Do we need recovery weeks?

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

Rykno — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 11:40:40 GMT

I have a hard time backing off in the water. even when I try to swim slow I swim faster than I want to. But if I go too many days without being able to reach 90% I feel I need to step back I don't swim one day. I miss too many workouts because of work and family so it doesn't happen too often that I miss practice because I want to.

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

Former Member — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:44:34 GMT

What?! P90X is a piece of cake? At the risk of Geek telling me to take this lovefest elsewhere, I will answer your question thusly: P90X has built in rest weeks, of which I most certainly partake. But I really don't swim enough to warrant rest weeks, other than my two tapers for SCY and LCM... and my extended August/September 5+ week break. LOL.

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

Former Member — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:09:02 GMT

The meaning of life is longer and more frequent episodes of brutal self-punishment in the pool, severe dietary restriction outside of it, and total ignoring and refusal to coddle any symptoms of discomfort and/or illness, be this real, non-delusional hypochondrical, or delusional hypochondriacal. "All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine." -Fast Times at Ridgemont High

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

aquageek — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:52:55 GMT

Everyone is entitled to recovery - the Monday after a swim meet. Now, toughen up, Tex. Oh, and JimRude - get a room!

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

jim thornton — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:49:56 GMT

I also seem to do better these days on longer and more frequent tapers. Leslie, this way leads disaster. Longer and more frequent tapers? Bolderdash! The meaning of life is longer and more frequent episodes of brutal self-punishment in the pool, severe dietary restriction outside of it, and total ignoring and refusal to coddle any symptoms of discomfort and/or illness, be this real, non-delusional hypochondrical, or delusional hypochondriacal. If life is not a ceaseless torment and uninterrupted tribulation, you are not a Real Swimmer. --from The Manifesto of a Non-Complaining Non-Delusional Hypochondriac Who Refuses to Surrender to His Nature

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

ande — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:27:26 GMT

I don't take recovery weeks, I sometimes I skip practices or sets or swim recovery workouts when I: did several pretty hard back to back practices, or am feeling run down or am about to get sick or just don't feel like killing it or didn't sleep well or enough the night before or feel injured. Sometimes when I feel tired, I just go to bed or fall asleep earlier. Also you can't always trust how you feel. I've had practices where I was getting sick or sick or felt terrible, some I almost skipped but showed up anyway & swam much faster than I expected to. Sometimes if I'm feeling bad in a practice, I'll change suits into something faster. like go from brief to jammer or jammer to legskin. Sometimes I just skip parts of sets. The beauty of masters is we can modify.

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

Former Member — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:39:18 GMT

I've taken a a week off on a few occasions and it takes me several workouts to get moving again. That has been my experience as well. I was really referring to a recovery week during which I still swim but back off substantially on the intensity.

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

Chris Stevenson — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:07:20 GMT

Do I schedule recovery weeks throughout the season? I do 3-4 tapers every year largely just for this reason: the tapers serve as recovery. (I like swimming fast too, though I don't necessarily like the tapering process itself.) If you don't want to taper this much, then yes I would do a recovery week ("long slow distance") every so often.

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

jim thornton — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:04:35 GMT

I would have thought that brutal self-punishment in the pool entitles me to disregard any severe dietary restrictions out of the pool. Wrong! Do not lie to yourself! If it feels good, it is bad.

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

Rich B. — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 10:32:09 GMT

I would have thought that brutal self-punishment in the pool entitles me to disregard any severe dietary restrictions out of the pool.

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

Former Member — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 09:50:46 GMT

Recovery is for the weak. Or for people with some fast twitch fibers and more than one gear.

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

Former Member — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 08:31:05 GMT

i'll rest when i'm dead

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

Midas — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 08:13:23 GMT

That has been my experience as well. I was really referring to a recovery week during which I still swim but back off substantially on the intensity. Our team does that after the hour swim. That plus two plus weeks of tapering leading up to the hour swim and I've lost more than 50% of the cardio benefit earned from all the hard training I put in leading up to the hour by the end... Even at my master peaks, I've not been training enough to merit more than a very short (less than one week) taper and almost no recovery afterwards. As a kid, I definitely needed the recovery weeks after the big meets. But the intensity was WAY higher...

