Hey, solo swimmers! :wave: Welcome to the thread for all of us who train solo. Whether you train on your own due to a lack of a Masters team in your area (or for any other reason), this is our virtual locker room. Please post training tips that you think would be helpful, or anything else you would like to share with the rest of us. Have a rant? Go ahead and vent here! :rantonoff:
I'll start with a tip:
The most frustrating thing for me training solo is not having a coach on deck to evaluate my stroke and keep me on track, so I bought a waterproof camera and enlisted the help of my husband to periodically shoot video of all four strokes. Shooting underwater video became a knee/back buster, so I bought a camera mount and attached it to PVC pipe, so my husband could stand up straight to shoot underwater video. The camera gets dunked underwater, and he twists the pipe to pan the camera as I swim by.
Today, I bought a 2-pack of 12-inch "Gear Tie" reusable rubber twist ties (available at Home Depot), so I can tie the PVC pipe to the pool ladder (located in the corner of the pool) and shoot video myself. (If I angle the camera just right and keep it on wide angle, I can video me coming and going.)
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After each video session, I upload the videos to my desktop computer and compare my stroke to my favorite Go Swim stroke videos to see what I'm doing well (or not). I also post them on the Forums for feedback.
Ok, solo swimmers, what's your tip?
Thank you all! You are right, I shouldn't give up. I found another Masters Swim club near home, checking to see if I can fit in. It's going to be additional $$$ but if I find a good coach and club, it would be worth it. In the meantime, for the fellow solo swimmers out there, what would you recommend to do? Drills vs swimming as a workout? How many days in a week do you actually swim vs do drills?
Here is what I do, generally. I keep the warm-up (first 800-1000 yards) basically the same, so I can see how/if I am progressing. When I am really out of shape, that is pretty much my workout. Then I add different main sets, then cool down (200 yards).
Warmup:
200 free (broken if needed -- 4 easy 50s at first)
200 *** (same deal)
200 pull/kick drill -- 2x25 free pulls w/buoy focusing on cadence, dps, breathing every 3, 2x25 free kick, repeat
200 pull/kick drill, ***
200 either underwater *** or shooters (dolphin with fins), broken into 25s + 25 recovery free
As a bridge, I either swim 2x100 IM or a 200 IM, stretching it out.
Then I do main sets working on different things, like most other posted workouts. Usually another 1000-1200. I keep things grouped into 200s so I can keep track of what I've done more easily.
Then 200 cool down -- Br on back for 25, then Br for 25, easy back for 25, then free. Repeat until I can breathe, usually 200.
Thank you all! You are right, I shouldn't give up. I found another Masters Swim club near home, checking to see if I can fit in. It's going to be additional $$$ but if I find a good coach and club, it would be worth it. In the meantime, for the fellow solo swimmers out there, what would you recommend to do? Drills vs swimming as a workout? How many days in a week do you actually swim vs do drills?
Here is what I do, generally. I keep the warm-up (first 800-1000 yards) basically the same, so I can see how/if I am progressing. When I am really out of shape, that is pretty much my workout. Then I add different main sets, then cool down (200 yards).
Warmup:
200 free (broken if needed -- 4 easy 50s at first)
200 *** (same deal)
200 pull/kick drill -- 2x25 free pulls w/buoy focusing on cadence, dps, breathing every 3, 2x25 free kick, repeat
200 pull/kick drill, ***
200 either underwater *** or shooters (dolphin with fins), broken into 25s + 25 recovery free
As a bridge, I either swim 2x100 IM or a 200 IM, stretching it out.
Then I do main sets working on different things, like most other posted workouts. Usually another 1000-1200. I keep things grouped into 200s so I can keep track of what I've done more easily.
Then 200 cool down -- Br on back for 25, then Br for 25, easy back for 25, then free. Repeat until I can breathe, usually 200.
