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?
I wonder if you could keep the 3 hard days and replace two of the easy days with off days? That would still give you a day off to recover between hard days.
I would think so, but since swimming is so technique driven, I think there are days that it may be best to work technique at 60%. If one is limited in how many workouts though, my guess would be that 3 hard days with a day off rest between each would be best.
Former Member
In general, he has you going 3 easy days and 3 hard days a week. I would guess that if you only had time to train 4 days a week, you would go 2 hard and 2 easy.
I wonder if you could keep the 3 hard days and replace two of the easy days with off days? That would still give you a day off to recover between hard days.
I really hate to say it, but I'm going to have to agree with Paul on this one.
Now, Laura, this implies that you usually don't like to agree with Paul. Come on! He's not a bad guy! -a few off the wall comments at times but all in all a guy I would enjoy being married to (well...if I wasn't a guy myself). Maybe you guys have one of those Carville-Matlin type relationships?? Anyway, I agree with what you say on the treadmill thing. And to get back on track with the thread, I just might come on board for the "experiment". -thing is I would have to get used to the increased yardage, let alone the increased quality:weightlifter:
I don't have coached practices,but I have coaching in that I go to clinics and have coaches and people I consider expert look at my stroke every chance I get.
If you want to get faster you need to stress the anaerobic systems as well as the aerobic.Also stressing means doing more and/or faster.Additionally I agree you need to be in good enough shape to do adequate work on technique.
Former Member
I think shock factor is good. I did it intra workout (SCY)last night after doing 10x 50 4 @ :50 and 6 @ :55 did 100 EZ and then went into 5 x 100 @ 2:00.
I did 4 on 2:00 holding a good quality stroke at 1:30. The last 100 I cut the interval off at 1:50 and went in 1:25, without really trying--I was surprised to drop time. Maybe I should have used 1:50 all the way through.
My point being I think the energy system hadn't had time to slip back to "comfortable" and so went a higher pace on adrenalin. So shocking the system can be good immediately and over the recovery/adapting period.
Coaching is good but hard to find. I took our masters group the other night, and everyone enjoyed the stroke correction/suggestions.
I wonder if you could keep the 3 hard days and replace two of the easy days with off days? That would still give you a day off to recover between hard days.
So much depends on the athletes ability to recover and that is what I think should dictate this kind of stuff...problem is I think so many masters swimmers are out there in the "dead zone" (I referenced from Chris Carmichaels article in the current issue of Bicycling magazine) and misread their poor performance and fatigue as being out of shape vs. overtrained.
Former Member
I thought it was inadvisable to do high intensity work every practice?
If I've learned one thing from this forum, there aren't any rules.
