How do these swimmers swim so fast?

Looking at one-hour results, and just finishing New England Masters SCY Championships at Harvard, how is it that older swimmers are getting faster and faster, and pretty much everyone is getting faster and faster compared to a few years ago when there seemed to be more mortal swimmers? What are older (45+ women; at this point 65+ men) swimmers doing that keeps them at such elite levels? Weights? Extensive training? How much of both? How do they have jobs and families and train? The field of fast swimmers is getting deeper and deeper. Anyone have idea as to why? I want to know the secrets. Are the people who race now self-selecting more and more as elite swimmers? Has everyone swum all their lives? I know to swim hard you have to train hard, but I am baffled by sudden increase in amazing fast times and so many records getting broken.
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  • Former Member
    Former Member
    What I found is that there was SOOOO much "noise" in the masters practices. Meaning - you got a lot of swimmers (and I was one of these swimmers) who would get in the fastest interval lanes and do whatever it takes to make that "fast" interval without regards to working on stroke flaws. OH BROTHER! So you would see some interesting things going on to say the least. Over the course of months and years, their strokes would never change for the better (there are a few exceptions fortunately!). So month after month and year after year, you would have the non-kickers (me!); the windmillers; the lift head to breathe people and no rotation people; the slappers; the snakers (swim like a snake and wiggle through the water); the finners (sorry!); the wall hangers to only then push off on your feet, and so on. I got out of that situation as it felt like a bit of a circus and I was one of the dancing bears! Sadly, this sounds like Mel Stewart's Rec Swim thread. :( :coffee:
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  • Former Member
    Former Member
    What I found is that there was SOOOO much "noise" in the masters practices. Meaning - you got a lot of swimmers (and I was one of these swimmers) who would get in the fastest interval lanes and do whatever it takes to make that "fast" interval without regards to working on stroke flaws. OH BROTHER! So you would see some interesting things going on to say the least. Over the course of months and years, their strokes would never change for the better (there are a few exceptions fortunately!). So month after month and year after year, you would have the non-kickers (me!); the windmillers; the lift head to breathe people and no rotation people; the slappers; the snakers (swim like a snake and wiggle through the water); the finners (sorry!); the wall hangers to only then push off on your feet, and so on. I got out of that situation as it felt like a bit of a circus and I was one of the dancing bears! Sadly, this sounds like Mel Stewart's Rec Swim thread. :( :coffee:
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