Elitism in Masters Swimming

I think most prospective members get their exposure from mainstream press rather than USMS Swimmer. Is there such a thing as "main stream press" for masters swimming? John Smith

Maybe this kind of behavior is more noticeable at the bigger meets? I don't think it's a matter of behavior as of perception. If you read an article in the general press about Masters Swimming, it usually highlights one of the "elites." Those not familiar with the program may feel intimidated by this. I have found that the hardest thing, even on a small, local level, is convincing someone that everyone is welcome. We had a lady on our team who had a panic attack while swimming 100 free at the local Senior Games. She had just been intimidated by the whole scene. Took her to a Masters meet and the same thing happened, but we (almost literally) dragged her back to swim a relay. That took care of that and she eagerly awaits the next meet. When someone of lesser ability meets some of the stars who are so gracious and welcoming, it removes all doubt about who belongs. Everyone!!! The problem, as I see it, is how do we market that welcome up front while still celebrating the amazing achievements of our superstars. Solve that, and the membership should rocket.

Thank you for the info Dale. Since I started from scratch, I think before I structure my workouts as condition based (aerobic and endurance training), I should concentrate primarily on basics, relaxation and efficiency, for several more months until it becomes more natural. Anything over 100M for me results in a sloppy style. Nevertheless, I will definately be logging workouts into a spreadsheet now. Although I did get anxious right before I got into the water when I practiced with the team, everyone was welcoming and actually happy to have me there - they even invited me to breakfast. I am intimidated about other things - waking up at 5:30 AM after working to midnight:bed:Or even worst, the nicest pool in my area is located right in the middle of the worst part of town. I would hate to finish a good session to find my car sitting on blocks in the lot. Not too long ago, one person was attacked in the lot as she was leaving the pool! But who knows, if Masters swimming grows enough eventually there will be more pools to use and more options for swimming practices, like evening practices;).

..... If you read an article in the general press about Masters Swimming, it usually highlights one of the "elites." Those not familiar with the program may feel intimidated by this. I have found that the hardest thing, even on a small, local level, is convincing someone that everyone is welcome...... True.... but there have also been some USMS magazine covers with run of the mill average "John Smiths". What is ironic.... is that most ex national caliber swimmers that still participate actually enjoy making stroke corrections and offering basic advice. It's a huge part of who they were so long ago. I don't think many beginner masters swimmers really understand this....... I for one love a reason to stop in the middle of a set and chat....:-) John Smith

