What do YOU need to do to have a major swimming breakthrough?"

One topic of great interest to us all is "What do you need to do to have a major swimming breakthrough?" "What do you need to do to significantly improve your swimming times over one season?" Do you have any specific, nitty gritty type suggestions. I think it's really easy to fall into ruts, to just show up and go through the motions rather than seizing the moment while we train. Any one have any thoughts on what we need to do to significantly improve? forums.usms.org/showthread.php
Parents
  • hey al, all excellent points in swim faster faster my tip was lug less lard it's an issue for me too I'm 10 - 20 pounds over my ideal weight the more our bodies deviate on the plus side due to excess fat the greater resistance we have in the water and the slower we go Of course pool training, weights, drill, technique, core, starts, turns, etc. But I have found the most critical factor is excess weight. The water displacement (cross section being pushed through the water), feeding it oxygen, and the big problem for me.... the heat dissipation. The bigger I am, the harder it is to train, and the HOTTER I get, until it is almost intolerable to train any faster... the radiator totally tapped out. Having a thinner core allows me to cool better while I train. Since our lungs have a limited volume, increasing the efficiency of oxygen uptake against total body mass becomes the paramount factor in any breakthrough. Improving that ratio by reducing excess weight is one way to get there.
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  • hey al, all excellent points in swim faster faster my tip was lug less lard it's an issue for me too I'm 10 - 20 pounds over my ideal weight the more our bodies deviate on the plus side due to excess fat the greater resistance we have in the water and the slower we go Of course pool training, weights, drill, technique, core, starts, turns, etc. But I have found the most critical factor is excess weight. The water displacement (cross section being pushed through the water), feeding it oxygen, and the big problem for me.... the heat dissipation. The bigger I am, the harder it is to train, and the HOTTER I get, until it is almost intolerable to train any faster... the radiator totally tapped out. Having a thinner core allows me to cool better while I train. Since our lungs have a limited volume, increasing the efficiency of oxygen uptake against total body mass becomes the paramount factor in any breakthrough. Improving that ratio by reducing excess weight is one way to get there.
Children
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