Our body adapts to stress - gets stronger - during periods of recovery. Athletes tend to push themselves, always testing limits. We find this to be the case regardless of age. Show us a motivated swimmer and we'll show you one who 9 times out of 10 is over trained and under rested.
You can get away with this for quite some time, especially if you are generally healthy and well nourished. But know this for certain, at some point you reach a stage of diminishing returns.
We see it in our Masters group as well. Often adults use physical exertion to balance and relieve the stress of mental effort. A really good workout relaxes you from the workday stress while improving your fitness level. That is an excellent reason to workout!
Yet, if you find yourself exhibiting any of the following symptoms you may need a day or even two off:
1 - Hard to get out of bed in the morning
2 - Once you get out of bed you still feel sluggish, like you are dragging around
3 - Your early morning pulse rate is elevated 8-10%
4 - You feel achy, flu like
5 - Your swim (or bike or run) times are off noticeably
6 - Your motivation seems to be slipping a little
7 - You are cranky in general
8 - Your body weight is dropping even though you are eating the same
9 - You are trying harder and going slower
You get the idea we are certain. These types of effects suggest that you are nearing or actually in the "Zone of Failing Adaptation". This means that your body is not getting stronger between workouts but actually is still breaking down. And this is not a good thing.
We have seen swimmers who push themselves while in this "Zone". The result is usually a lost season or if you are lucky only part of a season. In our Senior training group - the kids heading for Sectional/State and National meets - we have 11 workouts each week. They look like this: 3 in the weight room and 8 in the pool. It is a rare week when anyone makes all 11. Of the 8 swimming sessions only 3 are listed as "Stress" workouts with an additional 1 listed as "Aerobic". The other 4 are for drill work, pacing skills etc. When we get closer to a December Peak Meet we will drop all those numbers significantly. If anyone shows signs of weakness we will limit their attendance immediately until we see signs of life again.
Our Masters swimmers have workout opportunities 7 days a week. Even if they could figure out how to come 7 days we are pretty sure they would soon find a need for skipping one or just showing up and swimming easy for 20-30 minutes and getting out.
You do not get stronger and faster unless you push yourself. You do not get stronger and faster unless you rest between stress sessions. You can still swim but change your focus to technique and don't even count the laps or yards.
Remember this: when you find yourself in a hole, put the shovel down and stop digging or the hole will get deeper!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
A Couple of Sets to Keep Things Interesting
Last Saturday at our Masters training session we offered two different formats. The first is more aerobically focused while the second is more anaerobically based.
We warmed up with a basic 200 pull, kick, and swim. Then we swam 300 yards every 3rd lap half way under water. This was followed by 6 X 75's where we kicked the first lap and swam the 2nd and 3rd laps. We also asked each swimmer to stop after the 2nd lap and do a pull out on the edge of the deck...it is basically an assisted (water helps make you lighter at the beginning of the press out) pull up.
Then we split into two separate groups. Everyone - we are pretty sure - enjoyed themselves and the challenges offered. Give one or both (we recommend separate days) a try and let us know what you think...better yet, share a favorite set of yours. We'll put it out there for the entire community to try!
The two sets of 4 rounds above the line are for the aerobic folks. The one set below the line are for you sprinters and or folks just getting started. Have fun!
4 Rounds...choose your own interval, be as ambitious as you want
1x200 neg split (2nd 100 faster than the 1st 100)
1x100 neg split...and faster than last of the 100
1x50 ez recovery
Total set = 1600
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
4 Rounds...choose your own interval
1x100 build to 75% (then 80%, 85%, 90%)
4x25 taking 3 breaths at each wall at 75% (2nd round 80%, 85%, 90%)
1x50 ez recovery
Total set = 1000
_____________________________________________________
3 Rounds...every swim is on the one minute interval except the last 100
Round #1 effort = 80%, #2 effort = 85%, #3 effort = 90%
1x50 with 15 yards effort
1x25 ez
1x50 with 25 yards effort
1x25 ez
1x50 with 35 yards effort
1x25 ez
1x50 entire swim at effort
1x25 ez
1x100 recovery SAS - Smooth As Silk
We warmed up with a basic 200 pull, kick, and swim. Then we swam 300 yards every 3rd lap half way under water. This was followed by 6 X 75's where we kicked the first lap and swam the 2nd and 3rd laps. We also asked each swimmer to stop after the 2nd lap and do a pull out on the edge of the deck...it is basically an assisted (water helps make you lighter at the beginning of the press out) pull up.
Then we split into two separate groups. Everyone - we are pretty sure - enjoyed themselves and the challenges offered. Give one or both (we recommend separate days) a try and let us know what you think...better yet, share a favorite set of yours. We'll put it out there for the entire community to try!
The two sets of 4 rounds above the line are for the aerobic folks. The one set below the line are for you sprinters and or folks just getting started. Have fun!
4 Rounds...choose your own interval, be as ambitious as you want
1x200 neg split (2nd 100 faster than the 1st 100)
1x100 neg split...and faster than last of the 100
1x50 ez recovery
Total set = 1600
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
4 Rounds...choose your own interval
1x100 build to 75% (then 80%, 85%, 90%)
4x25 taking 3 breaths at each wall at 75% (2nd round 80%, 85%, 90%)
1x50 ez recovery
Total set = 1000
_____________________________________________________
3 Rounds...every swim is on the one minute interval except the last 100
Round #1 effort = 80%, #2 effort = 85%, #3 effort = 90%
1x50 with 15 yards effort
1x25 ez
1x50 with 25 yards effort
1x25 ez
1x50 with 35 yards effort
1x25 ez
1x50 entire swim at effort
1x25 ez
1x100 recovery SAS - Smooth As Silk
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Time vs. Effort or Time + Effort
The big meets for the summer are just about done. The last of the summer championships are in the books. We know there are still several big "end of season" triathlons still on the books but in general things are beginning to wind down.
