Ultra Short Training At Race Pace

I had been doing the sprint version of this as 25s:sprint the first 12.5,coast 12.5,repeat.I now wonder if that is too much rest as the coast segment takes longer than the sprint.Also,how do you set goal times for 12.5s?

Just because no one is doing it doesn't mean it doesn't work. Even the "elite" swimmers are not doing the mega yards they did in the 70's and 80's. It is no longer in vogue to do 20K a day. oh how i wish some of those days had ONLY been 20k. and not 21 or 22+ you cant get to 120,000lcm in 11 workouts without breaking a few eggs i'll bet Sun Yang does quite a few meters. as did Grant Hacket. all i know is that swimmers train way more than any other sport for the little amount of time spent in the actual competition.

12.5s are usually done at 50 race pace, meaning pedal to the metal, as 4 x (6 x 12.5), so there is no need to time them. Stop when your your stroke loses its snap. If you want the 12.5s to be stroke only, start in the water instead of off the wall. Had an e-mail conversation with Dr. Rushall recently, and he is allowing longer rest intervals---but only for older masters drop-dead sprinters who have tried for months but cannot generate adequate race-pace yardage using 15 and 20 seconds. That is, not enough yardage to improve technique. Regarding the issue of boredom, remember that every rest interval involves two big things: energy recovery (stored oxygen and ATP-CP) AND mental focus on improving stroke technique. It's hard to get bored when you are always thinking ahead, always striving for better mechanics on the upcoming interval, always trying to hang on to the fragile improvements you have already made.

Had an e-mail conversation with Dr. Rushall recently, and he is allowing longer rest intervals---but only for older masters drop-dead sprinters who have tried for months but cannot generate adequate race-pace yardage using 15 and 20 seconds. That is, not enough yardage to improve technique. I don't think USD is for drop dead sprinters. As one, there is absolutely no way I can maintain race pace on the specified 1:1 rest ratio. And I can't imagine training 12.5s from mid-pool all the time. 50s are about starts, turns, SDKs and platinum speed. You can only work on platinum speed with max rest sets. Plus, I think there's some value in doing AFAP 15s and 25s that are above 50 pace. And I think toys can be helpful for sprinters. Just MHO. Now, 100s may be a different matter. But I can't do the Rushall sets on a 1:1 ratio either.

Hi Rich, Nice to hear from you! As you would understand, I was very pleased with my performances at the SCM meet. The 400 is really the only race I am training for so swimming the time I did was very enjoyable. It was nice that one of the Rose Bowl swimmers, Drew Skelly was next to me. He is 47 and we talked before the race and his goal was the same as mine, we both wanted to go under 5:00. I always try to swim my own race, but both Drew and I could trust each other and we knew we could work off of each other to both our advantage. I think the USRP training is ideal for 400 and above. I honestly don't know how you (generic you) could use actual race pace to train for the 100. Maybe I would have to work into it, but it is hard for me to envision going 27s per 50 for a set of 20 x 50. To answer your specific questions: I have from January 1 to December 31 to break the record. However I have targeted several meets that are SCM around the country and in Canada that I will attend. The first one is the Olympic Club 1500 SCM meet on January 24 in the Bay area. I plan to swim the 1500 as a 400 split to see if I can get the record then. If I do, great, if not there is an SCM meet I think in Oregon in Feb etc. In any event I plan to continue the USRPT training indefinitely. I am not doing any 12.5 bursts, so am not working on pure speed. Again, my only focus is the 400 free. It is actually kind of liberating to not worry about the 50, 100, 200 and 800! However, I must add that my time in the 50 at the SCM meet was my fastest since the rubber suits. I use a digital clock. Thank goodness. When I come in and lift my head to the clock I must see 32. Sometimes it changes right away, sometimes it is a solid 32 - heck, sometimes I see a 31, but not very often. That also means that sometimes I see a 33.1 and that is a failure. I do not train with a partner or with the team anymore. Like you, I do not find it difficult to train on my own. I know many people feel that they cannot train alone, but it has never been a concern of mine. If I were in Denver however, I would love to train with you. So far I have to say that this training is working for me and I enjoy it. I remember you telling me sometime ago that you would occasionally workout with a team and you could never understand them doing mindless sets of 100s on the 1:30 or whatever. I totally agree with that! Your focus and training for years has been race pace and it certainly has worked very very well for you!!! Give my best to Peri. Glenn

