Swim advice

rollingrock · Jan 7, 2011

i've been spending 2 ams a week at the pool, not much different than i've always done...summers i do alot more open water but for now, i'm doing about 4000-5500 yds a week. i've been swimming for 4 years. 
 
i'd like to know if there has been one thing, in your swim training, that was pivotal in having you excel in swimming. i have been told my form is fine but my speed is meager at best. no matter what i do/don't do/how much/how few laps i swim, my speed remains constant. i can relax for a lap and it's 60 seconds...then i will push myself and it's still 60 seconds! it's odd because as i ran thru the years, i did become marginally faster having my first 5K being 29:00 and my best being 23:01. i can NOT make progress in the pool. 
 
btw, i have read TI swimming, i have watched his drill videos, it all makes sense to me...i drilled this morning, swimming on my side, using one-finger drills, and have never used any type of aid in the water (kick board or buoy or flippers). i am a pencil shaped person and have done lots and lots of core strength in the last year. i understand the core stabilizers driving you thru the water...mine are stuck in neutral i think.
 
i always consider my swim in a tri as my 'warm up' for the next two events because I know better than to think i'll come out anything but a near DFL in my wave. i am comfortable in the water, i love to swim, i just stink at it.

MBannon · Jan 7, 2011

Swim more often. Four times per week, total about 7-9,000 yards per week. And mix the workouts up, with a high percentage of short "hard effort" stuff with short rest intervals. Things like 10 x 50 yards hard with 15 seconds of rest. Take a break, then do a 300 yard set with each lap being harder than the prior one.
 
You might also consider doing some light weightlifting to get those arm muscles built up a tad. Lat pull-downs, upright rows, arm raises, dumbell stuff, all with light weights and fairly high reps. You're looking to add a little muscle, but mostly build endurance.

TriBob · Jan 7, 2011

If you push yourself and you have the same time, your form is breaking down. Keep up the drills. Check out <a href="http://www.goswim.tv/" target="_blank">http://www.goswim.tv</a> for more drills. TI is good to get started; but, you have to add power when you have reached the 60 second/lap you are at. Tell a swim coach you do TI if you want to see them go ballistic.

I also second the frequency Matt mentioned. Even if it is a short swim session, it will help you maintain the feel for the water.

rollingrock · Jan 8, 2011

great link, tons of drills and advice there.
 
 i'll increase frequency of workouts and total weekly yards, that will be a challenge to fit in with a half marathon in may..but i'll at least go one extra day per week. i rarely 'push' in the water (swim hard) cuz I have seen so little progress with time that i'd decided to focus on form. in doing so, i think i've trained myself to swim slow if that makes sense. swimming has always been so relaxing for me, and i've had difficulty breaking that pattern to push hard...especially 10 x 50 with a 15 second break, i'll imagine i'll be flailing around in there after 6 laps but it's a good goal for me.
 
i'll continue the upper body work, building arm and shoulder strength has been a goal since last summer and it has improved. i've made it part of my weekly routine and i do keep it light with lots of reps. 
 
thanks!

MBannon · Jan 8, 2011

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by rollingrock <a href="/forum/thread/72040/swim-advice#post_1975020"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border-bottom:0px solid;border-left:0px solid;border-top:0px solid;border-right:0px solid;"></a> 
 i'll increase frequency of workouts and total weekly yards, that will be a challenge to fit in with a half marathon in may..but i'll at least go one extra day per week. i rarely 'push' in the water (swim hard) cuz I have seen so little progress with time that i'd decided to focus on form. in doing so, i think i've trained myself to swim slow if that makes sense. swimming has always been so relaxing for me, and i've had difficulty breaking that pattern to push hard...especially 10 x 50 with a 15 second break, i'll imagine i'll be flailing around in there after 6 laps but it's a good goal for me.
 
</div>
</div>
 I would add frequency before total volume if it is a one-or-the-other choice. Like running, doing it 4-6 days per week is better than doing the same total mileage in 3 days.
 
And yes, after 6 x 50 at hard pace with short rest, you will feel like you are flailing. And possibly puking. The puking thing slowly improves as your swim lactate threshold increases. The flailing thing will always be there when you swim above your fitness level, but that's what all the drills are for. My take on all this is that as long as you recognize when your form has gone to hell, you are still learning. When you slow back down again, your form will come back and you will be even more aware of what is right about it, as well as what is wrong with it when you go hard. But over time, your "falling apart" form will be closer and closer to your "perfect" form.

kburnell · Jan 8, 2011

Is there an opportunity to swim with a masters club or work with a (good) coach - not just someone who provides workouts, but someone that can really analyze your stroke? Being a swim coach myself I'm alittle biased, but it really is the best way to get accurate feedback.

em73 · Jan 8, 2011

ditto what Kyle said (except the part about being a swim coach).
 
I could swim and swim at my same slow steady pace, I did drills, I read, I never got faster.
 
I went to a swim clinic and found out my catch was wrong. Coach fixed my catch (and is still fixing other stuff), I'm getting faster.
 
Where are you? Maybe someone on here has some local resources for you.

rollingrock · Jan 8, 2011

i swim at the Y and they asked if i would join their masters program but i've no time to meet when they meet so, sadly, i had to pass. i know meeting with a good coach, in the water, would change alot of things for me. my catch sucks, i know that much from watching drill videos. i met with an instructor once and i suppose she thought i was a first time swimmer so when she watched me do a lap, she gave me my money back and left!! that was 4 years ago. 
 
i have a triathlon coach for a group i was in but she is more focused on the group. i have been with her in open water and she could only comment that i looked strong in the lake for that long swim. she can do individual instruction, i may start there. 
 
i'm in western pa, laurel highlands. HILLS galore!
 
thanks again <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif" style="width:16px;height:16px;">

Yo Sake · Jan 8, 2011

Any opportunities you can get to have your swim looked at by experienced swimmers (though they may not be 'coach') helps, I think. Sometimes it is confusing to get so many different opinions, but a certain way one explains how to improve your strokes may click with you and you 'get it'. So keep seeking a help.
 
I agree with Matt/TriBob in that once you get a good feel of water (to our personal level) you need to swim on a consistent basis. I am not a fast swimmer to begin with, but after I swam only 1/wk or less for a while, I totally lost what I had. I am back with, not the speed, but at least the feel of smooth swimming, after a few weeks of consistent swimming. I love it. 
 
Just don't push too hard to the point you start disliking swimming.

Swim advice

Top Contributors this Month