Drop Dead Taper

Fort, this was my typical 4 to 5 taper plan back in high school, but I was training for 400 IM, 500 - 1000 - 1650 free. Up until that point, I'd be going pretty much full bore in the ~8K to ~14K per day (depending upon which days were doubles). For a meet that would start on a Friday, I'd do something like: Monday: 6K -- intensity moderately high Tuesday: 4K -- intensity moderately easy Wednesday: 3K -- light, light, light Thursday: 1500 -- less than warmup pace In high school, this thing worked amazingly well for me. Of course, I was also the kind of guy who would go through hell week over Christmas holiday training, rest a day, and do best times. For me, I think this worked because: aiming for distance events very little muscle mass to rest I doubt this would work for a sprinter like yourself. Interestingly, this season, I'm going to experiment with both a longer taper and trying to get two tapers in about only 5 weeks apart. I'll probably swim like crap.:afraid:

Interestingly, this season, I'm going to experiment with both a longer taper and trying to get two tapers in about only 5 weeks apart. I'll probably swim like crap.:afraid: My team does a double taper every year, as our team focus meet is 4-8 weeks before Nationals. Pretty much everyone swims better after the second taper. So you may surprise yourself.

Tapers work for a variety of reasons, one of which is the confidence of the swimmer. Since you do not think you will be able to hold your conditioning, you are predisposed to look for failure if you taper too long. Lots of people think like this. The taper you describe is fine but for one point. Sprinting is a must every day, but only two or three race pace swims max. The rest of the practice is warmup, kicking (got to keep the legs), stroke technique, pace (if you are doing anything over 50 yards), and warm down. Starts and turns should also be worked on. And lots of rest laying down, off your feet. if you can stay in bed for the entire week, that will be the best thing of all.

Pretty much everyone swims better after the second taper. So you may surprise yourself. What's the physiology or other reasoning behind this?

Tapers work for a variety of reasons, one of which is the confidence of the swimmer. Since you do not think you will be able to hold your conditioning, you are predisposed to look for failure if you taper too long. Lots of people think like this. Interesting ... Well, I mention this because that's how I felt in Austin after a full two week taper. Nothing left at the end of my 100s. However, I did swim all PBs there, so perhaps I'm overstating the effect. It'd be interesting to test the staying in bed for a week theory. I'm inclined to believe it's true ... but no masters swimmer has ever really tested this theory right? Qbrain: Thanks. Yeah, 50K a week has little relevance to me. lol. However, I do think tapering works, and works quite well. I'm just not sure what the right amount is for me. This is part of the downside of training alone too ... That's why I was pondering the drop dead idea.

Interesting ... Well, I mention this because that's how I felt in Austin after a full two week taper. Nothing left at the end of my 100s. However, I did swim all PBs there, so perhaps I'm overstating the effect. It'd be interesting to test the staying in bed for a week theory. I'm inclined to believe it's true ... but no masters swimmer has ever really tested this theory right? Qbrain: Thanks. Yeah, 50K a week has little relevance to me. lol. However, I do think tapering works, and works quite well. I'm just not sure what the right amount is for me. This is part of the downside of training alone too ... That's why I was pondering the drop dead idea. I'm not sure there is a hard and fast rule even for each individual. It seems much depends on how many meets one has had recently, how many outside-of-the-pool stresses one is dealing with, and one's current health. Even in one individual, these things change from time to time, so I think you have to change up your taper length from time to time. Not that I am any expert but I look for signs like how much is my asthma or allergies getting kicked up. If it has been kicked up a bunch, I take it as my body being tired and a sign that I will need a longer taper. Keeping tabs on my HR also is indicative. If I do an abrupt taper, I find I can be sluggish for the sprints.

My "tapers" involve this: Friday: normal swim volume (4,000-5,000yds) Saturday: rest (this is the Saturday before the meet) Sun.-Wed.: easy 500 warm up, 3-5 sprints in events I plan to swim with lots of rest (say, 100yds on 6-8 min interval), then about 200yd warm down trying to keep good form. Thu. & Fri.: rest and eat. Sat: swim guts out, then eat and sleep. I also don't hit the weights the week before. So far this has worked for me. I've dropped time in each meet. I have yet to do one "big" meet, so each meet I do I just do mini tapers. :D:bliss:

My college team did this the year before I got there and it was reported to be an unmitigated disaster. Swimmers added time from in-season, babies cried, atonal music was sung in the streets. Thanks, lefty! I really enjoyed this post.

Interesting ... Well, I mention this because that's how I felt in Austin after a full two week taper. Nothing left at the end of my 100s. However, I did swim all PBs there, so perhaps I'm overstating the effect. It'd be interesting to test the staying in bed for a week theory. I'm inclined to believe it's true ... but no masters swimmer has ever really tested this theory right? I do not know if any Masters have done this, but there was an NCAA swimmer in the 60's that did this before tapering was a common practice (also before 10,000 yard workouts were common). He ended up with championships a couple of times. In my experience, two weeks is exactly when you feel the worst in a 4 week (highly recommended) taper. It is just the time that your body has finally repaired all of the muscle tissue that you have been working for months on various machines and in the pool. Although the repair has been finished, it is like getting over the flu or a cold, you're not sick, but not feeling tip top. That takes a little longer. And besides, you shouldn't have anything left after a 100, unless the race is a 200.

My college team did this the year before I got there and it was reported to be an unmitigated disaster. Swimmers added time from in-season, babies cried, atonal music was sung in the streets. This rings of truth. In college I attended Plucky Mid-Major. Each year we had a dual meet against Major Conference Top 25 Hopeful. They were much better than us, swimming off events and still beating us easily. But we noticed things. At the end of each meet, most of their team would have ice bags on their shoulders, and be strangely happy about it. My senior year, we arrived at our second taper meet (ECAC Championships) to find out that they had blown their Major Conference meet because they had completely missed their taper. Again, they were oddly happy about it... and they swam much better in the 2nd meet, redeeming themselves in an irrelevant competition. Anyway the moral of the story is not to do a crash taper because if you miss, you miss hard.