What we do, especially at this time of year, is to think about things we learned from observing our team perform at the big meets. We add to that what we learned watching other swimmers in the same setting. We have been asking coaches for tips. One very nice thing about American swimming is that coaches seem willing to share ideas about what works and what doesn't...at least in their situations. So here are some of the observations we have made. We'd love to hear from you about yours. Sharing is a wonderful of getting better.
Jim Bauman, the US Swimming Sports Psychologist, encourages athletes to "make sure your autopilot is engaged" when it comes to being able to perform at big meets.
In butterfly we saw Tyler McGill breathe every stroke for about 90 meters and then none at all for the last 10 meters. We also saw Michael Phelps take 17 strokes per lap - talk about distance per stroke.
Larry Liebowitz who coaches women at Oregon State turned us on to tabata training. Look it up on the web and or You Tube. He also said he has been collecting old "retired" fire hoses which are free instead of having to purchase heavy ropes.
Nort Thornton said he had recently seen an older interview with Popov who said the three things he kept thinking about were "rhythm, range and relaxation".
Several coaches spoke about Matt Fitzgerald's new book "Run".
John Dussliere who coaches the Santa Barbara Swim Club said since he has put his kids on jump ropes his shoulders problems have vanished. He also mentioned a good book, "Evolve Your Brain". He has developed a monster drag chute that seems very interesting. Watch for news about that.
David Marsh talked about how important his Masters group was to his Youth swim team...in a variety of ways from fund raising to development of additional coaches. He is speaking on this topic at the ASCA World Clinic.
And then this gem, from Theo St. Francis, a sophomore who swims for North Bay Aquatics. We were talking about the upcoming season and how many workouts each week he would be able to make given his school schedule and his commute. He had big improvements in his backstroke this year and can now "see" making his Junior National cuts. We said to some degree it matters how many sessions you make but it is even more important to put your best effort forward when you do train. He responded nearly instantaneously, "If I'm going to put in the time I might as well put in the effort". Truer words have never been spoken. It made us think about how many athletes - and coaches - put in the time but not the effort. And how many put in the effort but not enough time to really make a difference. It is definitely the combination that makes the difference. Put in the time plus the effort and you will get the results...especially if your auto pilot is engaged.
See you at the pool!
What we do, especially at this time of year, is to think about things we learned from observing our team perform at the big meets. We add to that what we learned watching other swimmers in the same setting. We have been asking coaches for tips. One very nice thing about American swimming is that coaches seem willing to share ideas about what works and what doesn't...at least in their situations. So here are some of the observations we have made. We'd love to hear from you about yours. Sharing is a wonderful of getting better.
Jim Bauman, the US Swimming Sports Psychologist, encourages athletes to "make sure your autopilot is engaged" when it comes to being able to perform at big meets.
In butterfly we saw Tyler McGill breathe every stroke for about 90 meters and then none at all for the last 10 meters. We also saw Michael Phelps take 17 strokes per lap - talk about distance per stroke.
Larry Liebowitz who coaches women at Oregon State turned us on to tabata training. Look it up on the web and or You Tube. He also said he has been collecting old "retired" fire hoses which are free instead of having to purchase heavy ropes.
Nort Thornton said he had recently seen an older interview with Popov who said the three things he kept thinking about were "rhythm, range and relaxation".
Several coaches spoke about Matt Fitzgerald's new book "Run".
John Dussliere who coaches the Santa Barbara Swim Club said since he has put his kids on jump ropes his shoulders problems have vanished. He also mentioned a good book, "Evolve Your Brain". He has developed a monster drag chute that seems very interesting. Watch for news about that.
David Marsh talked about how important his Masters group was to his Youth swim team...in a variety of ways from fund raising to development of additional coaches. He is speaking on this topic at the ASCA World Clinic.
And then this gem, from Theo St. Francis, a sophomore who swims for North Bay Aquatics. We were talking about the upcoming season and how many workouts each week he would be able to make given his school schedule and his commute. He had big improvements in his backstroke this year and can now "see" making his Junior National cuts. We said to some degree it matters how many sessions you make but it is even more important to put your best effort forward when you do train. He responded nearly instantaneously, "If I'm going to put in the time I might as well put in the effort". Truer words have never been spoken. It made us think about how many athletes - and coaches - put in the time but not the effort. And how many put in the effort but not enough time to really make a difference. It is definitely the combination that makes the difference. Put in the time plus the effort and you will get the results...especially if your auto pilot is engaged.
See you at the pool!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Every Race
If you are a competitive swimmer or tri-athlete you probably have been racing this summer. We have been to many meets and watched maybe close to 1,000 swims in which our swimmers have raced.
One of the things we have observed is that each and every single swim is an opportunity to learn something. It always is; never fails.
This is true regardless of the time posted or the place achieved.
If you are interested in becoming more proficient at what you do you need to realize this as a given. The trick of course is to then determine what you are going to do with the information.
To be able to get at the information – and we mean really access the information – you must get past the emotion of the race. Emotions are part of the mix; always will be. You are perhaps elated or disappointed or embarrassed. It makes no difference and that is OK.
You can use the emotion to fuel your desire to learn. If you raced well and are super pumped, use that excitement to your advantage. If you underperformed then likewise use that to get energized about fixing some “stuff”.
What we are driving at today is that unless you use the information that is always available you have wasted another opportunity to learn about your craft.
Those who improve do so because they use what they learn and get smarter at figuring out how to perform their best when it counts the most.
The process of learning and then using the knowledge is absolutely what fires our engines as coaches. It really is pretty darn simple, not always easy, but worth every single early morning wake up call!
One of the things we have observed is that each and every single swim is an opportunity to learn something. It always is; never fails.
This is true regardless of the time posted or the place achieved.