Leslie, you may be right. Different strokes for different folks. A good area for future research. But I will mention one further thing. USRPT is based in science, and the science says that pace and mechanics are inextricable. Change the pace, and the mechanics change, whether you are aware of it or not. You cannot train at one pace and expect optimal mechanics at another pace. 100 meter and 50 meter mechanics, for example, are not interchangeable. The science also says that the more yardage you train at a specific pace, the more perfect your mechanics will become at that pace. Swimming requires sophisticated technique, unlike distance running, so the question becomes, how do you maximize yardage at a specific race pace? Dr. Rushall created USRPT to answer that very question. The conventional method involves long repeats, often half the event distance, and long rest intervals, which create the kind of fatigue that requires at least two days recovery (longer as you get older). This limits the weekly yardage that can be accomplished at race pace, which limits improvement in propelling efficiency. The science also says that there is a point of diminishing returns as to how much improvement can be obtained by way of conditioning alone, that after a point further speed can only come by way of sharpened skill.

I do a 400 warm-up. My Monday and Friday workout is 2 x (30 x 50) on :50 holding :32 skip if missed (SCY). i did this workout today. 4th failure on the 1st round was at 17. at 13 on the 2nd round. NOT EASY AT ALL!!! the 400 warmup didnt seem enough for me. i bounced back after the rest from the failure pretty good, but then fell off quickly again. mentally its a total mess up never went into a set before knowing i would fail before the end. steve

mentally its a total mess up never went into a set before knowing i would fail before the end. Wow, you are brave to start with that workout! When I started this in September, I did one set and it was 20 x 50 holding :35. I knew my race pace goal was :32 but also knew I wouldn't be there the first day. Don't worry about the failure part. The motivator for me each day is to do the set better. I use one of those little scuba divers white boards - about the size of a half sheet of paper - and I write each split down each time and circle the failures. With my goal at :32 when all my failures are only at :33, that is a victory! When my first failure is one later than the last time, that is a victory! When I can string together 5 succcessful 50s, that is a victory! When I can push my self to get 4 in a row before the last failure in the set, that is a victory! Don't dwell on the failures. Rejoice in the victory! Now, go back and do the set as 20 x 50 and make the goal time easier. Just get used to doing this kind of set. You will find all kinds of ways to see successes.

Not for cats?

Glenn, first of all, congratulations on your outstanding performances last weekend. How exciting to be so close to Tom’s record in the 400 when you age up in a few days. (need to find a SCM meet soon!). Your other swims were great as well. I’ve been toying around with Ultra Short for about 18 months, but doing nothing consistent. The two workouts I do with some regularity are the 4 sets of breakouts on the :45 and the 30 X 25 on the :30 (the first for 50 race pace and the second for 100's). Yesterday I tried the 30 X 50 on :50 but, as per my wont, I morphed it for 200 race pace. In a 20 meter pool I did 30 X 40 on 1:00 (the little extra rest for age and altitude). I now know why I’ll never be a long distance swimmer. Although I’m quite used to intense lactate pain, I was totally daunted by that dull ache in the pit of your belly associated with maintaining a relatively hard effort for an extended period. My goal was to keep my efforts under 27.5 which translates to about a 2:18 200 meters. A buddy on deck was timing with a stop watch. I was able to keep all but two between 26.0 and 27.3. My two failures – at 16 and 24 - were in the high 27’s. Man, that was tough! Needless to say, I didn’t attempt the second set. Looking at your weekly training, I think I’m most impressed with your mental toughness in, although it may be more viewing it from my perspective of wimpyness. A few questions: Do you have a specific goal meet in mind or do you intend to train like this indefinitely? Do you do any of the burst 12.5’s to work on pure speed? Do you use a digital or analog clock in workout? If you see a 32 on the clock when you come in, does that count as a 32 even if the clock changes to 33 a tenth later? Do you ever train with a partner or in a team setting? Rich, p.s. regards to Sharon