Is my volume enough?

I missed that assertion. Can you point me to where that was posted by someone here? I'd like to debate that with them. I read stuff and don't understand English or stories change with every thread or post. Terry do you think I am talking about you?

.... Just because you swim hard you don't forget to use sound technique. Absolutely. Very important point that I neglected to mention. I ceasefire, so to speak, when I feel out of sync. No point in practicing bad form. That's another reason I prefer shorter sessions.

Two "sneaky" ways to increase the efficient-movement focus of your high-speed sets of 50s: 1) Occasionally note the "swim golf" score of those 50s. What's the best combination of stroke count + seconds you can manage. A better score will relate more closely to your 100 than your 50, in particular the final 50 of your 100. 2) How quietly can you swim on those sprints? Enjoy. 1) On some sets I count strokes but I'll give the swim golf a try. Err..will need an appropriate stopwatch with multiple sets. Any reccomendations? 2) Oh I'm very quiet on the sprints - I never talk :rofl:

Great post Terry. You are absolutely right that technique can make up for conditioning. That is exactly what I have tried to do this past year in my limited workouts. By concentrating on my stroke only and increasing rest intervals so I can maintain a better stroke during my practice my times have remained stable. It is amazing what good stroke can accomplish. Improved stroke also can limit the injuries that can occur during practice. Those nagging sore spots after practice can really add up as we get older and take us out of the pool to heal. Have a great day. Paul

Some are very erratic about things they say and the storyline changes very often, I like accuracy. Today I say one thing, tommorrow I say the same thing.

Technique is very important for sure but technique will only get you so far. I personally regain the feel of the water very quickly.The secret is to include volume with technique. How much volume, requires great thought. How much time do you want to apply to the activity? Do you have the desire to apply the time? The individual who is swimming can only tell the volume needed, the main thing we have to have is the right tech and I have yet to see a swimmer with perfect tech because there is always something we can change in any stroke to become a better swimmer or there would never be a record broken. Right technique first volume second, but vulume also changes technique. Terry how much volume have you done to attain your goal or have you reached your goal? Do you now have perfect technique or is it a work in progress? Will perfect technique ever be attained? Do we need Volume to attain good technique?

Let me echo the sentiment expressed in Allen Stark's post: despite 'limited' yardage (his level of activity is what I aim for), Allen achieves success because he totally focuses on his swimming. By that I don't mean that when you visit with him he is all about swimming; he is very approachable and social at meets- what I do mean is that he appears to waste none of his time while applied to his task, whether it be training, warming up or actually racing. His attention to detail gets him to the level he currently swims at.

Without sufficient training volume (including but not limited to race pace), I think your technique will break down in a race. If you're not interested in competing, 30-60 minutes/day of moderate aerobic exercise is sufficient. I've read that the minimum, at least for younger competitive swimmers, may be in the range of 8000m/day. I think it's a more difficult question for Masters, because you have to factor in goals, time constraints, and physical limitations.

After reading alot of threads, it seems my volume and frequency is way lower than everyone elses. My freestyle workouts are typically no more than 1500 to 1700 yards. If it is a repeat workout, then it is less (i.e. 10x100, 5x200, 2x500....etc) I swim three times a week. My fly, *** and back workouts are no more than 1000 yds (still learning those strokes). I am biased towards the sprints like 100 free and maybe someday if I'm lucky the 200 IM. Is this volume OK for a 42 year old, or should I be trying to build in more yardage? In my book quality is more important than quantity. If my technique starts to suffer it is a clear indication that I need to ease off the throttle. I also have a major aversion to injury, so I don’t try to push beyond what I can reasonably do. I have looked and felt great for years now, and swimming is about all I do for regular exercise. How much swimming you do is completely relative IMHO. In ’95 I basically had to relearn to swim. I started out at 300yds, breaststroke only, 1 SCY length at a time, in 45min. Now I can regularly do 2400yds in about 90min. Not stellar speed (I still fatigue easily), but nearly 900+yds of that are fly or fly kick drill.

One of the things I've tried to do in latter years relates to the warmdown: while I'm not as self-disciplined as Terry in constant mindful swimming, (I do try & am getting better at it) I have focused on the warmdown as crucial to my neuromuscular memory, esp. after very hard sets where puke, screams and various body parts go flying. At that point, despite trying hard, I know vital points of my technique have fallen apart largely 'cause I'm still in the 'fast' lane of my club surrounded by 25-35 year olds & this old guy(54) lets his ego duke it out with them. What I'm trying to say (in typically convoluted fashion) is this: I make sure that in the following warmdown I try to swim the most perfect technique possible of that stroke. That means getting control of my breath first, not just wollowing right into it. Our club often does these sets right at the end of the workout, but I feel that the few extra minutes staying in the water really pays off.