If you are interested in becoming more proficient at what you do you need to realize this as a given. The trick of course is to then determine what you are going to do with the information.
To be able to get at the information – and we mean really access the information – you must get past the emotion of the race. Emotions are part of the mix; always will be. You are perhaps elated or disappointed or embarrassed. It makes no difference and that is OK.
You can use the emotion to fuel your desire to learn. If you raced well and are super pumped, use that excitement to your advantage. If you underperformed then likewise use that to get energized about fixing some “stuff”.
What we are driving at today is that unless you use the information that is always available you have wasted another opportunity to learn about your craft.
Those who improve do so because they use what they learn and get smarter at figuring out how to perform their best when it counts the most.
The process of learning and then using the knowledge is absolutely what fires our engines as coaches. It really is pretty darn simple, not always easy, but worth every single early morning wake up call!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Controlling the Outcome of a Race
We were in Irvine, CA last week at the US Nationals where all the top racers in the country were vying for spots on upcoming National Teams. Initially they were racing to make the Pan Pacific National Team which is competing in Irvine later in August. Additionally, spots on the US World Championship Team next summer are up for consideration as are places on the World University Games. So you get the picture; there was a lot a stake. To no one's surprise there were some excellent races as all finishes in the top eight counted. Who knows, there may have even been a couple of places in the B final that will get selection officials attention. We watched riveted to the action.
Swimmers at all levels have had the experience of having a particularly excellent race where they knew, or fairly certainly knew, they controlled the outcome of a race. One of our swimmers said when talking about Michael Phelps' 200 Free final that 'I can't imagine having control of a race like that". She was referring to the way that Phelps answered Ryan Lochte's challenge off the third wall. Phelps was in the lead with Lochte in close pursuit throughout the early going. Lochte made a move coming into the turn at the 150 actually touching .01 ahead of Phelps. He - Lochte - kept the heat on actually opening a half stroke lead by the 180 meter mark. It was at that point that Phelps hit another gear and at the 192 mark you could tell that he had set up the final 4 strokes so he would hit the wall exactly at the end of his recovery - and just in front of the furious pursuit of Lochte. The margin between the two was about 3 inches and yet you could see that with about four strokes remaining Phelps had set the finish up perfectly.
That is what our swimmer was referring to in her comments about being in control of the outcome of a race. When we see the most accomplished in any field perform at their highest level we simply take for granted that we could never be so equally capable. And yet the exact opposite is true. Most swimmers, indeed all swimmers at a National Championship meet, have experienced this happening. Our swimmer had just done the very same thing 10 days earlier at Sectionals. They have been on the giving and receiving end. If more swimmers gave themselves more credit then they would also be in "the thick of it" when it comes to competing at ever increasing higher levels.
This is the best part of the swimming experience. When we learn the skill of "controlling the outcome of the race" we actually can transfer that skill set to any phase of our life in which we wish to use it! Think about that one for a minute or two...while you are swimming next time
Swimmers at all levels have had the experience of having a particularly excellent race where they knew, or fairly certainly knew, they controlled the outcome of a race. One of our swimmers said when talking about Michael Phelps' 200 Free final that 'I can't imagine having control of a race like that". She was referring to the way that Phelps answered Ryan Lochte's challenge off the third wall. Phelps was in the lead with Lochte in close pursuit throughout the early going. Lochte made a move coming into the turn at the 150 actually touching .01 ahead of Phelps. He - Lochte - kept the heat on actually opening a half stroke lead by the 180 meter mark. It was at that point that Phelps hit another gear and at the 192 mark you could tell that he had set up the final 4 strokes so he would hit the wall exactly at the end of his recovery - and just in front of the furious pursuit of Lochte. The margin between the two was about 3 inches and yet you could see that with about four strokes remaining Phelps had set the finish up perfectly.
That is what our swimmer was referring to in her comments about being in control of the outcome of a race. When we see the most accomplished in any field perform at their highest level we simply take for granted that we could never be so equally capable. And yet the exact opposite is true. Most swimmers, indeed all swimmers at a National Championship meet, have experienced this happening. Our swimmer had just done the very same thing 10 days earlier at Sectionals. They have been on the giving and receiving end. If more swimmers gave themselves more credit then they would also be in "the thick of it" when it comes to competing at ever increasing higher levels.
This is the best part of the swimming experience. When we learn the skill of "controlling the outcome of the race" we actually can transfer that skill set to any phase of our life in which we wish to use it! Think about that one for a minute or two...while you are swimming next time
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Handling Disappointment from the Parent’s Side
One of the absolute toughest roles in the sporting experience is that of being an athlete’s parent. For the most part a parent wants only success for his/her daughter/son. The role the parent plays changes as the athlete gets older and more experienced. Imagine Michael Phelps’s Mom’s role over the years. As a swim parent you go through several levels as the swimmer grows up both chronologically and experience wise.
An 8 year old needs to be transported to practice even encouraged to go on many days. They need suits and goggles picked out and purchased. Events at meets need to be chosen and then entered (and paid for). Driving to the meet, feeding, handling the towels and all the logistics fall in your lap. In many ways all the 8 year old does is swim the race and you as parent pretty much do all the rest. The coach plays a role here but in reality probably much less of a role than she/he thinks. The overall focus here is FUN. Make swimming and racing fun and the little ones will keep coming back for more.
If a swim doesn’t turn out exactly how the swimmer wanted it to (and keep in mind that many of them have no real idea how they want it to turn out) as a parent you MUST hide your disappointment. Remind the swimmer they have lots more races and things will change for the better. For the young ones this is true beyond a doubt.
As the swimmer gets older they can start to connect the dots between effort put in to practice and results achieved in meets. They can begin to pick events they choose – not the ones you have chosen for them…remember they do the swimming. If you really think they should swim a 500 but they prefer the 100 perhaps you need to join a Masters team and enter a 500, you know, to sort of get it out of your system☺.
