I read the Week 3 Guppy challenge, and would add a couple of observations from my swim yesterday. I believe I also have problems with keeping my body straight in the water, and wish I had a camera to video. Might be able to find someone at the pool who can video from my cell phone. Nonetheless, 1) the slow drills helped me to focus on my 6-beat kick, which is very lacking when I speed up at all; 2) the log roll is apparently from the waist up, when breathing, and this helps keep the feet straight when doing the 6-beat kick; and 3) I drowned and was unable to keep my feet up with the bands, but I was able to move the buoy to between my ankles, and keep my feet together and lifted. This allowed me to focus on how I was twisting to breath. Clearly this has given me some more insight into how I move in the water. Really cool to see how this is working. I've never practiced swimming or had anyone give coaching lessons with these things in mind. I'm not swimming fast, but I am working hard.
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Re: Guppy Challenge, Week-2 [JoelO]
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Re: Guppy Challenge, Week-2 [Rh]
[ In reply to ]
Some thoughts so far, in no particular order:
I don't THINK i'm fishtailing much with the band/buoy, but there's certainly some. Just having the band w/o the buoy makes it really difficult to have good balance and keep them up. I'm trusting that the fix is on it's way.... I don't have a snorkel, BUT, when I breath every third stroke, I do notice way less movement. So I'm assuming I'm bending at the waist when I breathe? Less breathing = less fishtailing? Without a video or a coach watching, I'm only assuming.
I notice my time on a 100 with a buoy and band is about the same as w/o, and I'm 4 seconds slower with a band and no buoy. I would think that with kicking I'd be faster (I'm not using paddles).
Second, on the kick sets. I'm mixing those up, some on back, some dolphin, some flutter, some breaststroke kick (not sure what that one is called). Is that okay? Or did you want us to get in longer flutterkick intervals?
Last, will you be helping me fix my kick timing? 2-beat, 6-beat, none of that makes sense to me. As a bass player you'd think I have rhythm, but I have NO clue if my legs and arms are in sync.
I don't THINK i'm fishtailing much with the band/buoy, but there's certainly some. Just having the band w/o the buoy makes it really difficult to have good balance and keep them up. I'm trusting that the fix is on it's way.... I don't have a snorkel, BUT, when I breath every third stroke, I do notice way less movement. So I'm assuming I'm bending at the waist when I breathe? Less breathing = less fishtailing? Without a video or a coach watching, I'm only assuming.
I notice my time on a 100 with a buoy and band is about the same as w/o, and I'm 4 seconds slower with a band and no buoy. I would think that with kicking I'd be faster (I'm not using paddles).
Second, on the kick sets. I'm mixing those up, some on back, some dolphin, some flutter, some breaststroke kick (not sure what that one is called). Is that okay? Or did you want us to get in longer flutterkick intervals?
Last, will you be helping me fix my kick timing? 2-beat, 6-beat, none of that makes sense to me. As a bass player you'd think I have rhythm, but I have NO clue if my legs and arms are in sync.
Re: Guppy Challenge, Week-2 [Slowman]
[ In reply to ]
Slowman wrote:
A) that's easy to fix, but we're not there yet. it's easy to fix but it does take concentration. B) don't worry about that. ignore that for now.
C) if your legs sink it could be that your head is too high in the water. dev paul wrote on a thread somewhere about this challenge that during some of the drills (1-arm pulls) he was practicing the discipline of 1 eye in 1 eye out of the water during breathing.
I am trying to work on that split screen view (one eye overwater, one eye underwater) while doing all drills and all sets now (at least when i can remember). On my right side breathing I can do it even with band and no buoy. On the left side it is a lost cause. I believe I have pin pointed the problem to my right hip not rotating into the water enough and my left hip not upward enough. The outcome, I think is the hips are flatter in the water when breahting left, and my body fishtails left and I can't ever get to the split screen view and have to lift my head to breath. I am trying to push my head into the water during breathing left to force things, but I think the hips are the problem here.
Re: Guppy Challenge, Week-2 [JoelO]
[ In reply to ]
JoelO wrote:
How's everyone liking those kick sets? My best 25 yd sprint kick has been 25 secs. I really slow down when I go further...about 1:05-1:10 for a 50 and (last night) 2:42-2:46 for a couple of 100's. I know the workout called for 4x50 kick but I wanted to see what my 100 number looked like. Kicking fast is hard, especially when you don't have great ankle flexibility.Kicking is hard when it takes 1:58 to kick 25 yards! True story here. So screw kicking and just tuck them behind the torso.
