Much has been discussed on this topic but i wanted to revisit it after watching the track & field championships and remembering debates about how much pool training time swimmers put in relative to a runner competing in the equivalent event (a 400m runner to 100m swimmer).
What got my attention on this again was a recent article in Men's Fitness about Jeremy Wariner, specifically his training week during mid-season:
M= 200's: 8 x 200's two minutes followed by 40 yd sprints w/20 seconds rest
T= 350m: 2 x 350's followed by 1 x 300, one minute rest then a 100m to simulate the end of the race
W= 450m: 2 x 450's each under 1:00 with 9 minutes rest between each
Th= 90m: Recovery day each run in an "X" pattern
F= 100m: last run of the week is multiple 100m sprints
That's an insanely lower amount of training time than even i put in....Ande & Jazz come to mind.
More of this in an excellent article:
"Elite coaching special - Clyde Hart coach to Michael Johnson and Jeremy Wariner"
Here's are a couple of excerpt:
Clyde believes the principles of training are the same for many events: "I trained Michael Johnson like I trained a four minute miler. A four minute miler was doing a lot of the same things Michael Johnson was - a lot of the same things in training but more of them.
"The longest workout we have ever done - not counting warm up and warm down - would be under 20min, I think we have never worked more than 20min. That's not counting the Fall phase.”
So here's my challenge...I'm going to pick one of the next seasons (either SCM this fall or SCY in the spring) and try and adapt to this regime...anyone else game?
Just read an article in Mens Journal (it had a cover of Phelps and Lochte on the front). In the health & fitness section was an article entitled "Cardio is Bunk." Essentially, from what I recall, it was suggesting that aerobic work doesn't make you terribly fit unless your main goal is to fight fat or be able to go skiing for a day. It discussed the "Reyes" workout which advocates high intensity training such as sprints, circuit training, explosive weights, martial arts, etc. in lieu of aerobic work, which is described as an inefficient waste of time. There seemed to be a caveat for training for a long road race or triathlon, but, even there, it said you could train for those with anaerobic work. But, bottom line, it suggested that all out efforts were the way to become and stay most fit. And that muscle is additionally more important for longevity
It is amazing what is promoted with little or no research.Of course that is the same way it is in swimming,people tend to do what works for someone else.Swimming does seem to go in fads.Doc Councilman's genius was to say"this is what the top swimmers do,lets see what they have in common and try to explain it."This was a great step forward,but led to some blind alleys(the whole lift vs drag mish mash.)
My point of view(also really anecdotal) is that to swim fast you must swim at race pace and that for most Masters that will mean shorter yardage as we can't swim much at race pace with good form and not getting hurt(and not have our families feel totally abandoned.)
Just read an article in Mens Journal (it had a cover of Phelps and Lochte on the front). In the health & fitness section was an article entitled "Cardio is Bunk." Essentially, from what I recall, it was suggesting that aerobic work doesn't make you terribly fit unless your main goal is to fight fat or be able to go skiing for a day. It discussed the "Reyes" workout which advocates high intensity training such as sprints, circuit training, explosive weights, martial arts, etc. in lieu of aerobic work, which is described as an inefficient waste of time. There seemed to be a caveat for training for a long road race or triathlon, but, even there, it said you could train for those with anaerobic work. But, bottom line, it suggested that all out efforts were the way to become and stay most fit. And that muscle is additionally more important for longevity
It is amazing what is promoted with little or no research.Of course that is the same way it is in swimming,people tend to do what works for someone else.Swimming does seem to go in fads.Doc Councilman's genius was to say"this is what the top swimmers do,lets see what they have in common and try to explain it."This was a great step forward,but led to some blind alleys(the whole lift vs drag mish mash.)
My point of view(also really anecdotal) is that to swim fast you must swim at race pace and that for most Masters that will mean shorter yardage as we can't swim much at race pace with good form and not getting hurt(and not have our families feel totally abandoned.)