And remember, as they get older and start to distance themselves from you, you must still hide your disappointment when they do not perform up to their and or your levels of expectation.
Trust us on this one point if on no other. No matter what your relationship is with your swimmer, as a parent they so much want your approval, especially when things are going tough for them; and every swimmer on the planet has down cycles. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team as a sophomore. As a pro, he was trusted to take the game winning shot and failed 26 times in his career. He got over it. Your swimmer will get over his/her slow swim; they may never get over the look of disappointment on your face after a tough race. Show and give love and support and you will win another day, sooner than later. You MUST hide your disappointment.
Not long ago we were coaching at the local Junior Olympic long course meet. We observed a young man in the 15-16 age group racing the 1500 meter swim. His Dad was counting for him. After about 300 meters it was obvious – at least to the Dad by his body language – the swim was not going particularly well. At about 600 meters the volume in the Dad’s voice came up 20 or so decibels and had a decidedly critical tone to it. As the swimmer came into the turn Dad was furiously shaking the counter up and down and yelling “Kick harder, come on kick harder”. We wondered if the swimmer could read the counter since it was moving up and down pretty fast. We wondered if the swimmer could actually hear the words the Dad was yelling. We think there is a difference between a loud voice exhorting a swimmer on to glory and a loud voice yelling “commands”.
When the race concluded the Dad walked away from the end of the pool, heading down to the finish end, his head hung down dejectedly muttering to himself. One could only imagine the scene that was to become the swimmer’s next life’s chapter. The ride home gave us pause to think.
Swimming is important to our kids especially as they get older. As one gets closer to 0:00.00 the time reductions become more challenging to achieve. Olympians often go years without improving a time, rather they look for improvement in how well they swim, not merely how fast.
Our sport offers a refreshing respite from subjectivity. No one cares how good you look (though every coach worth her/his salt cares about how good you look in the water!!) they just hand out the medals based upon how fast you swam relative to the rest of the competition. And at the end of the day as a parent it is your responsibility to reward your swimmer’s effort based upon their level of accomplishment in the big view, not merely upon time. There are many swimmers who have posted a very fast time and yet the swim was not done correctly. Conversely, we have seen many excellent swims where the time was not a personal best but there was a lot to be excited about of which to be proud.
As Helen Swartz said many times in the last few months of her glorious life, “I think it is important for each of us to do the very best we can. And only we know if we are doing our best.” As most of you know, Mom’s often have the final word!
An 8 year old needs to be transported to practice even encouraged to go on many days. They need suits and goggles picked out and purchased. Events at meets need to be chosen and then entered (and paid for). Driving to the meet, feeding, handling the towels and all the logistics fall in your lap. In many ways all the 8 year old does is swim the race and you as parent pretty much do all the rest. The coach plays a role here but in reality probably much less of a role than she/he thinks. The overall focus here is FUN. Make swimming and racing fun and the little ones will keep coming back for more.
If a swim doesn’t turn out exactly how the swimmer wanted it to (and keep in mind that many of them have no real idea how they want it to turn out) as a parent you MUST hide your disappointment. Remind the swimmer they have lots more races and things will change for the better. For the young ones this is true beyond a doubt.
As the swimmer gets older they can start to connect the dots between effort put in to practice and results achieved in meets. They can begin to pick events they choose – not the ones you have chosen for them…remember they do the swimming. If you really think they should swim a 500 but they prefer the 100 perhaps you need to join a Masters team and enter a 500, you know, to sort of get it out of your system☺.
And remember, as they get older and start to distance themselves from you, you must still hide your disappointment when they do not perform up to their and or your levels of expectation.
Trust us on this one point if on no other. No matter what your relationship is with your swimmer, as a parent they so much want your approval, especially when things are going tough for them; and every swimmer on the planet has down cycles. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team as a sophomore. As a pro, he was trusted to take the game winning shot and failed 26 times in his career. He got over it. Your swimmer will get over his/her slow swim; they may never get over the look of disappointment on your face after a tough race. Show and give love and support and you will win another day, sooner than later. You MUST hide your disappointment.
Not long ago we were coaching at the local Junior Olympic long course meet. We observed a young man in the 15-16 age group racing the 1500 meter swim. His Dad was counting for him. After about 300 meters it was obvious – at least to the Dad by his body language – the swim was not going particularly well. At about 600 meters the volume in the Dad’s voice came up 20 or so decibels and had a decidedly critical tone to it. As the swimmer came into the turn Dad was furiously shaking the counter up and down and yelling “Kick harder, come on kick harder”. We wondered if the swimmer could read the counter since it was moving up and down pretty fast. We wondered if the swimmer could actually hear the words the Dad was yelling. We think there is a difference between a loud voice exhorting a swimmer on to glory and a loud voice yelling “commands”.
When the race concluded the Dad walked away from the end of the pool, heading down to the finish end, his head hung down dejectedly muttering to himself. One could only imagine the scene that was to become the swimmer’s next life’s chapter. The ride home gave us pause to think.
Swimming is important to our kids especially as they get older. As one gets closer to 0:00.00 the time reductions become more challenging to achieve. Olympians often go years without improving a time, rather they look for improvement in how well they swim, not merely how fast.
Our sport offers a refreshing respite from subjectivity. No one cares how good you look (though every coach worth her/his salt cares about how good you look in the water!!) they just hand out the medals based upon how fast you swam relative to the rest of the competition. And at the end of the day as a parent it is your responsibility to reward your swimmer’s effort based upon their level of accomplishment in the big view, not merely upon time. There are many swimmers who have posted a very fast time and yet the swim was not done correctly. Conversely, we have seen many excellent swims where the time was not a personal best but there was a lot to be excited about of which to be proud.
