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.
I'm not sure what you want to hear, but the answer to your question just isn't that simple ("neglect family and train a lot"). The following factors ALL are important in determining performance:
-- the amount of training
-- the quality of training and coaching
-- swimming background
-- genetics
-- a good team environment
I know one elite swimmer -- many WRs, etc -- who had a child and also moved away from an area with regularly coached workouts. His training suffered as expected; I doubt he trains any more than you do. He no longer sets FINA/USMS records but because of his talent level and swimming savvy he still regularly places in the top 3 in his age group and contends for first place finishes at nationals. There are others who train like crazy and struggle to make the Top 10.
how true chris, masters swimmers have sooo many ex olympians (i think all in my age group) and collegiate swimmers unless you are athletically gifted, it is almost impossible to place top ten. i moved a year ago and left a strong masters team and a coach who prepared us for races and nationals. we also were very social:wiggle: where i swim now, it is like work, people come in, swim and leave. i did not swim in college, however, i still used to place top ten regional. I have only been back in the water a year, after bad accident and am now getting antsy that my times, haven't dropped. I lifted, swam and did yoga yesterday and today was dead in the pool:cane: since my surgery, I don't recover like before, part of it is age(40's i guess). you can do mega yards, but if you don't have technique, fuggitaboutit.
I'm not sure what you want to hear, but the answer to your question just isn't that simple ("neglect family and train a lot"). The following factors ALL are important in determining performance:
-- the amount of training
-- the quality of training and coaching
-- swimming background
-- genetics
-- a good team environment
I know one elite swimmer -- many WRs, etc -- who had a child and also moved away from an area with regularly coached workouts. His training suffered as expected; I doubt he trains any more than you do. He no longer sets FINA/USMS records but because of his talent level and swimming savvy he still regularly places in the top 3 in his age group and contends for first place finishes at nationals. There are others who train like crazy and struggle to make the Top 10.
how true chris, masters swimmers have sooo many ex olympians (i think all in my age group) and collegiate swimmers unless you are athletically gifted, it is almost impossible to place top ten. i moved a year ago and left a strong masters team and a coach who prepared us for races and nationals. we also were very social:wiggle: where i swim now, it is like work, people come in, swim and leave. i did not swim in college, however, i still used to place top ten regional. I have only been back in the water a year, after bad accident and am now getting antsy that my times, haven't dropped. I lifted, swam and did yoga yesterday and today was dead in the pool:cane: since my surgery, I don't recover like before, part of it is age(40's i guess). you can do mega yards, but if you don't have technique, fuggitaboutit.
