"Quantity has a quality all its own," huh? It works for some.
Some random thoughts, in no particular order.
-- Everyone is different (eg, disposition, talent, type of swimmer) and has different circumstances (family, job, injuries, swimming/coaching availability). There is more than one "right" way. Certainly there are some core principles in training but we know less than we think. I hate it when someone (including me) pronounces such-and-such as THE method to train.
-- Beware of fads. It is worth looking at what others are doing, including elites but take it all with a grain of salt (including all this unsolicited advice). It may not work for you or even for the majority of people.
-- The pendulum seems to be swinging against over-training/over-distance, which IMO is mostly a good thing, but this method has produced a lot of very very fast swimmers (as well as a lot of shoulder injuries and burned out swimmers). It isn't complete junk.
-- Listen to your body. Are you dragging and are your tiimes getting slower over an extended period of time, even though you are working harder than ever? You need more recovery. Take an easy day or three. Or seven. (I need to listen to my own advice on this score.)
-- During taper time, err on the side of too much rest, not too little.
-- Most importantly: have fun and be healthy. Don't be afraid to try new things or mix things up to keep your interest high. Fast times are fun but they are not the be-all and the end-all. If you have a sub-par season, so what? You just spent months in a healthy endeavor and socialized with fun people. Hopefully you'll have many more years of swimming with your fair share of successes.
This is not meant to be a dig at Paul or his training methods. He is obviously an excellent swimmer and trains intelligently. But you never know if it will work as well for you, and it doesn't invalidate your training if you have a different approach.
Well put.
For Paul and others, "less is more" (in the pool) works amazingly well! Since I can't kill myself daily in the pool, I'm hoping it's true and follow this philosophy! ("Less is more" as a general workout model stinks though. Tapering stinks too, but I understand it's a necessary evil to swimming fast and I like swimming fast or trying to.)
Do I see a new masters swimming book entitled "Less is More!" in Paul's future? If so, he has to learn how to use your and you're correctly. lol
"Quantity has a quality all its own," huh? It works for some.
Some random thoughts, in no particular order.
-- Everyone is different (eg, disposition, talent, type of swimmer) and has different circumstances (family, job, injuries, swimming/coaching availability). There is more than one "right" way. Certainly there are some core principles in training but we know less than we think. I hate it when someone (including me) pronounces such-and-such as THE method to train.
-- Beware of fads. It is worth looking at what others are doing, including elites but take it all with a grain of salt (including all this unsolicited advice). It may not work for you or even for the majority of people.
-- The pendulum seems to be swinging against over-training/over-distance, which IMO is mostly a good thing, but this method has produced a lot of very very fast swimmers (as well as a lot of shoulder injuries and burned out swimmers). It isn't complete junk.
-- Listen to your body. Are you dragging and are your tiimes getting slower over an extended period of time, even though you are working harder than ever? You need more recovery. Take an easy day or three. Or seven. (I need to listen to my own advice on this score.)
-- During taper time, err on the side of too much rest, not too little.
-- Most importantly: have fun and be healthy. Don't be afraid to try new things or mix things up to keep your interest high. Fast times are fun but they are not the be-all and the end-all. If you have a sub-par season, so what? You just spent months in a healthy endeavor and socialized with fun people. Hopefully you'll have many more years of swimming with your fair share of successes.
This is not meant to be a dig at Paul or his training methods. He is obviously an excellent swimmer and trains intelligently. But you never know if it will work as well for you, and it doesn't invalidate your training if you have a different approach.
Well put.
For Paul and others, "less is more" (in the pool) works amazingly well! Since I can't kill myself daily in the pool, I'm hoping it's true and follow this philosophy! ("Less is more" as a general workout model stinks though. Tapering stinks too, but I understand it's a necessary evil to swimming fast and I like swimming fast or trying to.)
Do I see a new masters swimming book entitled "Less is More!" in Paul's future? If so, he has to learn how to use your and you're correctly. lol
