Here's the deal.
I can only swim 50 min to one hour a day, which equates to at most 2000 yards for endurance work and 1500 yards for faster interval work with more rest.
I feel guilty when I read about other peoples yardage. Is anyone putting up some fast freestyle times with this little yardage? If so, what are the times? I really want to know.
I think it's possible to swim "fast" with only swimming 1500-2000 per session. As mentioned above, the key is intensity. Fast is a relative term, but let's say you swam 5x200s on a 3:30, take a 5 min. rest, and do 10x100s on a 1:30. That's 2000yds in 32:30. That gives you plenty of time for a 500 warm up (say 8 min.) and an easy 500 cool down (10 min.). There's 3000 in 50:30. Add 3 minutes between warm up and the work sets and 3 minutes between the work sets and cool down and it's 3000 in 56:30.
I'd say that if you can achieve the above work sets then you should be resonably "fast." I'm still trying to get back "into shape," so I've only been doing 2000yds in about 45 minutes (the 200s are on a 4:00 and the 100s are on a 2:00), but I can break 1:00 in the 100m free. Not great but not shabby.
I swim MWF and lift TR (sometimes Sat). Some swim sessions I pretend that I'm a butterflyer and do my 100s half free/half fly.
The starts, turns, streamlining, etc. that Mr. Stark mentions should have equal priority to building finesse, IMO. Again, this is what I've been playing around with for the past 5-6 months as I try to get competitive again. Take it for what it's worth.
I think it's possible to swim "fast" with only swimming 1500-2000 per session. As mentioned above, the key is intensity. Fast is a relative term, but let's say you swam 5x200s on a 3:30, take a 5 min. rest, and do 10x100s on a 1:30. That's 2000yds in 32:30. That gives you plenty of time for a 500 warm up (say 8 min.) and an easy 500 cool down (10 min.). There's 3000 in 50:30. Add 3 minutes between warm up and the work sets and 3 minutes between the work sets and cool down and it's 3000 in 56:30.
I'd say that if you can achieve the above work sets then you should be resonably "fast." I'm still trying to get back "into shape," so I've only been doing 2000yds in about 45 minutes (the 200s are on a 4:00 and the 100s are on a 2:00), but I can break 1:00 in the 100m free. Not great but not shabby.
I swim MWF and lift TR (sometimes Sat). Some swim sessions I pretend that I'm a butterflyer and do my 100s half free/half fly.
The starts, turns, streamlining, etc. that Mr. Stark mentions should have equal priority to building finesse, IMO. Again, this is what I've been playing around with for the past 5-6 months as I try to get competitive again. Take it for what it's worth.
