Seems inevitable, no? Even though my practice times seem to be pretty consistent with intervals I was able to hold 5 to 7 years ago (mid to early
30's), now that I am 40, my races just seem to get slower. Its an odd scenario to be in. As an age grouper and into college, the older you got, the more you trained, the faster you swam. Now, it seems, mother nature is kicking things in reverse. While I still love to train, I'm finding less incentive to compete.
Anyone else come to this conclusion?
great points
as these younger faster generations of swimmers age and if they continue training they will totally redefine what is possible
we're now seeing swimmers compete at a world class level into their late 30's and early 40's
the most important parts of all of this is proper TRAINING, talent and keeping injuries in check
swimmers have to figure out how to train
guys like Rich Abrahams and Trip totally get it
it takes dedication and consistency
their results are proof
how fast were you at your peak?
how many years are you from your peak training?
how bad of shape are you in right now?
how much and how well have you been training recently?
The fact is that you will slow down at some point. But I think we are not even close to what may be possible in terms of performance levels at an "older age".
But we can still try to figure out what exactly "slows us down" as we age - here is my top 5 list (this is meant for swimmers that used to train at a high level):
- time spent working out: I work out quite a bit right now, but it is less than 1/2 in terms of time spent working out as a youngster.
- simple body weight: are you the same weight as in college ? Just 10 pounds can be a big difference.
- flexibility: this is very underrated, but coming back from a shoulder surgery, I noticed the HUGE difference between having full shoulder flexibility and maybe 98% -- and "full flexibility" now is still much worse than 20 years ago.
- Recovery rate: It just takes me a lot longer to recover from a hard workout. It is no surprise that Dara Torres spends so much time on massages and stretching.
- Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results: this really applies to all levels of swimming - if you keep doing the same thing, you will actually get worse over time. If you keep doing the same intervals, the same sets, the same intensity, the weights, you may stay at the same level, but I think you will actually get worse over time. Your body and mind always needs new challenges - you need to push further, smarter, push yourself in different ways in order to improve.
great points
as these younger faster generations of swimmers age and if they continue training they will totally redefine what is possible
we're now seeing swimmers compete at a world class level into their late 30's and early 40's
the most important parts of all of this is proper TRAINING, talent and keeping injuries in check
swimmers have to figure out how to train
guys like Rich Abrahams and Trip totally get it
it takes dedication and consistency
their results are proof
how fast were you at your peak?
how many years are you from your peak training?
how bad of shape are you in right now?
how much and how well have you been training recently?
The fact is that you will slow down at some point. But I think we are not even close to what may be possible in terms of performance levels at an "older age".
But we can still try to figure out what exactly "slows us down" as we age - here is my top 5 list (this is meant for swimmers that used to train at a high level):
- time spent working out: I work out quite a bit right now, but it is less than 1/2 in terms of time spent working out as a youngster.
- simple body weight: are you the same weight as in college ? Just 10 pounds can be a big difference.
- flexibility: this is very underrated, but coming back from a shoulder surgery, I noticed the HUGE difference between having full shoulder flexibility and maybe 98% -- and "full flexibility" now is still much worse than 20 years ago.
- Recovery rate: It just takes me a lot longer to recover from a hard workout. It is no surprise that Dara Torres spends so much time on massages and stretching.
- Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results: this really applies to all levels of swimming - if you keep doing the same thing, you will actually get worse over time. If you keep doing the same intervals, the same sets, the same intensity, the weights, you may stay at the same level, but I think you will actually get worse over time. Your body and mind always needs new challenges - you need to push further, smarter, push yourself in different ways in order to improve.
