights a couple of weeks before and let the muscles recover, and some don't.
My absolutely best times were when I taperd four weeks - last two weeks no weights, apart from some push ups and start training. The weeks before that I kept the same weights as earlier but decreased the number of sets. But.. I was a sprinter, 95 kg (210ponds).
So my suggestion - test. And if it does not fit you, try another set up next time.
Originally posted by craigbrigantine
More bad advice from this guy....
A pompous fat man once told me that there are pompous skinny guys. In the country I live in we are allowed to say what our beliefs are. If you can give proper and sound advice or eg. you swim as fast as Phelps or Thorpe I will gladly listen, then I have the right to decide what is best for me. You are allowed to say whats best for you and for any one else. I have a choice of following any advice I recieve or can decide not to. I have managed pretty well without lifting weights.
My absolutely best times ever was done 10 days AFTER our championships (and some weeks of taper). During those 10 days I had done absolutely nothing. That I always keep in mind - it is so much easier to taper and rest to little than too much.
Three weeks out I start decreasing weights by 10% each session and increase the speed of the lift. I feel this helps with hand and foot speed. 10 days out I stop lifting. I do agree it is very hard to taper too much.