Re: Guppy Challenge, Week-2 [Billyk24]
[ In reply to ]
"Kicking is hard when it takes 1:58 to kick 25 yards!"
i have 2 things to offer:
1. get yourself some zoomers.
2. if you don't get yourself some zoomers (i never did), you will be kicking twice as fast as you are kicking now by the end of this 10-week challenge. just kick. try different things. forget what people tell you. yes, there is a textbook way to kick. there is a way swimmers will tell you to kick. "kick from the hip." yes, that's true. still, forget all that stuff. just kick. see what it is that gets you across the pool. kick with an almost-straight leg; and then with more bend in the knee. perform big kicks slowly; little kicks quickly. toes in; toes out. just keep kicking. keep trying. eventually, sooner than you think, you'll find a way to make forward progress.
in the end it won't matter much. most of the propulsion will get done without your feet being much involved. but it will matter some, and by the time we're doing you'll absolutely be kicking a 50 in under 2 minutes and maybe under 1 minute.
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
i have 2 things to offer:
1. get yourself some zoomers.
2. if you don't get yourself some zoomers (i never did), you will be kicking twice as fast as you are kicking now by the end of this 10-week challenge. just kick. try different things. forget what people tell you. yes, there is a textbook way to kick. there is a way swimmers will tell you to kick. "kick from the hip." yes, that's true. still, forget all that stuff. just kick. see what it is that gets you across the pool. kick with an almost-straight leg; and then with more bend in the knee. perform big kicks slowly; little kicks quickly. toes in; toes out. just keep kicking. keep trying. eventually, sooner than you think, you'll find a way to make forward progress.
in the end it won't matter much. most of the propulsion will get done without your feet being much involved. but it will matter some, and by the time we're doing you'll absolutely be kicking a 50 in under 2 minutes and maybe under 1 minute.
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Re: Guppy Challenge, Week-2 [Slowman]
[ In reply to ]
Just started last week! Thanks a lot for these.
I don't understand the main set. Is Guppy, Tuna, Tarpon code for anything.. Like slower to faster? I'm not familiar with my fish species.. or maybe I missed instructions because I'm late to the challenge, apologies. When do you suggest we try the different buoy/band combinations, during the main set?
I don't understand the main set. Is Guppy, Tuna, Tarpon code for anything.. Like slower to faster? I'm not familiar with my fish species.. or maybe I missed instructions because I'm late to the challenge, apologies. When do you suggest we try the different buoy/band combinations, during the main set?
Re: Guppy Challenge, Week-2 [Tri Sucker]
[ In reply to ]
guppies: slower swimmers. if you're a better swimmer you swim more yards in the main set.
tarpon: better swimmer.
tuna: a much better swimmer.
just to the guppy yards if you're a guppy.
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
tarpon: better swimmer.
tuna: a much better swimmer.
just to the guppy yards if you're a guppy.
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Re: Guppy Challenge, Week-2 [Slowman]
[ In reply to ]
I've been following this tough, awesome program and my speed and endurance have improved a lot already. I'm just starting week 7 but due to starting a 20 week HIM program I'm reducing the swimming yardage cause I felt like I was over-training when I was just doing the full swim workouts and had to take a week off...
Anyway, do you happen to have a video of an ideal stroke during the 1-arm pull drill? I can keep my arm raised but I'm not sure if my breathing and pulling technique is good enough. I feel this drill is getting easier and smoother... but I see different variations of this drill on YouTube. Do you have one in particular you can point us to like you have with the other drills?
Thanks,
Alex
Anyway, do you happen to have a video of an ideal stroke during the 1-arm pull drill? I can keep my arm raised but I'm not sure if my breathing and pulling technique is good enough. I feel this drill is getting easier and smoother... but I see different variations of this drill on YouTube. Do you have one in particular you can point us to like you have with the other drills?
Thanks,
Alex
Re: Guppy Challenge, Week-2 [alexkeoni]
[ In reply to ]
I think I found a good example of the 1-arm pulls. Found this while searching for another slow hesitation video cause the timing was difficult at first in the water today.
1-arm pulls at 3:25 with her arm extended in front. The timing of the breathing also seems very good which is what I struggled with at first also..
1-arm pulls at 3:25 with her arm extended in front. The timing of the breathing also seems very good which is what I struggled with at first also..
Re: Guppy Challenge, Week-2 [alexkeoni]
[ In reply to ]
Mine looks just like that! Not.
Re: Guppy Challenge, Week-2 [Slowman]
[ In reply to ]
I finally, after 3 or 4 tries, completed the Week 1 Workout 1 session. I never completed one before because I got tired, ran out of time, or started feeling a weird twinge in my shoulder/pec. My last 150 intervals felt super slow but the clock says I'm doing them around the same pace as the others.