As Helen Swartz said many times in the last few months of her glorious life, “I think it is important for each of us to do the very best we can. And only we know if we are doing our best.” As most of you know, Mom’s often have the final word!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
If You Have Ever Wondered
We swam at the California Summer Sectional Meet last weekend in Santa Clarita. The company SwimNetwork.com was there filming and broadcasting live all the heats and finals. You can go to their site and see all the finals including relays.
If you ever wondered how important the underwater portion of a swim is check out North Bay Aquatic's Stephanie Christofferson in the women's 100 fly final. Hit the pause button a couple of times on the turn at the 50 and then the breakout. Stephanie won this race and qualified for the US National Championships in the process with her excellent underwater work off the wall at the turn.
So, when you think of your body position and distance underwater remember this swim. You may not be the fastest or the slowest at this part of the game. It really doesn't matter to most of us. What does matter is that we 1) recognize the value of the skill and 2) practice the skill on a daily basis.
Stephanie has been working on her skill set for more than 6 years. Last Sunday it paid off big time. Ask her if it was worth it over the years and she will answer a resounding "Yes"!
Have fun, be smarter and improve your skill set
If you ever wondered how important the underwater portion of a swim is check out North Bay Aquatic's Stephanie Christofferson in the women's 100 fly final. Hit the pause button a couple of times on the turn at the 50 and then the breakout. Stephanie won this race and qualified for the US National Championships in the process with her excellent underwater work off the wall at the turn.
So, when you think of your body position and distance underwater remember this swim. You may not be the fastest or the slowest at this part of the game. It really doesn't matter to most of us. What does matter is that we 1) recognize the value of the skill and 2) practice the skill on a daily basis.
Stephanie has been working on her skill set for more than 6 years. Last Sunday it paid off big time. Ask her if it was worth it over the years and she will answer a resounding "Yes"!
Have fun, be smarter and improve your skill set
Sunday, July 18, 2010
More Ideas on Short Stuff
For the last couple of weeks we have been swimming some longer repeats and pushing the yardage up toward 4,000 in our 75 minute Master's workouts. We noticed that we had a few folks mention the amount of swimming, the wear and tear and then wondering out loud about 'where was all this nonsense going?"
So this past Thursday we changed things up a bit. See what you think about this workout. Maybe you can find something here to sink your teeth into...or not.
After a nice relaxed warm up consisting of nearly 2,000 yards we did the following two sets. Each one takes 15 minutes. You can adjust the intervals if you wish but our idea was to give most folks enough rest so they could do the sets and still not be entirely "winded" at the end.
All repeats were on the .30 per lap basis, so 50's on the minute, 25's on the .30 - mix and match strokes any way you like.
Set #1
1x25/.30 at 80%
1x50/1 recovery
2x25/.30 one at 80%, one at 85%
2x50/1 recovery
3x25/.30 - 80, 85, 90%
3x50/1 recovery
4x25/.30 - 80, 85, 90, 95%
4x50/1 recovery
Rest one minute
Set #2
4x25/.30 all at 80% effort
4x50/1 recovery
3x25/.30 all at 85%
3x50/1 recovery
2x25/.30 at 90%
2x50/1 recovery
1x25/.30 at 95%
1x50/1 recovery
So, each set is 750 yards in length with 250 at effort and 500 of recovery swims. Each set takes 15 minutes to complete. Your work to recovery ratio is 1:2. This means that if you are feeling decent in the water you can probably crank pretty well on the effort 25's and recover nicely on the 50's.
Our gang loved this workout. Short swims made it easier to stay engaged in the sets for 30 minutes. Let us know what you think and please share a favorite set you have done recently. We will put it out there on the www and see what folks think. Have a great week in and out of the pool!
So this past Thursday we changed things up a bit. See what you think about this workout. Maybe you can find something here to sink your teeth into...or not.
After a nice relaxed warm up consisting of nearly 2,000 yards we did the following two sets. Each one takes 15 minutes. You can adjust the intervals if you wish but our idea was to give most folks enough rest so they could do the sets and still not be entirely "winded" at the end.
All repeats were on the .30 per lap basis, so 50's on the minute, 25's on the .30 - mix and match strokes any way you like.
Set #1
1x25/.30 at 80%
1x50/1 recovery
2x25/.30 one at 80%, one at 85%
2x50/1 recovery
3x25/.30 - 80, 85, 90%
3x50/1 recovery
4x25/.30 - 80, 85, 90, 95%
4x50/1 recovery
Rest one minute
Set #2
4x25/.30 all at 80% effort
4x50/1 recovery
3x25/.30 all at 85%
3x50/1 recovery
2x25/.30 at 90%
2x50/1 recovery
1x25/.30 at 95%
1x50/1 recovery
So, each set is 750 yards in length with 250 at effort and 500 of recovery swims. Each set takes 15 minutes to complete. Your work to recovery ratio is 1:2. This means that if you are feeling decent in the water you can probably crank pretty well on the effort 25's and recover nicely on the 50's.
Our gang loved this workout. Short swims made it easier to stay engaged in the sets for 30 minutes. Let us know what you think and please share a favorite set you have done recently. We will put it out there on the www and see what folks think. Have a great week in and out of the pool!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
The X MAN or X WOMAN
Here is a workout we did this week. The goal of the set was to do some match racing with the intent of putting some reasonably comparable swimmers together each keeping the other one honest in the effort. Since each swimmer has a slightly different way of approaching a swim, and since each of the other swimmers know the "X MAN's" style then the strategy can be varied depending upon the swimmer and the situation.
You can morph off of this infinitely. The key is putting two or more swimmers together with comparable skill sets.
We did this set short course on the 4 minutes. All the times ranged from 1:50+ to 1:57+. At the end of the set all four guys agreed it was engaging, challenging and stimulating...a coach's dream!
Bradley goes 3x200 on 4 minutes (@ 1:1 work to rest ratio) he is the X MAN
Pieter pushes him, keeps him honest whatever you call it on #1 then cruises #2 & #3
Dillon pushes him on #2 while cruising 1,3
Sandy pushes him on #3, cruz 1,2
Pieter becomes X MAN
Dillon pushes 1
Sandy pushes 2
Bradley pushes 3
Dillon is X MAN
Sandy 1
Bradley 2
Pieter 3
Sandy is X MAN
Bradley 1
Pieter 2
Dillon 3
So each guy goes 6 x 200 fast - 3 of them back to back to back with a fresh pusher and then gets 6 cruisers...the main focus on this idea is to have someone fresh enough to really press the X MAN into digging deeper than he/she would if simply doing a regular set...I keep thinking back to making each racer aware of when the guy/gal next to him is going to make a move and then figuring out how to physically and mentally stay in the race, stay in the swim even if he/she is getting clobbered...some best swims are when there is a guy/gal in the lane next to you going crazy and you figure out a way to hang onto your swim, perhaps getting beat by a couple of seconds but still doing your best time by a second or more when you thought that you were really folding.
There are lots of combinations off of this format. Play around with it and see what works best for you. You can even do this with only one partner. You go one swim fast while your partner pushes you, then you each cruise one and then your partner goes one fast while you push him/her...then you each cruise one. Do several rounds of that and you will have a fine speed/anaerobic set.
Let us know how this works for you. Feedback on all these ideas is important. Have a great week at the pool!
You can morph off of this infinitely. The key is putting two or more swimmers together with comparable skill sets.
We did this set short course on the 4 minutes. All the times ranged from 1:50+ to 1:57+. At the end of the set all four guys agreed it was engaging, challenging and stimulating...a coach's dream!
Bradley goes 3x200 on 4 minutes (@ 1:1 work to rest ratio) he is the X MAN
Pieter pushes him, keeps him honest whatever you call it on #1 then cruises #2 & #3
Dillon pushes him on #2 while cruising 1,3
Sandy pushes him on #3, cruz 1,2
Pieter becomes X MAN
Dillon pushes 1
Sandy pushes 2
Bradley pushes 3
Dillon is X MAN
Sandy 1
Bradley 2
Pieter 3
Sandy is X MAN
Bradley 1
Pieter 2
Dillon 3
So each guy goes 6 x 200 fast - 3 of them back to back to back with a fresh pusher and then gets 6 cruisers...the main focus on this idea is to have someone fresh enough to really press the X MAN into digging deeper than he/she would if simply doing a regular set...I keep thinking back to making each racer aware of when the guy/gal next to him is going to make a move and then figuring out how to physically and mentally stay in the race, stay in the swim even if he/she is getting clobbered...some best swims are when there is a guy/gal in the lane next to you going crazy and you figure out a way to hang onto your swim, perhaps getting beat by a couple of seconds but still doing your best time by a second or more when you thought that you were really folding.
There are lots of combinations off of this format. Play around with it and see what works best for you. You can even do this with only one partner. You go one swim fast while your partner pushes you, then you each cruise one and then your partner goes one fast while you push him/her...then you each cruise one. Do several rounds of that and you will have a fine speed/anaerobic set.
Let us know how this works for you. Feedback on all these ideas is important. Have a great week at the pool!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Simon Burnett Kick Set
Simon Burnett came to the University of Arizona by way of England. He is a many time collegiate All American and a multiple time member of many England National Teams. The swim most vivid in my mind (Don Swartz writing here) was his 1:31.20 200 yard free at the 2006 NCAA Championships in Atlanta, GA. He was out in 44+ and back in 46+. His leg power was phenomenal until I learned that he spent a lot of time on his kick board.
The following set is credited to him. I am certain others have done this set but since it came to us from him we call it the Simon Burnett kick set. When we tell our team, as we did this week, that we are doing it, they know what is coming. It goes like this. We did this in a 25 yard pool.
1 x 100 kick / 1:30
1 x 50 recovery / 1:30 (we swim this 50, he may have kicked it)
2 x 100 kick / 1:30
1 x 50 recovery / 1:30
3 x 100 kick / 1:30
1 x 50 recovery / 1:30
4 x 100 kick / 1:30
1 x 50 recovery / 1:30
5 x 100 kick / 1:30
1 x 50 recovery / 1:30
This is 1500 yards of kicking and it is deceptive. By the time you are entering the round of 4 x 100 you get that you are in for a tough stretch. And since kicking is all will power it is a good test of that. It is doable but not a "piece of cake".
On our senior team we have about 35 swimmers. Tonight 12 went on the 1:30 interval. They all made the entire set. One of the women was dolphin kicking on her back going 10 yards underwater off each wall - very impressive. We had a handful that was under 1:20 and three guys under 1:15 the entire way. We had all but 3 others on the 1:40 interval and the slowest grouping was on the 1:45 interval.
When the set was over they all felt a valuable measure of accomplishment. We have done this set before and it always is a refreshing reminder of how powerful the kick can be; and it empowers the swimmers. We had a ton of excellent team building in the lanes and across the pool.
You can riff off this set in a thousand different ways. We encourage you to explore and have fun doing so! Let us know what you think.
The following set is credited to him. I am certain others have done this set but since it came to us from him we call it the Simon Burnett kick set. When we tell our team, as we did this week, that we are doing it, they know what is coming. It goes like this. We did this in a 25 yard pool.
1 x 100 kick / 1:30
1 x 50 recovery / 1:30 (we swim this 50, he may have kicked it)
2 x 100 kick / 1:30
1 x 50 recovery / 1:30
3 x 100 kick / 1:30
1 x 50 recovery / 1:30
4 x 100 kick / 1:30
1 x 50 recovery / 1:30
5 x 100 kick / 1:30
1 x 50 recovery / 1:30
This is 1500 yards of kicking and it is deceptive. By the time you are entering the round of 4 x 100 you get that you are in for a tough stretch. And since kicking is all will power it is a good test of that. It is doable but not a "piece of cake".
