Fortress' impressive three world record performance over the weekend made me think of this topic. Obviously the things she's doing are working well for the events she likes to swim. She concentrates on SDKs, fast swimming with lots of rest and drylands to aid in explosiveness. Long aerobic sets just aren't a part of her training regime, from what I've seen.
Almost every organized training group I've swum with, on the other hand, focuses on long aerobic sets, short rest, not a whole lot of fast stuff, etc. Basically the polar opposite of how Fortress trains. In my opinion this probably works pretty well for those who swim longer events, but really does very little for sprinters. The sprint events are almost always the most popular events at meets, so why do people choose to train aerobically? I think there are a number of factors at play. There's the much maligned triathletes. There's those who don't compete and "just want to get their yardage in." There's a historical precedent of lots of yardage being the way to go.
So what do you all think? How does you or your team train? I know lots of regular bloggers here DO train differently than my perception of the norm. Examples include Ande, Chris S. and Speedo. Are too many masters teams stuck in a training regime that is not at all what many of their swimmers need to get faster?
Right, but my question is how much all-out swimming per session? I would guess somewhere between 50-1000 yards or meters would be a good starting point?
Below is a VERY simplified overview of what we are discussing....although the 1:1 ratio they mention for EN3 to me should be anywhere from 3:1 to 10:1 depending on a number of factors.
One thing not being discussed much on this thread is the need to practice at speeds FASTER than your goal race pace times...I think its s critical part of training and something we use fins and paddles for along with bungee cords.
PS
Minimum Endurance Pace (EN1) - almost any distance, with very low rest (less than :30 seconds) between repeats, swum at a sustainable, fairly easy pace. This kind of work set takes 15 to 60 minutes (or more). It helps to build base yardage and promotes recovery. An example: 6 x 500 yards at EN1 pace with :15 seconds rest between repeats or 6 x 500 @ :15 rest, EN1 pace.
Threshold Endurance Pace (EN2) - usually distances less than 500 yards with up to :60 seconds rest between repeats, swum at a pace faster than EN1 (we'll look at how much faster a little bit later). This type of set take between 20 and 45 (or more) minutes to complete and should increase your ability to perform aerobic work without causing a build-up of waste products in the muscles, but should still be followed by a day of easy work to restore muscle glycogen stores. An example: 8 x 175 @ :20 rest, EN2 pace.
VO2Max Endurance Pace (EN3) - usually distances less than 300 yards with rest somewhere between :20 seconds up to a time equal to the amount of work completed (a 1:1 work to rest ratio) at a pace faster than both EN1 and EN2 (be patient - we'll get to it). You will probably not be able to hold this pace for much longer than 30 minutes. This kind of work can simulate the same overall affects of a race. It's very hard work and should also be followed by some type of recovery workout to restore muscle glycogen stores. An example: 8 x 100 @ :45 rest, EN3 pace.
Right, but my question is how much all-out swimming per session? I would guess somewhere between 50-1000 yards or meters would be a good starting point?
Below is a VERY simplified overview of what we are discussing....although the 1:1 ratio they mention for EN3 to me should be anywhere from 3:1 to 10:1 depending on a number of factors.
One thing not being discussed much on this thread is the need to practice at speeds FASTER than your goal race pace times...I think its s critical part of training and something we use fins and paddles for along with bungee cords.
PS
Minimum Endurance Pace (EN1) - almost any distance, with very low rest (less than :30 seconds) between repeats, swum at a sustainable, fairly easy pace. This kind of work set takes 15 to 60 minutes (or more). It helps to build base yardage and promotes recovery. An example: 6 x 500 yards at EN1 pace with :15 seconds rest between repeats or 6 x 500 @ :15 rest, EN1 pace.
Threshold Endurance Pace (EN2) - usually distances less than 500 yards with up to :60 seconds rest between repeats, swum at a pace faster than EN1 (we'll look at how much faster a little bit later). This type of set take between 20 and 45 (or more) minutes to complete and should increase your ability to perform aerobic work without causing a build-up of waste products in the muscles, but should still be followed by a day of easy work to restore muscle glycogen stores. An example: 8 x 175 @ :20 rest, EN2 pace.
VO2Max Endurance Pace (EN3) - usually distances less than 300 yards with rest somewhere between :20 seconds up to a time equal to the amount of work completed (a 1:1 work to rest ratio) at a pace faster than both EN1 and EN2 (be patient - we'll get to it). You will probably not be able to hold this pace for much longer than 30 minutes. This kind of work can simulate the same overall affects of a race. It's very hard work and should also be followed by some type of recovery workout to restore muscle glycogen stores. An example: 8 x 100 @ :45 rest, EN3 pace.