Ordered a snorkel.
Your favorite mafia sucks.
Ordered a snorkel.
Your favorite mafia sucks.
Re: Guppy Challenge, Week-2 [bryce_d]
[ In reply to ]
progress!
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Re: Guppy Challenge, Week-2 [Slowman]
[ In reply to ]
Progress, and I feel better knowing I'm doing something productive, rather than just getting in and hammering out straight 2000m sets like I normally do and then calling it a day.
Your favorite mafia sucks.
Your favorite mafia sucks.
Re: Guppy Challenge, Week-2 [Slowman]
[ In reply to ]
I have been swimming with a band a couple weeks now. Whenever I swim without a buoy my legs tend to sink and before I finish 25 yard my feet are bouncing off the shallow end and it is like my waist is bending at something close to a 90 degree angle. Something is clearly wrong. Any tips or suggestions or anything I can read on what I am doing wrong?
Re: Guppy Challenge, Week-2 [Snowvols]
[ In reply to ]
you need to float your legs if you swim with a band. either the band must also serve as the flotation (inflated wheelbarrow tube) or you need to stick a pull buoy in between your thighs.
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Re: Guppy Challenge, Week-2 [Slowman]
[ In reply to ]
Tried day 1 of the week 2 challenge. I added fins for the first two 100s of the 1-arm pulls. Wanted to experience the momemtum, instead of the stall and sink. Big difference. When I did the third and fourth 100s of the 1-arm pulls I was much more aware of my kick.
The Y where I swim has a bunch of buoys. I grabbed a stretchy exercise band from the house and used that in combination with the buoy. Wrapped the ankles and buoy and took off. By the end of each length I was swimming at about a 45 degree angle - legs were sinking even with the buoy.
Pretty sure the lifeguard thought I was having some sort of seizure when used the buoy and tried breathing on my left side. One of my new year's resolutions was to get better (start) breathing on the left. Been doing it consistently during warm up / cool down laps. I know my technique needs work when I breathe on the right side. When doing these exercises and trying to breathe on the left, I look like I'm just learning how to swim.
I could really feel the fishtailing motion when I did the 200s. Minimal action (my perception) when breathing on the right. When breathing on the left, the legs went one way and shoulders/arms when the other.
Thanks for the challenge!!! I'm enjoying the work.
The Y where I swim has a bunch of buoys. I grabbed a stretchy exercise band from the house and used that in combination with the buoy. Wrapped the ankles and buoy and took off. By the end of each length I was swimming at about a 45 degree angle - legs were sinking even with the buoy.
Pretty sure the lifeguard thought I was having some sort of seizure when used the buoy and tried breathing on my left side. One of my new year's resolutions was to get better (start) breathing on the left. Been doing it consistently during warm up / cool down laps. I know my technique needs work when I breathe on the right side. When doing these exercises and trying to breathe on the left, I look like I'm just learning how to swim.
I could really feel the fishtailing motion when I did the 200s. Minimal action (my perception) when breathing on the right. When breathing on the left, the legs went one way and shoulders/arms when the other.
Thanks for the challenge!!! I'm enjoying the work.
phishtales wrote:
Tried day 1 of the week 2 challenge. I added fins for the first two 100s of the 1-arm pulls. Wanted to experience the momemtum, instead of the stall and sink. Big difference. When I did the third and fourth 100s of the 1-arm pulls I was much more aware of my kick. The Y where I swim has a bunch of buoys. I grabbed a stretchy exercise band from the house and used that in combination with the buoy. Wrapped the ankles and buoy and took off. By the end of each length I was swimming at about a 45 degree angle - legs were sinking even with the buoy.
Pretty sure the lifeguard thought I was having some sort of seizure when used the buoy and tried breathing on my left side. One of my new year's resolutions was to get better (start) breathing on the left. Been doing it consistently during warm up / cool down laps. I know my technique needs work when I breathe on the right side. When doing these exercises and trying to breathe on the left, I look like I'm just learning how to swim.
I could really feel the fishtailing motion when I did the 200s. Minimal action (my perception) when breathing on the right. When breathing on the left, the legs went one way and shoulders/arms when the other.
Thanks for the challenge!!! I'm enjoying the work.
i know this sounds counterintuitive, or downright mean, but i'm very glad you're having all these problems. if you weren't, and it was all going hunky dory, i'd be at a loss to help you get faster. we know the disease. and we know the cure.
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman