I'm seeking advice on training for the 100 fly. Decided to start swimming it last year. Swam it 7x on the three courses. I can only remember 3x times where I didn't suffer from complete paralysis the last 15 meters or so and worry about a DQ. Gah. So how can I fix this?
I've read that you don't need to train fly in practice. I'm not sure I buy this. The muscular fatigue from fly seems unique. And I don't want to substitute freestyle training for it.
What are some good sets? How many SDKs per length should I take to prevent oxygen debt? If too much fly hurts the shoulders, is kicking a decent training substitute?
I also seem to swim better 100 flys on a week rest. The paralysis seems to be associated with a 2 week taper. Does aerobic fitness drop off that quickly? Is this an age thing? Or is it that I just don't train enough yards for a 2 week taper?
There is a cadre of people who recommend swimming no longer than 50 yards fly at a time, when training for the 100 fly.
So, my question is: why? Is there some reason other than preserving shoulders? (And I grant that may be sufficient reason for many.)
The only one I can think of -- other than pain avoidance -- is wanting to avoid swimming with sloppy technique. Fair enough, but if you cannot swim 100 fly without your stroke falling apart then I think you have a problem when it comes time to race.
I can understand not wanting to do sets of 100s fly with 20 seconds rest -- or similar types of sets with lots of fly and little rest -- that's training for the 200.
But never (or hardly ever) swimming a 100 fly in practice? I just don't see why that would be. Would people make the same recommendation if we were talking about training for the 100 back/***/free?
If you avoid the 100 fly in practice as too painful then IMO you're setting yourself up to fade badly on the last 25. And 75 or 100 fly repeats -- with significant recovery between them -- is good conditioning for this type of race. (In ADDITION to 25s and 50s, not replacing them.)
There is a cadre of people who recommend swimming no longer than 50 yards fly at a time, when training for the 100 fly.
So, my question is: why? Is there some reason other than preserving shoulders? (And I grant that may be sufficient reason for many.)
The only one I can think of -- other than pain avoidance -- is wanting to avoid swimming with sloppy technique. Fair enough, but if you cannot swim 100 fly without your stroke falling apart then I think you have a problem when it comes time to race.
I can understand not wanting to do sets of 100s fly with 20 seconds rest -- or similar types of sets with lots of fly and little rest -- that's training for the 200.
But never (or hardly ever) swimming a 100 fly in practice? I just don't see why that would be. Would people make the same recommendation if we were talking about training for the 100 back/***/free?
If you avoid the 100 fly in practice as too painful then IMO you're setting yourself up to fade badly on the last 25. And 75 or 100 fly repeats -- with significant recovery between them -- is good conditioning for this type of race. (In ADDITION to 25s and 50s, not replacing them.)
