Ultra Short Training At Race Pace

Late getting into this one. When I used to train for the marathon races I would do 100 x 100s with a minute rest and as the race season got closer rest was cut down to 30 seconds.

Would 9 second 50 pace efforts on 0:30 qualify as UST? Though the work to rest is more like 1:3, the aerobic system starts to kick in when done hypoxically.

Thanks. That is what I've been doing to practice turns. At a 7.8m width portion of the pool I just push off, take a 3/4 stroke cycle of free, turn, and DK UW back to wall. I have tried it on 0:15 which would likely be true UST, but I die after 1 minutes from lack of air and form disintegration. But yes, like thatit hurts exceptionally well.

In answer to The Fortress Thank you for your thoughtful reply. > USRPT does have to be modified for hypoxic 50s, as I mentioned. But when you eventually have to start breathing, as mother nature will force you to do (in long course initially), these short sprints become progressively more oxidative—fueled by oxygen. This involves more than just the recruitment of additional slow twitch, Type I muscle fibers. Drop-dead, fast-twitch fibers also pitch in. These are the Type IIb fibers. The ability to recruit both Type I and Type IIb fibers is what Dr. Rushall calls “oxidative capacity,” as opposed to simple aerobic capacity, as measured by VO2max. What USRPT does so well is to convert many Type II fibers into Type IIb fibers, enhancing the oxidative contribution to the race (beyond the 5% you mention) and lessening the predominance of the anaerobic system. This means less acidification of the blood and less tying up on the charge to the finish. My point for masters swimmers was only that modifications in USRPT become less necessary as the years pass by. > I have the same problem, though I can’t quite submarine out to 15 meters anymore. Just slice up the race into its segments and use an USRPT set for each segment: 1) dive to 15M; 2) 15M to wall; 3) wall to 15M; and 4) 15M to finish. On 1 and 3 you can ease in to the opposite wall for the next repeat. For 1, if there is no starting platform on that side, you have to go from the deck. Not perfect but workable. On 2 and 4, you have to ease back out to the 15M mark. (It is tempting to do these segments in sequence, as a broken 50, but this would breach USRPT protocol, which calls for repetition to failure of each skill.) If you want more free swimming, as you might for long-course, you can begin the repeats over a lane mark, and starting with one or two submarine kicks and your break-out stroke, you can sprint across the next four to five marks. Since for 50s you go as fast as possible (AFAP) as far as possible (AFAP), you don’t have to keep an eye on the clock. Just stop when your stroke has lost its pop. All of us drop dead types can pinpoint that. On the hypoxic segments, 1 and 3, you may need more recovery time than the official 15 seconds. Let breathlessness be your guide. By the way, I think your HIT program is super. It reminds me of the one I came up with at Longhorn, which was inspired by Dave Salo, back when he was considered a rogue coach. I suspect we share the same disdain for the glorified lap swimming that burns out so many promising kids, especially sprinters. To me USRPT is a refinement of Salo. But what you are doing is probably a lot more fun. Inserting some USRPT might even add to that.

That's repeat 12.5s at 50 race pace on a 30 second rest interval? No, not USRPT---unless you are new to it and using the long rest interval as a means of adapting, with the aim of working down to 15 seconds; or unless you are old enough that you actually need that much rest to attain the proper state of recovery. Otherwise, the rest interval is too long, allowing too much recovery of the oxidative system. The goal of USRPT, as far as conditioning goes, is to maintain maximal pressure on the oxygen-using muscle fibers, the slow twitch Type I fibers and the fast twitch Type IIb fibers. That's why you are not allowed to catch your breath. You have to go again while you are still hungering for air. This can be unpleasant, but you get to stop when you can't make the nine seconds anymore.

Half of each repeat is hypoxic, so you may need a longer rest interval to repay the oxygen debt. Try the breathlessness approach as described above, realizing that an adaption period of several weeks may be needed before you can begin knocking off a fair number of repeats. Best of luck!

During my 35 years of racing I had done everything and tried every thing. I even used Man Tan to fake that I was I shape.

Good grief........ in Masters..... it's not how fast your go..... it's how good you look behind the blocks.

Follow-up: 1) Ultra short race-pace training (USRPT) exerts nonstop, maximal stress on every oxygen-using source of energy. A major effect, ultimately, is to compel lactate-producing Type IIa fast-twitch muscle fibers to undergo maximal conversion to oxygen-fueled Type IIb fast-twitch fibers. This serves to expand overall oxidative capacity, boosting performance in every pool event requiring repeated breathing. 2) Another major training effect, especially relevant for hypoxic 50s, is to compel hemoglobin and myoglobin (hemoglobin’s counterpart in the muscles) to undergo maximal increases not only in quantity but also in their ability to bind oxygen. This “stored oxygen” is plentiful in diving mammals such as seals. In sprint swimmers going full bore in a 50, it recharges the ATP-CP energy system, enabling ATP-CP to operate longer, before it must yield to the lactacid system. Because ATP-CP is the predominant energy source in trained sprint swimmers, the result is greater speed endurance—the ability to bring home a 50 before the build-up of blood acid takes its toll. See Rushall B. S. (2013). Swimming energy training in the 21st century: the justification for radical changes (Second Edition) pp. 12–23. Swimming Science Journal – Swimming Science Bulletin 39. (Back when I could be somewhat serious about swimming, in the days before USRPT, I had no trouble bringing home a short-course 50. But long-course was another story. No matter whose program I followed, from Shubert-style over-distance to Salo-style high intensity, I always struggled to maintain pace toward the finish. How I wish I could turn back the clock, using USRPT to bring that final 15 meters up to par.) 3) It bears repeating that, despite its unique training protocol, the heart and soul of USRPT is stroke technique—toward the ultimate goal of enhanced propelling efficiency.

would love to see your splits glenn and congrats on the good swim!