Keeping track of my training and Masters comeback after an 18-year layoff. I'll be posting daily workouts and, when time permits, I'll fill in the details of my background.
Why come back after 18 years? Who knows really. Here are a few possibilities:
1. A good way to channel my mid-life crisis energy.
2. I can swim a 50 breaststroke.
3. I can swim a 50 fly.
4. I wasn't doing anything useful at 5:00AM anyway.
5. Brown hair is over -rated.
6. Grey hair is inevitable.
7. I don't have to wear a "speedo".
8. That SDK thing looks like cheating to me.
9. Cheating should make it easier to go fast.
10. To find out how much I've lost.
Anyone else out there making a comeback?
I was just the American College of Sports Medicine conference in Indianapolis, and a researcher on weight training made a couple interesting points:
no evidence that multiple sets accomplish much more than a single set to exhaustion
little evidence that the number of reps makes much difference either, again, provided you go to exhaustion--i.e., three lifts of very high weights vs. 20 lifts of moderate weight accomplish more or less the same thing
a survey of weight trainers showed the vast majority do ridiculous amounts of ab exercises, again, with no evidence this does much good. one set is enough.
finally, and this was not from the conference but rather from my masters coach, swimming tends to train the same muscles that get tapped by overhead weight training exercises. She says the risk of injury from military presses, and in fact anything where the weight is lifted above the head, is just not worth it and strongly recommends swimmers who want longevity in the pool avoid these lifts.
if you want to improve your swimming, i say do 2-3 strength training sessions a week maximum (once you get your strength back, the ACSM guy said that once a week is enough for maintenance), and spend more time in the pool.
Just my two cents worth in inflation-adjusted currency
I was just the American College of Sports Medicine conference in Indianapolis, and a researcher on weight training made a couple interesting points:
no evidence that multiple sets accomplish much more than a single set to exhaustion
little evidence that the number of reps makes much difference either, again, provided you go to exhaustion--i.e., three lifts of very high weights vs. 20 lifts of moderate weight accomplish more or less the same thing
a survey of weight trainers showed the vast majority do ridiculous amounts of ab exercises, again, with no evidence this does much good. one set is enough.
finally, and this was not from the conference but rather from my masters coach, swimming tends to train the same muscles that get tapped by overhead weight training exercises. She says the risk of injury from military presses, and in fact anything where the weight is lifted above the head, is just not worth it and strongly recommends swimmers who want longevity in the pool avoid these lifts.
if you want to improve your swimming, i say do 2-3 strength training sessions a week maximum (once you get your strength back, the ACSM guy said that once a week is enough for maintenance), and spend more time in the pool.
Just my two cents worth in inflation-adjusted currency