Steve, You may (or may not) be able to speed up the descent of your times. I am not sure I'm an elite swimmer yet in my age group (50-54), but I came back after a 24 year layoff and in less than a year progressed from a 1:03 for the 100SCY down to 56.9 in about 1 year. Having a feel for the water, and some time when I was young hardwiring the basics, definitely helps - but so does training in a way that gives you the maximum benefit. Ande has an important tip (among many in his Swim Faster Faster series) -- anything you measure will improve if you focus on it and work hard. When I started up again I knew I needed to work on my aerobic swimming fitness, my anaerobic swimming fitness, and build muscles that I hadn't been using. My workouts interleaved these three components as much as possible, pushing myself on distance work, interval work (50's, 100's and eventually 200's), and stroke mechanics. I kept track of all times in my workouts. I tried to stay clear of garbage yards, only doing as much as I could with reasonable form, and pushing hard (defined differently for each distance). At the start my workouts would only be 1000 to 1600 yd. One year later they average about 2700 yds. I kept track of how many yards I did within 2-sec ranges for my 100 yd. times in each workout. I tried to have a pyramid with some yardage at my fastest range, and successively more in each higher range up to my cutoff speed (the 1000 yd rate for any time period). As a key measure, I tried to get my pulse into the 160-170 range at least once each workout, preferably toward the end where I was pushing when it was hardest to do so. As soon as I could finish 500 yds in less than 7:30 ( not far from your 9:00 for 500m), I made sure to do a 500 yd time trial as part of my workout at least once a week. At least one other day I tried to see how far I could go just slightly off that 500 pace. By the time I could do 1000 yds in 14 minutes. I did time trials for the 500 and the 1000 each week as part of separate workouts. At the same time, in each workout, I would do at least 3 x 100 yds on whatever interval I could stand -- to start it was 2:00, but I pushed it down to 1:50, and then 1:40 as soon as I could without falling too far behind in my 100 yd. time in these. Now it is often 1:30. The key here is to make these fast, but keep then close in times -- and slowly bring these times down over the months while slowly bringing the interval time down. At the end of the first month I could do 1:15's or 1:16's on an interval of 2:00. Now, one year later, I'm down to 1:09 on 1:30. These interval sets, especially the last one I can handle, are where my pulse hits maximum and it's mind over matter with every stroke. But I can feel the payoff as the weeks go by. I also make sure I recover before moving on to the next set where I push myself (pulse down to 90 works for me). By keeping track of all my workouts on a spreadsheet I could see that I had a natural 9 to 11 week cycle of hitting a temporary plateau (as well as feeling really tired) and then moving on to the next level. I used this to modify my training to take advantage of where I was in each cycle and get the most out of it without breaking down. One caveat. I had some incredibly fitful sleep during the first six months as my muscles were building, and repairing, and the heat output and some general muscular discomfort was quite a lot to handle. But I only went as fast as I felt I could go without overstressing my shoulders -- I backed off if I felt any twinges. Eventually my shoulders were strong enough that they felt pretty well protected and could be more easily pushed. I'm not a coach, and not yet an elite swimmer. This kind of approach may not work for everyone, and it may just work for me, but I think that working simultaneously on pushing yourself on distances and on interval work may lead to more rapid improvement. The problem with muscles is that they become habituated to doing anything, and to get them to go to the next level you need to convince them that it is expected of them. To do that you need focus, and you need a mix of little recovery time within a set, more recovery time between sets, and distance with no break. (Attached graph of best 100 yd times over the past year) A lot of very good advice here, but I would dispute that the difference between a 7:30 time at 500 yards and a 9:00 time for 500m is not that great. When I do the math, that's a difference of 8 seconds per hundred yards. Your time on 100 yards dropped by an impressive seven seconds in a year, but you were recapturing skills that you had developed in your teens. A lot of your improvement is probably attributable to developing your aerobic base again. Rtodd's times dropped by 12 seconds over three years, which is probably more realistic for a person who is relatively new to swimming. I don't want to sound like I'm busting your chops - your strategy is detailed and sounds like it works. But I wouldn't want someone to read your very sound advice and feel like a failure if they don't drop 8 seconds off their hundred in six months or a year. If they do it over two years, it will still be pretty darn impressive.

Let me correct a few things: A) You are 6' 3" and have sz 7 girls feet This goes a long way in understanding the root of the passive-agressive comments made in the past by JS (and I am not talking about being 6' 3").

Seriously? The number of masters swimmers doing doubles has got to be exceptionally low. My experience has been the exact opposite. Most teams are very laissez-faire: here's the workout schedule, come swim when you feel like it. Totally agree. Plus, the highlight of the workout week is the breakfast after the Sat morning practice. I've visited and trained with a lot of USMS teams and have never come across one with a 4 hour workout.

I've visited and trained with a lot of USMS teams and have never come across one with a 4 hour workout. The only time of seen this even after swimming with dozens of teams all over the US is the New Years 100 x 100's. The exception being the multisport crown that "bricks" after a swim workout.... And I beg to differ on the doubles Geek, I know of a fair amount of Masters swimmers/Triathletes doing 2 swim workouts a day. Certainly not even remotely the majority but a fair amount.

Doubles? The only doubles we do is after a meet & that might be 2 shakes or beers !

The only time of seen this even after swimming with dozens of teams all over the US is the New Years 100 x 100's. The exception being the multisport crown that "bricks" after a swim workout.... And I beg to differ on the doubles Geek, I know of a fair amount of Masters swimmers/Triathletes doing 2 swim workouts a day. Certainly not even remotely the majority but a fair amount. Our club has two evening works, one at 6 pm and another at 7 PM. Since my my kids are swimming their age group work outs during that entire time, and I'll stick it out for a double on occasion. No one would ever confuse me for hardcore or for being a serious swimmer. Its better than getting out and waiting or going home and coming back to pick up my kids. I know the morning group has a similar situation and I think a few swimmers do the same then as well.