As I crawled back into the pool today fat and out of shape, I wondered: Don't sprinters need some minimal aerobic work? I see that Ande is doing none whatsoever and Paul advises not "fighting fat" in the pool. I do a lot of race pace training and cross training. But still, is just a little aerobic work called for? I can tell I don't need any for 50s, but my 100s could use a little something. I don't think I have the substantial swimming aerobic base that people like Ande have because I was out of the pool for so many years .. So I'm either taking my 100s out too slow for fear of dying or actually dying. Does aerobic work help counter this? Or do I need more lactate work such as doing 100s with huge amounts of rest?
Former Member
Sprinters and distance swimmers have to use all of these to become faster. It is not to just use Aerobic swimming to get speed.
1. Lactic/acid tolerence
2. MAX VO2
3. AERNEROBIC THRESHOLD
4. AEROBIC
5. ATP-CP PHOS S/S
In this one they mention doing something aerobic nearly every day. This particular workout had a set of 3x(4x100), so a 1200 yard aerobic set.
I would not call that a lot of aerobic work. Would you?
.... Another question to people who do weights: 2X a week or 3X a week? I have been doing 3X a week but I'm toying with the idea of going to 2X a week so I can do other cross-training (ie, one extra bike ride a week).
Well, I also like to try different ways to find what works for me. Some years I have done 3 times, heavy weights - that worked fine! Some years only swimming - also worked fine! And nowdays only twice a week, only 30-40 min - mostly using my body as weight. Seems to work that too!
So.. go ahead an try twice a week and some crosstraining. Maybe that is what works for you!
See, and that's just pure talent...
Point of reference -
when I was training more a few years ago:
50 free 25.84
100 free 57.63
this past year, swam about 1x week. Oh, and I hadn't been in the water since July, got back in about 5 weeks before state. Meaning I swam about 8 times...and no cross training.
50 free 25.97
100 free 56.74
the same holds true for my *** and fly....(training more a few years ago vs. this year)
50 *** 34.13 vs. 34.55
100 *** 1:14.95 vs. 1:14.86
50 fly 29.06 vs. 28.35
100 fly 1:06.32 vs. 1:06.72
I vote that sprinters do not need aerobic training. Back in college, when I was way faster, we did a lot of race speed and a lot of lactate sets.
Go sprinters, go!
No, but look at the choices in Fortress' poll. I'd say what the Race Club is doing falls between the last two choices. They are definitely doing aerobic work more than 1x per week. My original assertion was you should be doing some aerobic work most days, and it seems like the Race Club is doing just that.
I would agree that some aerobic work would generally benefit a sprinter, but it's also difficult to argue with the results that Jazz has seen.
This must be a guy thing. Just reading the words "dead lift" makes me shudder.
Aside from yoga, how do you strengthen the small back muscles? I do some rows and scapular stuff, but what else? I often have complaining rhomboid and teres muscles.
Deadlifts are pretty good for strengthening the scapular retractors, not to mention almost every other muscle in the body.
What shocked me most about switching to swimming was the short rest.....why do swimmers do that? I used to rest 2-3 minutes, sometimes 8-10 for full recovery.
Good question...
I was the same way for the last 20 years....only started doinf dealifts and squats again 4 months ago....and VERY light. In fact I use a smith machine for squats because my knees are so bad...its kind of funny in the gym when a 6' 6" 240lb guy is using a smith machine to do squats with 100lbs and his wife is throwing down with about twice the weight...good thing I have no pride.
Only the kids in the gym will laugh, what do they know anyways. At least you are smart enough to put health before pride.
Interesting Race Club thread. There was one post concluding that lactate tolerance was the key for the last 15 meters of a 100, not aerobic capacity.
That's precisely why I do 60-80 reps in the weight room using medium-light weight, all swimming specific exercises.
