"What do YOU need to do to have a major swimming breakthrough?"

I looked up expecting a 1:55-1:56 and saw a 1:51! (splits 25.5, 27.7, 28.6, 29.3) Obviously pleasantly surprised, especially considering i am ~250lbs and train 6000m a week. This is damned impressive and--I'm not going to lie to you--a little annoying. Nice swim! :)

This post is for Tom Topolski in particular. I had bought the tech paddles about 3 years ago, and honestly at the time I was a pretty bad swimmer. I was looking hard for improvement and when I didn't see it (after putting in a lot of yards using them) I kind of gave up. I remember it feeling very odd, and I was unable to carry that feeling to bare hand swimming. In the last 3 years I've improved a lot, and while my EVF is far from perfect I understand and have a better feel for the high elbow. A couple days ago I saw the tech paddles in my closet and decided to give them a spin again, just to mix things up a little. I swam a few hundred yards with them and had a completely different feel than I remember 3 years ago. I was much more aware of my forearm dropping into position and then anchoring into the water. When I took the paddles off that feeling continued and my stroke count was without a doubt lower for a couple hundred yards. I think what I realized from this is that most water aides are not going to help much until you develop a certain level of shoulder flexibility and feel for the water. Things like the tech paddle are not really valuable for the person starting from scratch; it's too dramatic a change for the body to comprehend. But fat this point in my development I'm really excited to continue to train with it and I'm pretty confident it will help me improve if I am persistent. (please note I receive no royalties from the product, :laugh2:

This post is for Tom Topolski in particular. I had bought the tech paddles about 3 years ago, and honestly at the time I was a pretty bad swimmer. I was looking hard for improvement and when I didn't see it (after putting in a lot of yards using them) I kind of gave up. I remember it feeling very odd, and I was unable to carry that feeling to bare hand swimming. In the last 3 years I've improved a lot, and while my EVF is far from perfect I understand and have a better feel for the high elbow. A couple days ago I saw the tech paddles in my closet and decided to give them a spin again, just to mix things up a little. I swam a few hundred yards with them and had a completely different feel than I remember 3 years ago. I was much more aware of my forearm dropping into position and then anchoring into the water. When I took the paddles off that feeling continued and my stroke count was without a doubt lower for a couple hundred yards. I think what I realized from this is that most water aides are not going to help much until you develop a certain level of shoulder flexibility and feel for the water. Things like the tech paddle are not really valuable for the person starting from scratch; it's too dramatic a change for the body to comprehend. But fat this point in my development I'm really excited to continue to train with it and I'm pretty confident it will help me improve if I am persistent. (please note I receive no royalties from the product, :laugh2: Congrats! Anyone one have a recent breakthrough or currently working on one? Please tell us about it

Congrats! Anyone one have a recent breakthrough or currently working on one? Please tell us about it Yep! I got over my mental roadblock about swimming butterfuly for any distance above 50 yards and finally was able to swim 200 yards nonstop, thanks to your advice to breathe every stroke. The next time out (later in the week), I swam 900 yards of butterfly non-stop. :bliss:

If you study this guys technique you may even break a record like he did. The Dream: Roy and HG on Eric 'The Eel' Moussambani - YouTube

Great job on the weight loss! Most of us train year round and must settle for only slowing down by six tenths. So far so good. I was 281 when i came back to swimming in 2009 so thats good results I think :)

Anyone else in masters been crazy enough to partake in a whole year of training for 6 tenths? Great job on the weight loss! Most of us train year round and must settle for only slowing down by six tenths.

Anyone one have a recent breakthrough or currently working on one? Please tell us about it I thought I'd state my intentions as thats a little extra motivation in and of itself. I've been working since last may on my own breakthrough in the 50 free. I'd like to say it was alot of planning but some of it has been seat of the pants, and some of it more working around an idea. May 1st, I started cutting unneeded calories from the diet and going to 6 days a week in the pool plus 3 in the weight room (all on my lunch hour plus saturday mornings). My 6000m a week average went up to 11000m plus a complimentary weight program that targets the primary power groups for sprint free. I've focused all summer on broadening my aerobic base and adding targeted strength so that I can train my sprints faster, harder, and longer before fatigue sets in. Also, my weight has dropped from 250 to 225 since may so it can no longer be an excuse :angel: I feel like within the next month is the time i need to start moving into the sprint training program and out of the aerobic base phase to get ready for the winter meets. The goal is to drop at least 61 hundreths in the 50 from my time this past April and beat my PB college 50 free (15 years ago) at nationals 2013. This is a pretty lofty goal but seems like it could be doable with no mistakes in the race. A 100 free PB would be nice bonus too, but it is much further out of reach at this point and I am focusing on the 50. All of my training is done and planned on my own. A few times a year I solicit the opinion of a regionally renowned USAS stroke coach to fix any anomalies in my stroke/turns/starts. I've gotten some of my training intervals down to the same repeats we used to do back in college, but they're done smarter now rather than blindly pounding garbage yards. Current side projects to go with this training include: I plan to make a clamp-on or ratchet strap back foot fin to affix to the blocks at home so I can get a feel for what the blocks at nationals will be like with the fin and capitalize on it. I need to take and study extensive video of my starts and turns and delete any unnecessary parts or habits that add time to the swim. I am hoping/thinking I can find 2-3 tenths of time lost on this part alone. Anyone else in masters been crazy enough to partake in a whole year of training for 6 tenths?

Today at a meet in the 100 BR I realized I was raising my head too high during the breakouts.After the race a friend told me he noticed I was doing that.I have noticed I have tended to do that when doing warm up or warm down swims.My plan is that in workout if I raise my head on the breakout I'll go back and do the turn again.

Anyone else in masters been crazy enough to partake in a whole year of training for 6 tenths? I think we have similar goals and approach to masters swimming. I came back to swimming a couple of years ago and have really been 'playing at it' for the most part. I'm generally happy with effort in the pool, but as regards to diet it's been an uphill struggle. Too much junk food, too many calories, too much beer, etc. After each Nationals I've said to myself 'next time I'm going to do it properly and see how fast I can really go'. Each time its been the same old story, beer and burgers. Sounds like you have had the same battles. We have our SC nationals next weekend, and this time I've had a good couple of months where I've managed to really knuckle down. 42 this year and I can hear that clock ticking - it feels like this year and maybe next year are my best, maybe last opportunities to really swim fast. Good diet and limited booze intake was Part 1 of the master plan. Part 2 has been switching from generic masters swimming sessions to race pace/HIT. Part 3 has been switching from grab to track start, which when supported by the new Incline Blocks should give an instant 'free' improvement in time. Will it work? Guess I'll find out in a weeks time, but whatever happens I've enjoyed the process. I'm in good shape, enjoy swimming fast in training rather than plodding up and down, and have less hangovers :) Suspect that a 0.6 improvement for 50 is out of reach for me. I'd be very happy with any masters PB, but a high 23, low 24 for SC 50 would pop a few champagne corks.