This past weekend I did practice with the age groupers. 2 sets we did back to back were working on lung control. First set consisted of 16x25's with fins. First 8 were on 1:30 last 8 on 2. Not so bad huh? Here is the kicker. Before swimming the 25 (sprint no breath) you first went under water and held breath for 15 seconds then when time was up coach banged on gutter and u would take off and sprint the 25 no breath. There was no breath in between 15 seconds under water to when u pushed off either.
So, the first 4x25's u were under for 15, the next 4 u were under for 30 seconds, the next 4 under water for 45 seconds and last 4 where under for a minute. I was able to make the 15 and 30 ones and I made one of each in the 45 and minute. I was amazed that some of the kids actually made all of them!
After that set, we followed up with 20x25's on 30. This was not that big a deal but we had to get out at each end and dive in, which got tiresome near the end.
Ive never been a big fan of lung busters or anything, kinda like to breath!
Wow! I can't recall doing anything like that in all my years of swimming at any level!:applaud: That is pretty hardcore.
I think the hardest thing I can remember is just 50's, and maybe a 75 no breathers. But you would work into those (3, 2, 1, no breath). Being a distance guy it wasn't a huge focus as we were aerobic swimmers for the most part.
We did hypoxic sets as part of warm up when I was a kid. I never understood why, and my breath control during sprints is the same now, not ever doing any hypoxic/breath control, as it was then, doing daily sets.
I am not a fan, and it does seem like holding your breath for 60 seconds before doing a sprint 25 is asking for someone to pass out.
Chris Stevenson does hypoxic during taper to raise his heartrate without having to expend as much energy, but I don't think this is the typical justification of hypoxic work.
I would be interested in seeing justification as to why breath control work should be part of regular training.
I don't understand the rationale for just hanging out under the water holding your breath? :confused: Wouldn't it be better to at least be swimming or kicking underwater while holding your breath? Maybe that set was just for tricks and giggles?
(I do like hypoxic work in connection with improving underwater SDKs and during taper like Chris. But, otherwise, I hate breath control sets.)
When we did stuff like this in high school it was always a macho sort of thing -- if you could make it, you were tough. In other words, it was done more for the psychological benefit, the theory being that in a big race you "know" you don't have to breathe.
Although I used to be able to hold my breath as well as anyone on my team back in the day, I don't find this sort of thing to be much fun anymore.
Stupid and dangerous.25 no breathers are OK as they arer over before a trained swimmer iis likely to pass out.As you get past that it becomes more and more problematic.As you get into the macho/push past my pain stage it gets dangerous.If you pass out underwater you will probably inhale and fresh chlorinated water in your lungs will ruin your whole day.
We did hypoxic sets as part of warm up when I was a kid. I never understood why, and my breath control during sprints is the same now, not ever doing any hypoxic/breath control, as it was then, doing daily sets.
I am not a fan, and it does seem like holding your breath for 60 seconds before doing a sprint 25 is asking for someone to pass out.
Chris Stevenson does hypoxic during taper to raise his heartrate without having to expend as much energy, but I don't think this is the typical justification of hypoxic work.
I would be interested in seeing justification as to why breath control work should be part of regular training.
I don't understand the rationale for just hanging out under the water holding your breath? :confused: Wouldn't it be better to at least be swimming or kicking underwater while holding your breath? Maybe that set was just for tricks and giggles?
(I do like hypoxic work in connection with improving underwater SDKs and during taper like Chris. But, otherwise, I hate breath control sets.)
You hang out underwater before an 25 no breath sprint. The purpose is to increase oxygen debt before the 25, but I still don't understand why that would be beneficial.
The set really might have been a fun set. It is a new, not wholly speed based, competition for the kids. When I was an age grouper, it might have been fun.
We were going to do some 25 no-breathers the other day and the aquatics director at our Y asked us not to. I heard a rumor that it is a new nationwide YMCA policy to forbid no-breathers. Can anyone confirm this?
