I'm planning on resting for a meet in Feb. As usual, I'm wondering what taper to use, how much to rest, etc. I don't feel like I've really hit on the "one" plan that works for me.
I know everyone has their own approach to taper and may taper for between 1-4 weeks. In every taper plan I've seen, the yardage always drops off gradually. Has anyone ever tried a "drop dead" taper? One where you continue to exercise at your regular level and then, say 7 days before the big meet, you precipitously drop the yardage down to 1500 or so with very little sprinting? Thoughts?
I'm wondering if this type of taper might work for me, as I feel (possibly falsely) like I lose conditioning if I taper too long.
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Former Member
Could you elaborate on this thought more please? I have the sense this is true.
There are many ways to think about the attribute of "strength." We know that stronger swimmers are faster, but being strong in the water is different from being strong in the weight room. Even more specifically, breaststroke strength is different from freestyle strength, and bench press strength is different from squat strength.
One reason for all of these differences is a quick strength adaptation that we might call coordination. The first time anyone bench presses, they will be super wobbly and weak. Over the next few sessions, their strength (defined by how much weight they can press) goes up dramatically. Is the person now suddenly 50% stronger, having gone from 95 pounds to 135 pounds? By one definition, yes. But the "strength" they gained is mostly specific to bench press. So really they are just less klutzy on the bench.
However, there are other things that happen over a longer period of time that are different. Muscle mass increases, for example, and the nervous system changes to accommodate greater force production in general (as opposed to during a specific skill). That's when you see strength starting to cross over, while numbers in the weight room go up slowly.
Could you elaborate on this thought more please? I have the sense this is true.
There are many ways to think about the attribute of "strength." We know that stronger swimmers are faster, but being strong in the water is different from being strong in the weight room. Even more specifically, breaststroke strength is different from freestyle strength, and bench press strength is different from squat strength.
One reason for all of these differences is a quick strength adaptation that we might call coordination. The first time anyone bench presses, they will be super wobbly and weak. Over the next few sessions, their strength (defined by how much weight they can press) goes up dramatically. Is the person now suddenly 50% stronger, having gone from 95 pounds to 135 pounds? By one definition, yes. But the "strength" they gained is mostly specific to bench press. So really they are just less klutzy on the bench.
However, there are other things that happen over a longer period of time that are different. Muscle mass increases, for example, and the nervous system changes to accommodate greater force production in general (as opposed to during a specific skill). That's when you see strength starting to cross over, while numbers in the weight room go up slowly.
