Do you ever have crap workouts?

I am really feeling encouraged by these responses. Could I take this one step further and ask for an explanation of "not feeling it." For me, maybe it's heavy legs, sloppy or lazy rotation, etc. Do most of you elite swimmers just feel tired, or are there specific parts of the body or form that are not cooperating?Not feeling it usually means one of two extremes. The first would be feeling very weak, my arms like toothpicks where I feel like I get no traction in the water. I notice my stroke count being higher, times being slower and just this feeling like I can't find any energy. For me, this is almost always an indication that I haven't been sleeping enough, or I'm too stressed from 'mind woes' unrelated to swimming. The opposite end is when my arms feel like dead weights, my shoulders are sore and creaky and I just cannot generate any semblance of a fast stroke rate. In this scenario, my stroke count might be the same as on a better day, but because my stroke rate is lethargic, I am swimming slower. Usually, this doesn't bum me out as much because it's almost always an indication of training fatigue and a sign that I need to take a day off or take an easy day. As for my legs, I don't really kick except in breaststroke and breaststroke pretty much always feels like a s***show no matter how good I feel otherwise :afraid:... so I almost never notice my legs.

pwb, for me, breaststroke is my best stroke and the one I've worked on the least. Go figure. It comes naturally for me. But, your description of a feeling of "dead weights" is right on for me. No traction is another great description.

Hard to explain. Every body and every workout is different. But certainly feeling slow/lethargic in the water is an indicator. Feeling like I am swimming through soup. Sore shoulders is another indicator, but only if it is causing issues with my form. Often times my shoulders are "sore," but it doesn't actually mean much! I don't usually feel "sore" but rather "weak" or "lazy". Swimming through soup is a perfect description! I feel more like I'm swimming thru sand on my worst days. :D

Yesterday, I had a bad workout. I could tell because I was needing an extra stroke per length, my arms felt like lead, and my per 100 pace was a full 5 seconds slower than it has been all week. Don't know why, but it was. Today's workout was much better.

I sometimes wonder if my issues are mental in part. On days that I feel crappy (tired, not in the mood to treck to the cold pool on a cold day) I end up having awesome swims. Other times, when I feel excited to swim, I'm hugely disappointed in the workout. Not always, but often.I do understand this. In workouts, I tend to worry less about how I feel, but, when it comes to competition, I often have to remind myself that how I feel won't necessarily translate into how I perform.

I sometimes wonder if my issues are mental in part. On days that I feel crappy (tired, not in the mood to treck to the cold pool on a cold day) I end up having awesome swims. Other times, when I feel excited to swim, I'm hugely disappointed in the workout. Not always, but often.

miklcct, when I resumed swimming after 4 months out of the pool, my best workouts were the first couple of weeks. I've been cramming 10 to 12 miles per week in the pool and my body is rebelling. :afraid: Those words....cramming.....rebelling...... Are you overtraining?

Those words....cramming.....rebelling...... Are you overtraining? Sure feels like it. I am making up for lost time, and stock piling my mileage in case our Gov. shuts everything down again.:bitching:

I'm having crap workouts after resuming training last month. I jumped into the pool, warmed up, practised good technique, tried to keep it but I couldn't. After about 700 - 800 m of intervals I could no longer get my perfect form. I then climbed out.

miklcct, when I resumed swimming after 4 months out of the pool, my best workouts were the first couple of weeks. I've been cramming 10 to 12 miles per week in the pool and my body is rebelling. :afraid: