Cesar Cielo is fastest swimmer in the world -- 25 yards in 8.88 to the foot -- he was just trying to "maintain" on the second 25...
There are 3 ways to swim faster in any given race:
1) Improve your technique -- if you become more effecient in your technique, your times will drop across the board
2) Maintain a pace as close as possible to maximum speed -- You can hold your maximum speed for 6-8 seconds. There are no swim races of that length - so when training for any swimming race (50 up the mile), you are trying to maintain a pace as close to your maximum speed as possible.
3) Get Faster = improve your maximum speed
I would say on average, Masters swimmers (and age-groupers) spend their in the water workout season according to the following breakdown (rough guess):
1) Improving technique = 20-30%
2) Maintaining close to max = 65-79%
3) Improving Max Speed = 1-5%
Think about it -- if you swim 4-5 times per week, that equals about 20 hours a month. Did you spend more than a full hour in October on maximum speed ?
This Thread is all about Category 3 -- Improving your Max Speed --
Yes, that is true. It's also true that, when I am at Cactus for workouts on Wednesdays and Fridays, Paul's or Laura's quality sets tend to be more sprint-oriented. I have opted to do those (vs. mid-distance or distance sets), but primarily with an eye to getting faster for my 200. It's probably rubbed off on my 50 & 100. Having said all of that, my speed is still relative to my former self, not relative to the truly fast guys.
:)
I think Patrick is a perfect example of how adding in high quality speed workouts and weights can benefit a middle distance swimmer...far to many swimmers out there still seeing quantity over quality and wondering why they aren't improving...like 1 or 2 of the swimmers who come to the same workout as PW but instead of doing fast 50's on 3:00 do 200's..a the same plodding speed they swim every length of every workout.
If you want to be "fast" in the 500, the mile, the 400IM it all starts with being able to go "fast" for a 25/50 and that comes with improved strength and "fast" training in the pool.
Yes, that is true. It's also true that, when I am at Cactus for workouts on Wednesdays and Fridays, Paul's or Laura's quality sets tend to be more sprint-oriented. I have opted to do those (vs. mid-distance or distance sets), but primarily with an eye to getting faster for my 200. It's probably rubbed off on my 50 & 100. Having said all of that, my speed is still relative to my former self, not relative to the truly fast guys.
:)
I think Patrick is a perfect example of how adding in high quality speed workouts and weights can benefit a middle distance swimmer...far to many swimmers out there still seeing quantity over quality and wondering why they aren't improving...like 1 or 2 of the swimmers who come to the same workout as PW but instead of doing fast 50's on 3:00 do 200's..a the same plodding speed they swim every length of every workout.
If you want to be "fast" in the 500, the mile, the 400IM it all starts with being able to go "fast" for a 25/50 and that comes with improved strength and "fast" training in the pool.
