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.
Parents
Former Member
Bottom line is that you can be fast with small amounts of yardage. Just be smart about how you do it. Focus on doing everything right and you can be just fine. If you hop in and "play" for 2000 yds, you could be in trouble.
I agree with this wholeheartedly. If you swim a 400 warmup, a 200 cool off, and 1400 of hard sprints you are going to reap more benefit than somebody who swims 3-4 thousand yards with loose intervals and little attention to technique, starts, and turns. Be aware of you limited time in the water and make it count. I have very little time to devote to the pool these days so I can understand your dilemma. If I swim three times a week for 1500 to 2000 that is great for me. More often than not, it's about twice a week for 1500. I have made a decision that everytime I leave that pool, I will feel the pain. When I am driving home that night I can feel the soreness in my lats, triceps, and legs. This soreness is my indication that atrophy/hypertrophy is underway. One day when my kids are a little bigger and can transport themselves to all of their activities I will swim more but until then, it's quality over quantity.
BTW, my events are 50's and 100's with this limited yardage. I could probably pull off a decent 200 Free but I tend to stick with what I know.
Bottom line is that you can be fast with small amounts of yardage. Just be smart about how you do it. Focus on doing everything right and you can be just fine. If you hop in and "play" for 2000 yds, you could be in trouble.
I agree with this wholeheartedly. If you swim a 400 warmup, a 200 cool off, and 1400 of hard sprints you are going to reap more benefit than somebody who swims 3-4 thousand yards with loose intervals and little attention to technique, starts, and turns. Be aware of you limited time in the water and make it count. I have very little time to devote to the pool these days so I can understand your dilemma. If I swim three times a week for 1500 to 2000 that is great for me. More often than not, it's about twice a week for 1500. I have made a decision that everytime I leave that pool, I will feel the pain. When I am driving home that night I can feel the soreness in my lats, triceps, and legs. This soreness is my indication that atrophy/hypertrophy is underway. One day when my kids are a little bigger and can transport themselves to all of their activities I will swim more but until then, it's quality over quantity.
BTW, my events are 50's and 100's with this limited yardage. I could probably pull off a decent 200 Free but I tend to stick with what I know.
