6000 yrds - 5 X Week

I used to be in the camp of "high yardage gives the best result" and went with a team that did well over 5000 yards in 90 min practice 5 days a week and 6000-7000 in a 2 hour practice on Sat. But then my times started slipping. So I went in search of a new team. My new team has taught me quality over quantity. My coach now has us doing about 3000-4500 in that 90 min window with 6000 in the 2 hour practices (the kids do doubles/afternoon 2 hour practices where they do 5000 but I can't make those). He emphasizes technique which can't be worked on when you are just trying to crank out length after length. And we have more ranked swimmers than the former team (let me clarify that I practice with an age group team). I don't think that high yardage is the way to go any more. My times are dropping in both distance and sprinting. I see kids burning out less and I see them a lot happier now.But.. I also know that for some the high yardage training is what they want and if that is the case, then they are with the right team. If that is not what they like, then they won't get good results from a high yardage team like that.

I'm not a coach, but I swam through college. Seems to me that he's doing a lot of yardage for his experience level and (to a lesser extent) age. You mentioned he's been swimming for less than a year, which is the problem I have with this. Overuse injuries are a problem for those who ramp up quickly without a lot of guidance on how to swim properly. There are ways to refine your swimming to reduce the chance of overuse injury. If he stays with this team make sure he talks with the coach about technique to reduce overuse injury- if the coach is disregarding this aspect of swimming, your grandson may have a short swimming career. More experienced swimmers also get shoulder problems, so the goal should be to reduce the probablility through technique changes, and to do shoulder exercises such as these published by USA Swimming recently. I do these and they help me a great deal. www.usaswimming.org/ViewMiscArticle.aspx I hope this helps- good luck to your grandson.

www.usaswimming.org/ViewMiscArticle.aspx Thanks for the link, Speedo! I can say from personal experience that several of these exercises were a lifesaver (shoulder saver?) after my shoulder surgery for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. I was taught several of these by my physical therapist, in post-surgery rehab, and I recovered very well. And, by continuing to do them, my shoulders have stayed healthy and strong, since getting back into swimming and joining USMS, in February. BUT, having said that, I know my limitations. And, 3,000 yds in a day seems to be it before fatigue sets in to the point where my shoulders have had it. And, that includes avoiding most kicking drills, because of the position my shoulders and arms have to be in to perform the drill. Advice to all: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! Don't push yourself to the point of injury. Been there, done that, and it, well, :censor: !

I'm not a coach, but I swam through college. Seems to me that he's doing a lot of yardage for his experience level and (to a lesser extent) age. You mentioned he's been swimming for less than a year, which is the problem I have with this. Yes, this is definitely the key point here, because 30K per week isn't really a lot for experienced swimmers. I remember in HS my team swam probably 6K 5 nights per week, plus a couple mornings of maybe 3K and Saturdays.

6k a day is not very much many teams do more the issue is how accustomed the athlete is to that workload how it was phased in for an athlete who isn't used to training that much. the yards per day is one issue, how the athletes do the yards is the key issue After week one, that's what our local High School Swim team's workouts consist of, even for relative newcomer freshmen. My 14 yr. old grandson has been swimming for just over a year competitivly. He was in rehab most of the summer for rotator problems. I understand there are several on the team with shoulder problems. Is this amount of yardage the norm? I should add, they do some dry land & weights in addition. It occurs to me that a "one size fits all" workout might be easy for some, and big problem for others? Thanks for your insight. Georgio

I'm in agreement with the others so far. Those are common distances for competitive swimmers of several years. But most importantly, if he's already having shoulder problems, that's a red flag for him personally. Tendonitis is tough to recover from. And not trying to sound like a hardass, but sometimes kids want a decreased workload and make up excuses. Positivity spreads, but so does negativity. So I'd take it with a grain of salt that other kids complain about their shoulders. Just worry about your grandson and try to get his work adjusted without telling the coach how to do his job. Maybe not a bad idea to speak to other parents. If a kid is complaining about his shoulders all day long, it's probably legit, but if he forgets about it as soon as he gets home, then you wonder... Weights for a freshman seems too young btw, but I suppose it depends on the type of exercises they have them doing.

Just curious, how old should a kid be before lifting? And why is a kid lifting more of a strain than swimming 30K a week? Sorry that sounds snarky, but I'm genuinely curious. My thought process was that having kids trying to max out in weights would be far too stressful on underdeveloped joints and bone structures. Much more so than swimming at that age. Too much of anything can be a bad thing, so it's hard to speculate without knowing the sets he's throwing at the kids and the weights routine. Plus, high schools don't usually have strength trainers. So you're relying on the swim coach to know and teach proper lifting technique. I see bad technique in the weight room causing more problems than bad technique in the pool. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the topic, scientific studies are very limited. There are documented cases of kids lifting at young ages and it works out (e.g. Todd Marinovich, well at least through college until he had a mental break).

It is called "burn em out fast" get rid of those who cannot handle it.

6k a day is not very much many teams do more the issue is how accustomed the athlete is to that workload how it was phased in for an athlete who isn't used to training that much. the yards per day is one issue, how the athletes do the yards is the key issue 100%. Hell, I'm doing 5,000, 5x a week now. I ain't burned out and have never had shoulder issues. I'm still using the same large blue paddles (with the holes) I used in college. Like Ande said, its all what you are accustomed to. Mine will fluctuate too depending if I'm doing "Quality" or more "Pace/Distance" training.

Weights for a freshman seems too young btw, but I suppose it depends on the type of exercises they have them doing. Just curious, how old should a kid be before lifting? And why is a kid lifting more of a strain than swimming 30K a week? Sorry that sounds snarky, but I'm genuinely curious.