Hi Everyone,
I’ve been snooping around for some time, but just now getting around to posting. I’m looking for some advice in regards to “hitting a wall”.
I’m eventually looking to join up with a Masters team and enter competitions. 50 and 100 Free would be the focus first and grow from there as I get in better shape and work on other strokes. But first, I’m trying to push myself on my own due to a busy schedule.
Anyhow, I’ve hit a wall with the 100 free that I can’t seem to break through. I swim in a 25 meter pool and from a push off the best I can do is 1:00.xx. My current schedule is about to start lightening up, so I’m hoping to formulate a plan of attack in hopes of breaking that 1 minute barrier.
I consistently swim 11-13 strokes per length (depending on intensity), which, as far as I can find, seems to be ok. My flip turns have actually become decent over the past few months, but I’m restricted to a glide and then flutter kick off the wall as a dolphin kick seems to slow me down (though I’ve been working on it as well). My kick, however, seems to be the real problem. I do 25m repeats on the :45 with a kickboard and usually come in at 28 seconds. My ultimate goal would be to eventually kick a 100 SCM with a kickboard in 1:20. But this seems soooo far off!! My PB 50 SCM kick is 47.xx and my PB 100 SCM kick is 1:49.xx. If I remember correctly, I think I take between 38 and 40 kicks per 25M (does this seem excessively high?). I’m not sure if I’m not getting enough distance per kick or if my kick rate is just way too slow, or both.
I’ve read of couple of threads by Ande regarding kicking and collected some good ideas, such as doing 4x (3 x 25 swim on :45 and 1 ALL OUT kick for time). I also think I’m going to commit to his recommendation of kicking 25s until I get under 20 seconds, then focusing on 50s until I get under 45seconds, and so on. In the past, I think I’ve jumped to quickly to the 50s and 100s.
Does anyone have any other kicking sets like this that have worked well for you? I’m beginning to realize that I must go to the pool with these sets in mind, otherwise, when it comes to kicking, I’m just not good at making it up as I go. I also end up swimming more and kicking less. Right now, I’m putting in between 5,000 and 6,000 meters a week. I’m guessing that 800 to 1,500 of that is kicking, either with a kickboard or just 1 arm extended and kicking on my side.
Finally, part of my workout program includes weight lifting. I’m currently including leg press, leg extension, and leg curls in my routine. Anyone know of any exercises beyond these that have benefited them with the flutter kick? I’m unfortunate to have a weak lower body and I feel like this is hurting me. It’s amazing how much effort it seems to take just to get my lanky legs kicking at full speed. Anyone actually gotten into squats and seen improvement, or does pool-only work seem best?
Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for any responses.
Parents
Former Member
Thought I’d update this in regards to my progress in case anyone has been thinking of incorporating weight training into their swimming routine – specifically for purposes of leg development. Also, to say thanks for the tips I received.
At the time of my original post I was doing 25M repeats on about :28 seconds with a kickboard and on 45 sec intervals. Today I went the following times:
25SCM Kick (from push-off, no kickboard) 20.xx
25SCM SDK (from push-off) 16.00
I was so surprised by an SDK time of what looked like :15.30 that I thought I might have misread the clock. So I went for time again at came in at :16 seconds. I’m now a believer in how fast the SDK can be and I hope to improve it much more. I still, however, am having trouble incorporating it off of turns. As for my flutter kick, I think I can do better on that, but I’m having trouble finding the right position in the water. I don’t seem to really minimize the drag until about a quarter a way into it. Regardless of this, I’ve notice a fair increase in explosiveness in my flutter kick, it doesn’t seem as hard to get my legs moving as it did before.
I attribute these improvements to my leg routine. After my original post I began a 3-day-a-week lifting program. The primary reason for this new and more focused routine is to build leg strength for purposes of improving my kick in the pool. Previously, I’ve been very lazy with leg exercises in the gym (because they hurt!), but I’ve also neglected 1 key compound exercise – the squat.
While I’ve only been working out legs once a week, I really punish them. In fact, I am forced to hold onto a guard rail to practically crawl out of the weight room. Surprisingly, I’m coming to love the feeling. My leg day has been as follows:
Barbell Squats (free weight only, meaning no Smith machines)
Leg Extension
Leg Press
Hack Squats
I’m completely surprised by the definition these exercises have already produced in my quads after only 3 actual leg days so far. The growth probably has just as much to do with allowing proper recovery and keeping a very clean diet that is currently tailored towards muscle growth (more of a bodybuilder’s diet instead of a swimmer’s diet). The downside is that it’s typically been taking 4 days for the soreness to subside. As a result, my time spent in the pool has dropped, but has been more technique and kick focused than ever before.
Anyhow, just thought I’d share. It’s exciting to set out a plan and see improvements.
Thought I’d update this in regards to my progress in case anyone has been thinking of incorporating weight training into their swimming routine – specifically for purposes of leg development. Also, to say thanks for the tips I received.
At the time of my original post I was doing 25M repeats on about :28 seconds with a kickboard and on 45 sec intervals. Today I went the following times:
25SCM Kick (from push-off, no kickboard) 20.xx
25SCM SDK (from push-off) 16.00
I was so surprised by an SDK time of what looked like :15.30 that I thought I might have misread the clock. So I went for time again at came in at :16 seconds. I’m now a believer in how fast the SDK can be and I hope to improve it much more. I still, however, am having trouble incorporating it off of turns. As for my flutter kick, I think I can do better on that, but I’m having trouble finding the right position in the water. I don’t seem to really minimize the drag until about a quarter a way into it. Regardless of this, I’ve notice a fair increase in explosiveness in my flutter kick, it doesn’t seem as hard to get my legs moving as it did before.
I attribute these improvements to my leg routine. After my original post I began a 3-day-a-week lifting program. The primary reason for this new and more focused routine is to build leg strength for purposes of improving my kick in the pool. Previously, I’ve been very lazy with leg exercises in the gym (because they hurt!), but I’ve also neglected 1 key compound exercise – the squat.
While I’ve only been working out legs once a week, I really punish them. In fact, I am forced to hold onto a guard rail to practically crawl out of the weight room. Surprisingly, I’m coming to love the feeling. My leg day has been as follows:
Barbell Squats (free weight only, meaning no Smith machines)
Leg Extension
Leg Press
Hack Squats
I’m completely surprised by the definition these exercises have already produced in my quads after only 3 actual leg days so far. The growth probably has just as much to do with allowing proper recovery and keeping a very clean diet that is currently tailored towards muscle growth (more of a bodybuilder’s diet instead of a swimmer’s diet). The downside is that it’s typically been taking 4 days for the soreness to subside. As a result, my time spent in the pool has dropped, but has been more technique and kick focused than ever before.
Anyhow, just thought I’d share. It’s exciting to set out a plan and see improvements.
