Hypoxic Advice/Workouts--Not Your opinion of Hypox Efficacy

By comparison with everybody else, our hypoxic sets seem mundane, typically one or more 300s breathing every 3/5/7 by 100. This is generally the last thing we do before warm-down, so we're often fairly gassed at that point already (at least I am). Skip Montanaro

What I see here are articles (apparently) supporting the hypothesis that hypoxic training doesn't add anything to the oxygen-utilization capacity that swimmers are already training with other exercises. What I don't see here is any discussion of how hypoxic training as described early in the thread can, or cannot, serve the other purposes people have identified: (1) reinforcing breath control skills (which are oh-so-important in the last few turns of a 200 when your brain is screaming at you to surface before the flags and breathe already); (2) getting the heart rate up without taxing the muscles, as one might want to do during a taper; (3) focusing on stroke efficiency and highlighting the effects of inefficiency. I would tend to agree that any breath-control sets I do aren't contributing much or anything to my aerobic fitness, but they definitely help with my ability to stay underwater off turns. And although I work on that skill somewhat with every turn and even more in speed-focused sets, the occasional breath-control set helps me achieve that desperate sense of needing to breathe, and train myself to ignore it just a bit, without the muscular fatigue that speedwork or racing causes. So I don't think those sets are useless, even though they don't very much resemble what I do in a race, because they isolate a component of racing and work on that one component intensively. And seeing as how such sets do encourage stroke efficiency, I don't think that they reinforce bad habits either. Good post. I would rather focus on this aspect of hypoxic training. I don't think that the need for breath control in races matches up very well with the old "breathe every 3-5-7-9" sets. Basically, you don't ever swim like that in a race. That's why I think it's a waste of time to practice it. SwimStud mentioned the need to stay under on the last turn of a 200 ***. As a non-breaststroker, I had completely forgotten about that. If I were a breaststroker, I would work on this aspect of my race by simulating it closely in practice. One thing that comes to mind is double or triple pullout breaststroke. We used to do that on my club team sometimes.

My coach gives us lots of hypoxic sets. One of the more unusual was a warm-up set a few weeks ago. It was a "prime number" set (he loves making us solve math problems while we swim, too). The set was 22, 50-yard swims. On the prime-numbered 50s, the first one was 8 breaths per length. The second one was 7 breaths per length, and so on. The non-prime-numbered 50s were choice, I believe. So it looked something like this: 1) 50 free, 8 breaths/length 2) 50 choice 3) 50 Free, 7 breaths/length 4) 50 choice 5) 50 free, 6 breaths/length 6) 50 choice 7) 50 free, 5 breaths/length 8) 50 choice 9) 50 choice 10) 50 choice 11) 50 free, 4 breaths/length 12) 50 choice 13) 50 free, 3 breaths/length 14) 50 choice 15) 50 choice 16) 50 choice 17) 50 free, 2 breaths/length 18) 50 choice 19) 50 free, 1 breath/length 20) 50 choice 21) 50 choice 22) 50 choice We've also done things like this: 1) Underwater dolphin kick, N x 25 (where N is an algebraic variable). The first 25 is 6 underwater dolphin kicks, then swim easy the rest of the 25. The next 25 is 7 underwater dolphin kicks, then swim easy the rest of the way. Continue to add one dolphin kick per length until you either can't go any farther or you get to the wall. 2) Underwater breaststroke pullouts, N x 25. Similar to above. The first 25, do one underwater breaststroke pullout, then swim the rest of the length (the swim can be freestyle). The next 25, do 2 underwater breaststroke pullouts, then swim the rest of the length. Continue by adding one breaststroke pullout each time, until you either can't do any more or you hit the wall. We swim long course every Saturday. I think the last time we did the above set, it was 50s instead of 25s. 3) Swim a series of 200s as follows: 1st 50 - breathe every 3 strokes 2nd 50 - breathe every 5 strokes 3rd 50 - breathe every 7 strokes 4th 50 - breathe every 9 strokes

Are there intervals on this or just straight through? I honestly don't know, but since it's breathtraining I assume no rest? Also I guess wwim speed is less important than sticking to the plan...within reason?

We do everything on intervals, but I don't remember what they were. For the warmup set you don't want to make them too tight (it is a warmup, after all). You could probably get away with less rest on the 200s, because even though you're dying at the end from breathing every 9, you get to go back to breathing every 3 on your next swim. Also, especially on the sets where you're doing the underwater stuff, make sure you let someone (teammate or guard) know what you're doing so they can keep an eye on you. Just in case... Anna Lea

5 x 100 (1-2-2-1) @ 2:00 Breathing 1 time 1st 25, 2 times 2nd 25, 2 times 3rd 25, 1 time 4th 25. Guttbuster 200's - 4 x 200 @ 4:00 odd 25's underwater Gallaghers ~15 yards, (across the diving well), x 40 @ :20, no breath Underwater IM's, 5 x 100IM, fly and *** underwater @ 2:00 We had the following one in college, if anyone tries it, watch out for The Beast. 666 - 6 x 100 @ 1:20 100's to be done sub :60, @ :60 inhale for 6 seconds, @ 1:06 hold breath for 6 seconds, @ 1:12 exhale for 6 seconds, repeat at 1:20. Oh, what fun we had... Breathing is overrated!

Interspersed with other stuff were some good suggestions. I think (personal opinion) the suggestions to not breath in and out of turns and to work the breakout, either dolphin or flutter, are excellent. I plan on incorporating these into my training. Thanks!

We often do "no breathe flags in/flags out" which I guess is hypoxic in some regards and would seem a valuable training tool for longer distances. It also couples as a way to improve turns and even work on SDKs as you make serious effort to get to the flags on each turn so you can breathe.

Perhaps it is my academic background, but there comes a time when one must realize that PhD = Piled Higher and Deeper and just go with one's own experience. Studies of the type described are all well and good but they are rarely conclusive. I think there is MUCH more quesswork in training than is typically acknowledged, though it is on far more solid scientific background than in the dark ages. It is nice to quote Maglischo but I also know of many very well respected college coaches who think there is benefit to hypoxic training. (And, no, hypoxic training does not have to be "3-5-7-9 breathing," something I rarely do becuase I find it somewhat boring.) Naturally I find it somewhat ironic that JH started this discussion, since it seems to me that the ability to control one's breathing is easily as relevant a skill to swimming as the ability to hoist very heavy weights, but what do I know?:weightlifter: (And, JH, before you object, I do lift weights too...just having some fun...) Chris Great post Chris. I've always been a big supporter of hypoxic work and use it now mostly on longer recovery sets especially during tapers. Traditonal hypoxic training seems to have been replaced by many coaches/swimmers with snorkel training....something I added in a few years back and now use on about 25% of my sets. I added the restrictor valve recently just to inflict even more punishment on my lungs...my favorite kick sets are now down with no board, a snorkel and 6 x 6 flutter. I do power work like this as well as long (up to 400's) swims...

Jazz Hands............your wasting your time on this thread. Let the believers in Hypox training continue the worthless practice. Believing or not and your opinion was not what this thread was intended for. Read the first few posts. I asked for some guidance on hypox sets so I don't over do it on my first try. Will it add speed to my 50FR? I don't know. Will it help me at least mentally control my urge to surface and breathe too early on an underwater pull-out probably. Either way, JH started the hi-jack by spouting off when a new thread was more apt...nobody asked "Hypoxic Sets: Do they work?" Please do not add fuel to the fire and distract the thread further.