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

The Fortress — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 08:12:44 GMT

There is a fine line between knowing when to suck it up and push it, and when to back off and recover. Perhaps that depends on whether one has a tendency to overtrain or undertrain and for which events one is training. I can see where one might still be faster if they did not "suck it up." Let us not forget Tall Paul's "less is more" theory.

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

rtodd — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 05:29:13 GMT

I've taken a a week off on a few occasions and it takes me several workouts to get moving again. Especially in terms of my shoulders loosening up and feeling good. They definately atrophy if I don't swim for a full week. Recovery swims are great for staying loose and not letting this happen while your body heals from hard training.

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

That Guy — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 05:00:26 GMT

Smilies are the third rail of things that adults should avoid. Wait... that's a double avoidance... so they cancel out and you do like smilies after all! :bliss::banana::bouncing::bolt::cane::bow:

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

aquageek — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 04:38:18 GMT

(can't believe we don't have an RIP smilie) Smilies are the third rail of things that adults should avoid. Recovery is for the weak.

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

Chris Stevenson — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 04:24:45 GMT

Also you can't always trust how you feel. I've had practices where I was getting sick or sick or felt terrible, some I almost skipped but showed up anyway & swam much faster than I expected to. That's a good point. There is a fine line between knowing when to suck it up and push it, and when to back off and recover. i'll rest when i'm dead Worked for Warren Zevon... (can't believe we don't have an RIP smilie)

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

jim thornton — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 03:53:06 GMT

What about brutal self punishment in the gym? I was under the impression that Sprinters were deemed a separate species that did not qualify as Real Swimmers anyway. Brutal self punishment in the gym is merely an excuse to avoid brutal self punishment in the pitiless waters. You cannot drown in the gym, or rather, you can, but it is what the pathologists call a "dry drowning." Real Swimmers, be they distance swimmers, or sprinters, or the most chosen elite of them all, middle distance freestylers in their late 50s, live always in the shadow of "wet drowning"--this signature risk in their lives is, in fact, what makes them such compellingly heroic figures in the minds of gym rats and other terra-cognita-huddled land lubbers the world over!

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

Patrick W. Brundage — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 01:53:19 GMT

Like JimRude, on an intellectual level I don't train enough to deserve recovery, but on a physical level, my body seems to want all of the following: at least one swim workout a week where I'm not paying too much attention to the clock or pushing myself hard, ideally two days a week where I don't swim at all, At least two major tapers a year, but probably some form of mini / drop-taper 3 to 4 times a year, At least one, but probably more like 2-3 weeks a year where I don't swim at all I'm becoming more a fan of trying to swim faster in a few sets in a few workouts a week than trying to just slog it through. In all honesty, though, it's generally life getting in the way of my training that causes all except #3 above.

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

The Fortress — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 01:36:09 GMT

Leslie, this way leads disaster. Longer and more frequent tapers? Bolderdash! The meaning of life is longer and more frequent episodes of brutal self-punishment in the pool, severe dietary restriction outside of it, and total ignoring and refusal to coddle any symptoms of discomfort and/or illness, be this real, non-delusional hypochondrical, or delusional hypochondriacal. If life is not a ceaseless torment and uninterrupted tribulation, you are not a Real Swimmer. --from The Manifesto of a Non-Complaining Non-Delusional Hypochondrac Who Refuses to Surrender to His Nature What about brutal self punishment in the gym? I was under the impression that Sprinters were deemed a separate species that did not qualify as Real Swimmers anyway.

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

orca1946 — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 01:18:38 GMT

Last night at practice, my brain was just not into it! I mentally pulled out in the middle of a set of 4 x 500. When I started up again my stroke was slow , even by my standards.

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

kgernert — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 01:00:52 GMT

If you don't take recovery weeks, how do you maintain a high enough level of training readiness so that you are still improving? I find that by mid-week (especially after a really tough distance workout), my legs are absolutely dead - and each workout thereafter gets progressively worse/harder/more frustrating. Ideas?

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

Former Member — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 15:42:31 GMT

Recovery from what? I do not train enough to need to recover from anything. At one time I did not think I trained enough to justify even a one week taper.

RE: Do we need recovery weeks?

Former Member — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 15:10:25 GMT

Recovery from what? I do not train enough to need to recover from anything.