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

doesn't anyone wanna break through? ande YOU BET I DO, Ande! My main goal for this year are to go 4:55 in the 500, but am looking for PBs in the rest of my events. Haven't yet gotten under 5 (was a 5:01 high at '05 scy nats, :03 last year), but I figure if I set the bar high, I can "disappoint" myself with a 4:59.99. Injury free year for the first time since 04. Been working hard, playing ice hockey for extra cardio and crosstraining. Its been a good training year - i've been able to consistently hold under 1:05s on 100s; sub 1:07s on 200s and right about 1:09s on 300s in practice throughout the winter/spring. Sprint 100s have been under :59 (as low as :57) all year, which is something that has been difficult in the past. we've been doing a test set of 75s throughout the year, every other wednesday, and I've been at :42 for the last 3 weeks. I feel like my stroke is holding together a lot better at the end of a 500 than it used to. :groovy:

It would be great for you to break 5:00 in the 500 If you are good at SDK, it could come from taking 3 kicks off each turn. Keep working on your sprints, splitting and conditioning. Train to finish fast It would definitely help you to swim faster in practice, keep testing and pushing your limits. Ande YOU BET I DO, Ande! My main goal for this year are to go 4:55 in the 500, but am looking for PBs in the rest of my events. Haven't yet gotten under 5 (was a 5:01 high at '05 scy nats, :03 last year), but I figure if I set the bar high, I can "disappoint" myself with a 4:59.99. Injury free year for the first time since 04. Been working hard, playing ice hockey for extra cardio and crosstraining. Its been a good training year - i've been able to consistently hold under 1:05s on 100s; sub 1:07s on 200s and right about 1:09s on 300s in practice throughout the winter/spring. Sprint 100s have been under :59 (as low as :57) all year, which is something that has been difficult in the past. we've been doing a test set of 75s throughout the year, every other wednesday, and I've been at :42 for the last 3 weeks. I feel like my stroke is holding together a lot better at the end of a 500 than it used to. :groovy:

It would be great for you to break 5:00 in the 500 If you are good at SDK, it could come from taking 3 kicks off each turn. Keep working on your sprints, splitting and conditioning. Train to finish fast It would definitely help you to swim faster in practice, keep testing and pushing your limits. Ande Thanks, Ande! Regarding the testing/pushing limits, almost hurled up the food samples I had tested earlier in the day. I've been working those SDKs the last couple of months, but am getting in only 1-2 per turn. I am finding that I can't work in 3 consistently w/o either losing all my air (and thus an immediate energy drain), or getting timing to work well with my first stroke. I think the most interesting thing will be how everything holds up with this being the very last event of nationals. It worked very well for worlds. I am hoping for more of the same.

I think the most interesting thing will be how everything holds up with this being the very last event of nationals. It worked very well for worlds. I am hoping for more of the same. I agree as I'm in the same boat. I decided to only swim the 500 on the last day. I hope that helps!

cool please let me know how it goes ande Thanks, Ande! Regarding the testing/pushing limits, almost hurled up the food samples I had tested earlier in the day. I've been working those SDKs the last couple of months, but am getting in only 1-2 per turn. I am finding that I can't work in 3 consistently w/o either losing all my air (and thus an immediate energy drain), or getting timing to work well with my first stroke. I think the most interesting thing will be how everything holds up with this being the very last event of nationals. It worked very well for worlds. I am hoping for more of the same.

The only swimming workouts I did were simply 1x50 freestyle all out. Now, that's taking the "quality over quantity" thing to the extreme! You only ever swam 50 yards per workout and went a 21 second 50 free? That is truly astounding.

I just had a major swimming breakthrough in the 50 free at nationals, and I attribute it to two things: muscle mass from lifting heavy weights at low reps (weighted chin-ups, weighted dips, squats, and deadlifts), and race-specific training. The only swimming workouts I did were simply 1x50 freestyle all out. I dropped over a second (22 to 21) from nationals last year.

Now, that's taking the "quality over quantity" thing to the extreme! You only ever swam 50 yards per workout and went a 21 second 50 free? That is truly astounding. Sort of. Getting to 22 seconds took years of high yardage training. And I think that my weight workouts were just as important as what I did in the pool, although those were also very low volume. It's astounding by the standards of traditional swimming training, but I was thinking logically and using my knowledge about physiology, psychology, and adaptation. I know that muscles are what moves us through the water, so bigger muscles should mean faster swimming. I also know that to improve at a skill, you only have to practice that specific skill. I wanted to improve my 50 free, so I practiced swimming the 50 free. P.S. Are you from Husky Masters? I'm from WWU, and I swam with a couple Huskies on relays this weekend.

P.S. Are you from Husky Masters? I'm from WWU, and I swam with a couple Huskies on relays this weekend. Yes, I know who you are now because I saw you before the relay on Saturday. I swam in the PNA 35+ A relay, so you guys went just after we did. You mentioned something about swimming against Anthony Ervin. Obviously your training strategy is working for you.

Yes, I know who you are now because I saw you before the relay on Saturday. I swam in the PNA 35+ A relay, so you guys went just after we did. You mentioned something about swimming against Anthony Ervin. Obviously your training strategy is working for you. Yep, that was me. I didn't get a chance to chase down Anthony Ervin because he ended up swimming backstroke.