Working on 500 Free Time

What does a typical workout look like for you right now?

This is good stuff, Calvin, thanks!

500 yards? You probably already have the conditioning for under 7, so having a coach or video to check your form might be a good idear just in case there’s something going on. There’s also 19 turns involved, and that is where time is either wasted or made with streamline and breakouts

I think the 500 is a great race to use USRPT (Ultra Short Race Pace Training) as preparation for. If you want to hold a :51.5 pace per 50, try doing 20 50's holding :51.50 and leaving every 1:10, giving you around :20 rest. If you fail to hold the desired pace of :51.50 after only a few sendoffs, readjust your goal time to something more manageable. Perhaps move to holding :55's with a sendoff of 1:15. If you do a search on here for USRPT you'll find a good amount of information on the subject. I think there might even be a thread specific to USRPT and the 500 Free.

forums.usms.org/showthread.php This might be of interest to you.

On the 500, turns are your moneymakers. If you can really get your turns done well and fast, you can drop some easy time there. It sounds like you're on the right track with some of the concepts you're doing with the sets and your Tempo Trainer. One set I enjoy doing for 500 training is this: 1x 500 at 75-80% pace 5x100 on 1:30 (this allows about 12-15 seconds rest) 10x50 on :45 (or :50), aiming for :35 pace 1x 500 faster than the first Adjust these for your own times and as you improve, you can continue to adjust. When I do these, I work to keep the same pace for the 100s and 50s. It gets harder to maintain as the set goes on, but it helps build your endurance if you don't go out too quickly in the beginning. It also gives you a sense for pace as well. You'll start to feel when you are falling off of it. Also, don't be afraid to breathe every 2 strokes as you get further into your race. Your body needs air on these longer races - O2 depletion will suck the life out of you pretty quickly.

My flip turns are good. I do 4 or 5 sdk after each turn. I have started following the weight-lifting routine recommended by Bo Hickey in the article "How to Build Your Power and Prolong Your Peak Performance," at www.usms.org/.../how-to-build-your-power-and-prolong-your-peak-performance, so I can swim my best as I age. The article was published on the USMS website in April 2019. I'll be doing this 2 or 3 times per week. I don't run. Lately I've been swimming long distances, hiit sets, and speed sets. My last set was 5200 LCM meters, all freestyle, in 2 hrs without stopping. The hiit sets are 2 min all out, 1 min easy, repeat 8 times. My last speed set was 10x50 SCY on 51.5. On the speed sets I use a Finis Tempo Trainer Pro timer, and I've been trying to gradually lower my 500 free time by decreasing the time for each length by a quarter of a second, or 5 seconds per 500 yards. I'm 51 years old. A few things, stream-of-consciousness style. As much as I advocate for underwater work and thrive on it in my own swimming (I'm more of a sprinter), I think 4 or 5 dolphin kicks probably hurts in the 500 more than helps. You don't want to go into oxygen debt too early. I think, if you are truly focusing on 500 time scale, 5200 straight isn't really a helpful practice. If you enjoy doing that, then by all means continue, but it isn't going to help for the 500. I've never really trained swimming HIIT style like that, but it seems like it would be pretty comparable to pace work if you are working on going the around the same distance each repeat. When you say you did 10x50 on 51.5, I assume that was the pace you were holding? If so, what was the sendoff interval you were going on? That pace is not significantly faster than your current 500 time, so I'm not sure I would quite classify it as "speed" work.

Lately I've been swimming long distances, hiit sets, and speed sets. My last set was 5200 LCM meters, all freestyle, in 2 hrs without stopping. The hiit sets are 2 min all out, 1 min easy, repeat 8 times. My last speed set was 10x50 SCY on 51.5. On the speed sets I use a Finis Tempo Trainer Pro timer, and I've been trying to gradually lower my 500 free time by decreasing the time for each length by a quarter of a second, or 5 seconds per 500 yards.

My flip turns are good. I do 4 or 5 sdk after each turn. I have started following the weight-lifting routine recommended by Bo Hickey in the article "How to Build Your Power and Prolong Your Peak Performance," at www.usms.org/.../how-to-build-your-power-and-prolong-your-peak-performance, so I can swim my best as I age. The article was published on the USMS website in April 2019. I'll be doing this 2 or 3 times per week. I don't run. Lately I've been swimming long distances, hiit sets, and speed sets. My last set was 5200 LCM meters, all freestyle, in 2 hrs without stopping. The hiit sets are 2 min all out, 1 min easy, repeat 8 times. My last speed set was 10x50 SCY on 51.5. On the speed sets I use a Finis Tempo Trainer Pro timer, and I've been trying to gradually lower my 500 free time by decreasing the time for each length by a quarter of a second, or 5 seconds per 500 yards. I'm 51 years old.

That is pretty aggressive for time drops. I M H O.. How are your turns? Do you lift weights? Do you run? What sets do you do by yourself? What is your age?