This one was pretty close, because British Swimming requires swimmers to make the Olympic A cut to compete. Mark Foster, my favorite swimmer, has qualified to swim the 50 free at the Olympics this summer. He'll be 38 years old.
Here's an interview with Foster where he talks about things like limited training volume, the importance of lifting weights, and staying physically fit for life.
Foster also has a unique way of sprinting. In this video, he dominates a field of sprinters with the slowest stroke rate in the pool.
I find a lot of things to admire about Mark Foster, and I think it's great news that he'll get to swim at the Olympics. Hopefully, when he retires from professional swimming, he'll continue to compete in masters.
he mades some great points
I totally agree:
Mike Rowbottom asked:
You have the reputation of being a maverick within the sport – for instance, doing a lot less volume of work in the pool than other swimmers.
What's your take on it?
Mark Foster said:
I think in general swimmers train too much. The events I do take around 21, 22 seconds – 18 if you take away the dive. If I have a two-hour training session, why would I just want to go up and down the pool in that time? You have got to get your body ready for what you are going to ask it to do, which means lots of short, sharp work. I think swimmers need to do more cross-training, such as working in the gym."
he mades some great points
I totally agree:
Mike Rowbottom asked:
You have the reputation of being a maverick within the sport – for instance, doing a lot less volume of work in the pool than other swimmers.
What's your take on it?
Mark Foster said:
I think in general swimmers train too much. The events I do take around 21, 22 seconds – 18 if you take away the dive. If I have a two-hour training session, why would I just want to go up and down the pool in that time? You have got to get your body ready for what you are going to ask it to do, which means lots of short, sharp work. I think swimmers need to do more cross-training, such as working in the gym."
