Here's the thing. I always swim my best times at the end of practice or at the end of a set. I don't deliberately hold out (maybe in a set but not in a practice as a whole). If I am doing a set of 10 x 50 free sprint, I always descend the set and usually in 1 second intervals. So if I did the final 50 in 27 the previous one would have been in 28 and the one before in 29, etc. In fact it is almost as if I have to go through the whole progression to get to my best times. I find it very difficult to just dive in and do a good time.
What should I do at a meet? I don't know what the situation is going to be with warm up pools etc. I know I would want to do at least a 500m slow warm up and then, at least, 5 - 7 fast 50's getting my time down as low as possible (without burning myself out) on the last few. I don't know if this is going to be possible though.
What does everyone else do for a race day warm up?
Syd
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I agree warmup is a highly individual thing but I must say I'm surprised at the short warmups discussed here. I train about 13,000 M per week right now and race 50s and 100s. My coach recommends a warmup much closer to 1500-2000 yds. Most of it is swum easily. But it includes full stroke swimming, kick (without a board), drills in each of the strokes I'm racing, and a short "set" of something like 8 x 50 or 4 x 100 followed by just a few high speed 25s from the blocks. I aim for 35-45 minutes of swimming for the main warmup.
I don't have much endurance so I'm paranoid about tiring myself. But I have never felt drained by this kind of warmup. My body is completely loose, warm, and I'm famililar with the walls, stripes, and flags.
I agree warmup is a highly individual thing but I must say I'm surprised at the short warmups discussed here. I train about 13,000 M per week right now and race 50s and 100s. My coach recommends a warmup much closer to 1500-2000 yds. Most of it is swum easily. But it includes full stroke swimming, kick (without a board), drills in each of the strokes I'm racing, and a short "set" of something like 8 x 50 or 4 x 100 followed by just a few high speed 25s from the blocks. I aim for 35-45 minutes of swimming for the main warmup.
I don't have much endurance so I'm paranoid about tiring myself. But I have never felt drained by this kind of warmup. My body is completely loose, warm, and I'm famililar with the walls, stripes, and flags.
