I was reading up on training, and I came across a training methodology that goes like this.
Take your target event, for me the 200 free. Training speeds are dictated by your times two distances lower, for me the 50 and the 100, and two distances higher, 400/500 and the 800/1000. Warm up and cool down fall outside of this.
Compared to traditional training, this would be low yardage, high rest for most people.
Has anyone played around with this? Using my 100 split from my 1000 as my endurance pace would be much faster than what I am currently doing.
I like the concept because it gives so much guidance for training efforts, and retesting the levels is trivial.
That's it, I don't have much more detail than that. I can't find the article I read this in, but apparently this is a common training method for track.
Former Member
I think it is a step in the right direction ...it will teach you to swim closer to race pace AND become more aware of what that means. Depending on your endurance level 1000 pace will be about 6-8 sec slower than 200 pace. You will need to adjust your intervals (more rest) or swim more easy stuff in between.
I don't get it. Train faster and slower but not at race speed? Mixing up paces is a fine idea, but I wouldn't just skip the target. What's the rationale?
I think the two bracketing races give upper and lower limits for training speeds on most sets. Target race pace would be included.
Thanks for the examples! The team I swim with will do the first set, or 200's on 3, or 300's on 4:30. It would be great to do the next two sets, but my teammates would say that it is too easy, ie too much rest. We do some 50's sometimes but usually on a faster interval as well. I would have to work out on my own to do the sets with more rest.
So I guess if you want to target the 200 fly as a focus event you'll need to be doing a timed 500 and 1000 fly at least once. Oh rapture.
That brings up an interesting point. In traditional training, we don't have any problem doing over distance free, but rarely does anyone do any over distance stroke.
Instead of doing a T500 and T1000 fly, you could do a timed 30 minute fly to get your threshold pace as Maglischo suggests, and base your training around that :)
That brings up an interesting point. In traditional training, we don't have any problem doing over distance free, but rarely does anyone do any over distance stroke.
Ande has a mean 500 backstroke.
One year 4 of us did a 4 X 1 hour medley relay. Our butterflier swam an hour of butterflier, never stopping or breaking stroke. I think he went between 4,200 and 4,300 yards. I swam backstroke (imagine that) and had one wicked sundburn with goggle eyes on my face.
I think the two bracketing races give upper and lower limits for training speeds on most sets. Target race pace would be included.
Yes, Chris is right. The 5 timed swims just setup 5 goal times for practice.
I didn't understand it either. Can you explain it by using examples? what the set what be, the interval, and what time you should go? thanks
I am going to make up some times for easy math.
T50: 25
T100: 58
Target 200: 1:56 (split 28, 29.5, 29.5, 29)
T200: 2:00 (1:00)
T400: 4:40 (1:10)
T800: 9:52 (1:14)
Example sets
10x100s on 1:30 hold T800
10x100s on 2:00 hold T400
10x100s on 5:00 hold T200
10x50s on 1:00 hold 29 to touch or 29.5 to feet (race pace)
10x25s on 1:00 hold sub 12 to touch
Obviously, I am not going to be writing an interesting book of workouts any time soon.
Now, I have no idea how to combine these levels together into intelligent workouts and an intelligent season. I am really still kicking this idea around in my head and since competitive swim training theory isn't a popular topic at dinner parties, I dumped out some poorly formed thought here to see what kind of feedback I would get.
