Hi Dev, thanks for making me examine why I use the PB so much.
1)Less "inappropriate" fatigue, meaning that I can put in many more repetitions----repetitions longer than 25-50m---- without my body limping at that weird 30ish degree angle from having a very thick lower body and a fatigued back and arms.
2)I work on mostly the same things I'd work on without one: What my arms are doing throughout the catch and pull, the timing of the hips into the overall stroke, increasing turnover without the overall stroke being disrupted, and relaxing the arms during recovery.
The best part is I don't have to concentrate super HARD (the way we triathletes sometimes try to technique too HARD and look like every muscle in our body is contracting), and can integrate all these points into a rhythm without having to stop and overthink.
3)It depends. If I use the pull buoy as a tool to accumulate quality repetitions and build mileage in a reasonable manner, then enough work is done over time that I really notice its effects on non-buoy and non-wetsuit swimming. If I'm just throwing it on occasionally and using it to stay afloat rather than target the above points---and not putting my stroke technique through meaningful repetitions----then it will do nothing except take about 5sec off my pool 100's.
4)Right now, when I'm very unfit for swimming, 2/3-7/8 of total mileage. When swim fit (enough quality mileage has been accumulated), maybe 1/2, possibly creeping up to 2/3 if I was getting tired towards late season or in a big build.
5)Left to my own devices, maybe 1 in 10 workouts would be kick-focused. When I worked with Jonnyo, pretty sure it was zero. Also pretty sure that he had the right of it, and that I was wasting 1 in 10 workouts. He integrated any kick work very, very well into any workout, and never at the expense of accomplishing what needed to be accomplished.
6)I'll kick in wetsuit races. I find that the work done with the pull buoy actually enhances my kick when I swim without it, possibly because of how I was taught to use it to improve hip timing and power. It really seemed to allow me to bring a 6-beat in relatively easy when I needed to bridge up in a race, then switch back to light 4 or 2 when back in a pack.
7)Having fairly big legs and a large butt, I'm going to do some serious sinking in a non-wetsuit race, but when properly conditioned can maintain a good enough body position to not be completely fried after the swim. I generally came out of the water in non-wetsuit swims with the same group I'd exit wetsuit-legal swims with.
Thanks again. Please take with a grain of salt; I started floundering about the pool at age 19, and about a decade and a half later 54 was my best IM split thanks to a great year with Jonnyo (was 59-1:01 before him). I use an Incredibuoy: two cylinder-and-strap buoys duct taped together. I find the strap-and-cylinder lets you keep your legs together-----unlike solid single buoys----which from what I've found translates much better to the toy-less swim stroke.
1)Less "inappropriate" fatigue, meaning that I can put in many more repetitions----repetitions longer than 25-50m---- without my body limping at that weird 30ish degree angle from having a very thick lower body and a fatigued back and arms.
2)I work on mostly the same things I'd work on without one: What my arms are doing throughout the catch and pull, the timing of the hips into the overall stroke, increasing turnover without the overall stroke being disrupted, and relaxing the arms during recovery.
The best part is I don't have to concentrate super HARD (the way we triathletes sometimes try to technique too HARD and look like every muscle in our body is contracting), and can integrate all these points into a rhythm without having to stop and overthink.
3)It depends. If I use the pull buoy as a tool to accumulate quality repetitions and build mileage in a reasonable manner, then enough work is done over time that I really notice its effects on non-buoy and non-wetsuit swimming. If I'm just throwing it on occasionally and using it to stay afloat rather than target the above points---and not putting my stroke technique through meaningful repetitions----then it will do nothing except take about 5sec off my pool 100's.
4)Right now, when I'm very unfit for swimming, 2/3-7/8 of total mileage. When swim fit (enough quality mileage has been accumulated), maybe 1/2, possibly creeping up to 2/3 if I was getting tired towards late season or in a big build.
5)Left to my own devices, maybe 1 in 10 workouts would be kick-focused. When I worked with Jonnyo, pretty sure it was zero. Also pretty sure that he had the right of it, and that I was wasting 1 in 10 workouts. He integrated any kick work very, very well into any workout, and never at the expense of accomplishing what needed to be accomplished.
6)I'll kick in wetsuit races. I find that the work done with the pull buoy actually enhances my kick when I swim without it, possibly because of how I was taught to use it to improve hip timing and power. It really seemed to allow me to bring a 6-beat in relatively easy when I needed to bridge up in a race, then switch back to light 4 or 2 when back in a pack.
7)Having fairly big legs and a large butt, I'm going to do some serious sinking in a non-wetsuit race, but when properly conditioned can maintain a good enough body position to not be completely fried after the swim. I generally came out of the water in non-wetsuit swims with the same group I'd exit wetsuit-legal swims with.
Thanks again. Please take with a grain of salt; I started floundering about the pool at age 19, and about a decade and a half later 54 was my best IM split thanks to a great year with Jonnyo (was 59-1:01 before him). I use an Incredibuoy: two cylinder-and-strap buoys duct taped together. I find the strap-and-cylinder lets you keep your legs together-----unlike solid single buoys----which from what I've found translates much better to the toy-less swim stroke.
Last edited by:
NateChampness: Jan 15, 18 10:14