On our senior team we have about 35 swimmers. Tonight 12 went on the 1:30 interval. They all made the entire set. One of the women was dolphin kicking on her back going 10 yards underwater off each wall - very impressive. We had a handful that was under 1:20 and three guys under 1:15 the entire way. We had all but 3 others on the 1:40 interval and the slowest grouping was on the 1:45 interval.
When the set was over they all felt a valuable measure of accomplishment. We have done this set before and it always is a refreshing reminder of how powerful the kick can be; and it empowers the swimmers. We had a ton of excellent team building in the lanes and across the pool.
You can riff off this set in a thousand different ways. We encourage you to explore and have fun doing so! Let us know what you think.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
When Size Really Does Matter
We often get asked the question about body types and swimming. This particularly comes up when parents of a younger swimmer are concerned that their child may not "have what it takes" to be a great athlete.
Our first - and always unspoken - reaction is, Whoa! Do we as parents really want to be looking at our kids that way? And then we have our first overt reaction...We cannot at any time early in a person's development know what their final position in life will be. We are not able to tell about swimming or school or eventual vocation etc.
What we do know from our experience is that it is foolish to try to predict based upon any early success or for that matter any early lack of success. We also know that the world is full of folks with huge amounts of obvious potential who do very little with it. Conversely the world is populated with many people who have what appear to be ordinary skills who achieve extraordinary results. Sports is an obvious field where these two discrepancies standout. Having said that, if we were academicians we would no doubt have similar observations. From our own personal standpoint we know this to be true in the field of medicine. We have known doctors who obviously have passed all the tests but we wouldn't want to spend too much time in their care.
So what does matter?
The size of a person's desire matters. Give us a swimmer who is excited about the opportunity that swimming affords and we want her on our team. We love swimmers who have passion for the sport.
The size of their ambition matters. Does he want to get faster? If so, we want him on our team.
What about the respect factor? Does she understand the relationship between respect for self and team and how those two go hand in hand for her development? If yes, then we want her.
How big is their brain? We use this not in the anatomical sense but rather the sense of how well does he connect the dots? Does this swimmer have the ability to figure things out? If he can do this, or exhibits the willingness to learn how to do this, then we want him on our team.
None of these attributes is determined by physical size. They are rather determined by a person's character. Give us a person of any physical stature who is a giant in the character department and we will be at the pool ready to coach that swimmer on a moment's notice.
Perhaps it is time to take inventory of your team or yourself. Champions come in all shapes and sizes. Look at any Olympic Team if you are not certain about this!
Our first - and always unspoken - reaction is, Whoa! Do we as parents really want to be looking at our kids that way? And then we have our first overt reaction...We cannot at any time early in a person's development know what their final position in life will be. We are not able to tell about swimming or school or eventual vocation etc.
What we do know from our experience is that it is foolish to try to predict based upon any early success or for that matter any early lack of success. We also know that the world is full of folks with huge amounts of obvious potential who do very little with it. Conversely the world is populated with many people who have what appear to be ordinary skills who achieve extraordinary results. Sports is an obvious field where these two discrepancies standout. Having said that, if we were academicians we would no doubt have similar observations. From our own personal standpoint we know this to be true in the field of medicine. We have known doctors who obviously have passed all the tests but we wouldn't want to spend too much time in their care.
So what does matter?
The size of a person's desire matters. Give us a swimmer who is excited about the opportunity that swimming affords and we want her on our team. We love swimmers who have passion for the sport.
The size of their ambition matters. Does he want to get faster? If so, we want him on our team.
What about the respect factor? Does she understand the relationship between respect for self and team and how those two go hand in hand for her development? If yes, then we want her.
How big is their brain? We use this not in the anatomical sense but rather the sense of how well does he connect the dots? Does this swimmer have the ability to figure things out? If he can do this, or exhibits the willingness to learn how to do this, then we want him on our team.
None of these attributes is determined by physical size. They are rather determined by a person's character. Give us a person of any physical stature who is a giant in the character department and we will be at the pool ready to coach that swimmer on a moment's notice.
Perhaps it is time to take inventory of your team or yourself. Champions come in all shapes and sizes. Look at any Olympic Team if you are not certain about this!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
What We Learned This Week
In no particular order we amassed a significant amount of new knowledge while simultaneously reconnecting with bits and pieces we already knew but had lost contact with from the past. And isn't that just like most darned near every week? That's what gets us excited each and every day. What follows is a sampler of our last 7 days.
Monday we had Day One at the Dominican University Summer Swim Camp. Since this was the first week the University had ever had a Swim Camp none of us knew exactly what to expect. We had several kids who are competitive swimmers and about twice that number who could barely side breathe. What we learned: Have plenty of staff, be patient, teach only the basics and most of all make it fun. They will tell others and all kids and parents with kids talk to each other. By Friday everyone was swimming better.
Tuesday was our first conversion day at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, CA. They built a new 40 meter by 25 yard pool (the district didn't want any summer long course competitions held) and we have morning access. This is our long course water for the summer. It works great for our team. It is a trick to turn 16 lanes short course into 8 long course. What we learned: Give everyone assignments, help them realize the value of "teamwork", time them (they are competitive swimmers after all - Tuesday = 15:48, by Saturday we got down to 10:12) and make certain all the various workout groups finish together so everyone is still in the pool and willing to turn the pool back to short course.
Wednesdays we take the afternoons off for recovery purposes. It was a good thing because even after two mornings of long course the kids were showing the signs of long course training fatigue. What we learned: long course fit plus short course speed makes a very dangerous long course (we suppose even open water as well) swimmer.
Thursday was our third consecutive long course morning workout. The team is getting used to more open water. We took our foot off the gas a little and got more out of them. Then in the short course afternoon workout we went more for power than speed using parachutes. What we learned: Give swimmers (any athlete) a judicious mix of work and rest and they respond very well indeed.
Friday we have no morning water due to pool cleaning. It was Day Five at Dominican Swim Camp. We weren't as prepared as we wanted to be. The next four weeks will be easier having gone through a week. What we learned: We will spend time refreshing our skills and then testing them. They can see and feel their progress. Making certain kids feel successful is the singular most important ingredient in their continued participation in any activity...swimming is no different in that regard. We also had great results from giving them a simple Certificate of Completion plus a ribbon. This isn't a fancy swim camp like those run at bigger institutions. This is a fun and learning experience. We all - staff and campers alike - did both this week.
Saturday we had our final workout of the week. We went long course. We had some swimmers at meets and some doing things for Father's Day so attendance was lighter than usual. We had some individual sets that addressed specific needs. It was a great week and we set ourselves up for next week's aspirations. What we learned: Have a good mix of long course swims building up momentum one lap at a time with faster short course swims blending speed and power; always do kicking sets since legs make the whole stroke go and the swimmer's ability to finish races...this all builds the most important muscle in the body - confidence.
Sunday was the final day of the 43rd Annual Santa Clara International Swim Meet. Four years ago we had one swimmer at this meet. This year we had 11 entered individually plus 2 others as relay swimmers. We had a swimmer who qualified for finals and four free relays, one of which finished fourth and one ninth. What we learned: Starts are critical even in long course as a poor start puts you behind the proverbial 8 ball with the first wall half a football field away. Keep at your craft pursuing excellence whenever possible. That one swimmer four years ago made finals this year. Our team is growing up and able to compete at this level. We have college swimmers coming back to us this summer for the 2nd year. It makes a difference. It is important to build loyalty to our program since those college swimmers help define the path and light that path for the high schoolers behind them. Finally, some swimmers need to stay with their college program in the summers for a variety of reasons. We know that we are in the development game, always working in the best interests of our young people, giving them the skills they need to succeed in the pool and life.
It was a fine week, not perfect by any means but rather one to be proud of and to build from beginning tomorrow morning. Hope yours was also and goes well too. Let us know how we can help!
Monday we had Day One at the Dominican University Summer Swim Camp. Since this was the first week the University had ever had a Swim Camp none of us knew exactly what to expect. We had several kids who are competitive swimmers and about twice that number who could barely side breathe. What we learned: Have plenty of staff, be patient, teach only the basics and most of all make it fun. They will tell others and all kids and parents with kids talk to each other. By Friday everyone was swimming better.
Tuesday was our first conversion day at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, CA. They built a new 40 meter by 25 yard pool (the district didn't want any summer long course competitions held) and we have morning access. This is our long course water for the summer. It works great for our team. It is a trick to turn 16 lanes short course into 8 long course. What we learned: Give everyone assignments, help them realize the value of "teamwork", time them (they are competitive swimmers after all - Tuesday = 15:48, by Saturday we got down to 10:12) and make certain all the various workout groups finish together so everyone is still in the pool and willing to turn the pool back to short course.
Wednesdays we take the afternoons off for recovery purposes. It was a good thing because even after two mornings of long course the kids were showing the signs of long course training fatigue. What we learned: long course fit plus short course speed makes a very dangerous long course (we suppose even open water as well) swimmer.
Thursday was our third consecutive long course morning workout. The team is getting used to more open water. We took our foot off the gas a little and got more out of them. Then in the short course afternoon workout we went more for power than speed using parachutes. What we learned: Give swimmers (any athlete) a judicious mix of work and rest and they respond very well indeed.
Friday we have no morning water due to pool cleaning. It was Day Five at Dominican Swim Camp. We weren't as prepared as we wanted to be. The next four weeks will be easier having gone through a week. What we learned: We will spend time refreshing our skills and then testing them. They can see and feel their progress. Making certain kids feel successful is the singular most important ingredient in their continued participation in any activity...swimming is no different in that regard. We also had great results from giving them a simple Certificate of Completion plus a ribbon. This isn't a fancy swim camp like those run at bigger institutions. This is a fun and learning experience. We all - staff and campers alike - did both this week.
Saturday we had our final workout of the week. We went long course. We had some swimmers at meets and some doing things for Father's Day so attendance was lighter than usual. We had some individual sets that addressed specific needs. It was a great week and we set ourselves up for next week's aspirations. What we learned: Have a good mix of long course swims building up momentum one lap at a time with faster short course swims blending speed and power; always do kicking sets since legs make the whole stroke go and the swimmer's ability to finish races...this all builds the most important muscle in the body - confidence.
Sunday was the final day of the 43rd Annual Santa Clara International Swim Meet. Four years ago we had one swimmer at this meet. This year we had 11 entered individually plus 2 others as relay swimmers. We had a swimmer who qualified for finals and four free relays, one of which finished fourth and one ninth. What we learned: Starts are critical even in long course as a poor start puts you behind the proverbial 8 ball with the first wall half a football field away. Keep at your craft pursuing excellence whenever possible. That one swimmer four years ago made finals this year. Our team is growing up and able to compete at this level. We have college swimmers coming back to us this summer for the 2nd year. It makes a difference. It is important to build loyalty to our program since those college swimmers help define the path and light that path for the high schoolers behind them. Finally, some swimmers need to stay with their college program in the summers for a variety of reasons. We know that we are in the development game, always working in the best interests of our young people, giving them the skills they need to succeed in the pool and life.
It was a fine week, not perfect by any means but rather one to be proud of and to build from beginning tomorrow morning. Hope yours was also and goes well too. Let us know how we can help!
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