I'm new and have been catching up on reading. I don't have a lot of swimming experience and am swimming masters and not in college. But there are a couple things I just don't get.
1. Many posters seem very concerned about technique, but are still really focused on what is referred to as "engine buiding" and on power lifting and things that might not help their swimming as much. What is the lure of engine building exactly besides the endorphins? I guess you need it for certain events? I'm not saying this very well, but it seems like some people are working out harder than they should be? Why?
2. I read one of Ande's latest tips about sprinters on masters teams that ususlly focus on mid to long distance. Does this mean that sprinters should work out alone? I haven't really decided what I am yet, but my team does seem to focus more on distance stuff and long hard sets. Do any masters teams have sprint lanes or just lanes with different intervals?
Thanks. :)
Is it even possible to workout harder than you should? Yeah, maybe you can overtrain, but I think it's pretty rare in masters swimming.
Yes, people with limited swimming experience need to focus on technique over "engine building" initially. If you already have good technique then the engine building becomes the priority. You should always be thinking about technique, but not at the expense of hard work--in my opinion, of course.
Yes. Too many people think hard work can be avoided entirely with just technique or a magic pill or whatever. It's difficult to believe anyone can effectively swim events like the 2-fly or 4-IM or others without a pretty good engine. (This was Solar Energy's point on the vessel thread.) The only exception to this I see is what Ande pointed out in his tips or blog. For pure sprinters, too much endurance training can kill speed and thus actually be counterproductive. So perhaps sprinters are better off doing a high intensity, limited yardage sprint workout. Of course, that is hard work too if you're genuinely doing race pace swimming. It's just different than pure volume based engine building.
That having been said, I think I'll drink a red bull before my next race.
Nicky:
Here's another link to a discussion on how much volume may be appropriate.
forums.usms.org/showthread.php
Is it even possible to workout harder than you should? Yeah, maybe you can overtrain, but I think it's pretty rare in masters swimming.
Yes, people with limited swimming experience need to focus on technique over "engine building" initially. If you already have good technique then the engine building becomes the priority. You should always be thinking about technique, but not at the expense of hard work--in my opinion, of course.
Yes. Too many people think hard work can be avoided entirely with just technique or a magic pill or whatever. It's difficult to believe anyone can effectively swim events like the 2-fly or 4-IM or others without a pretty good engine. (This was Solar Energy's point on the vessel thread.) The only exception to this I see is what Ande pointed out in his tips or blog. For pure sprinters, too much endurance training can kill speed and thus actually be counterproductive. So perhaps sprinters are better off doing a high intensity, limited yardage sprint workout. Of course, that is hard work too if you're genuinely doing race pace swimming. It's just different than pure volume based engine building.
That having been said, I think I'll drink a red bull before my next race.
Nicky:
Here's another link to a discussion on how much volume may be appropriate.
forums.usms.org/showthread.php
