Looking for suggestions on best swim resources for brand new adult swimmer. I’ve spent time with a coach and had my technique analyzed. Feel confident in knowledge more than actual performance. That said, totally clueless on proper training sessions to build endurance in the water. Help!?
Swimsmooth.com is pretty good I think. Especially like their CSS score for using a consistent metric to see how you are progressing.
I like:
Online:
Swimsmooth.com and their blog - feelforthewater.com
Swiming Science Journal - http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/swim/
Webinars from USA Swimming: http://www.usaswimming.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=1920&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en
Offline:
Swim coach bible vol II
Swim Smooth book
Training and racing with a power meter (full srs, its all about training to output and what it does and when you have read the two other books, watched 10 webinars, read a year worth of posts on the feelforthewater blog and read a handful of articles in the Swimming Science Journal shit just come together).
Check The Race Club, they have some very nice videos on technique & exercises in their multimedia & aquanotes section
http://www.theraceclub.com/category/videos/
http://www.theraceclub.com/category/aqua-notes/.
In no particular order but all worthy resources and as of right now FREE…
“The Just Ask Jason Thread”
“The Just Ask Eric Thread”
“The Just Ask Tiger Thread”
“The Just Ask Jonnyo Thread”
“The Just Ask DirtyMangos Thread”
The ST Just Ask Thread is a pretty good resource…too many to list.
Oh, and on occasion I have seen Anna Cleaver post on ST. She is an all right swimmer too. 
Sounds like you are looking for a program more than technique tips?
Assuming you are in the states, check the US Masters Swimming website (usms.org) for masters clubs / groups in your area. Most clubs are pretty welcoming. They aren’t a place to get swim lessons, but if you can swim 1000-1500m over the course of an hour’s practice, they would work and you can learn a lot from the coaches and other swimmers. Different groups cater to different abilities, and most allow you to drop in and out according to your schedule. If you are having trouble keeping up, it usually isn’t an issue to hang out at the back of the lane and skip repeats when you need extra rest (just don’t mess up the flow of the lane).
If you can’t do that and have to swim on your own, do a search on this site for Slowman’s “Guppy” workouts and follow them. You might want to do through that cycle 2 or 3 times, or more, depending on how fast you progress. Then do a search for the “tarpon” workouts and do them…
All that said, at this stage in your swimming, it is less about doing a “program” and more about getting in the water and swimming, at a variety of paces. There are some folks on here who I think would be perfectly happy doing the exact same swim practice every day, and they aren’t slow by any stretch…
In no particular order but all worthy resources and as of right now FREE…
“The Just Ask Jason Thread”
“The Just Ask Eric Thread”
“The Just Ask Tiger Thread”
“The Just Ask Jonnyo Thread”
“The Just Ask DirtyMangos Thread”
The ST Just Ask Thread is a pretty good resource…too many to list.
Oh, and on occasion I have seen Anna Cleaver post on ST. She is an all right swimmer too.
I’m doubling my rate, effective immediately…
In no particular order but all worthy resources and as of right now FREE…
“The Just Ask Jason Thread”
“The Just Ask Eric Thread”
“The Just Ask Tiger Thread”
“The Just Ask Jonnyo Thread”
“The Just Ask DirtyMangos Thread”
The ST Just Ask Thread is a pretty good resource…too many to list.
Oh, and on occasion I have seen Anna Cleaver post on ST. She is an all right swimmer too.
This is pretty useless advice without links. I’ve been around these parts for a good while, and using the search function I couldn’t find them.
psst… those aren’t actual threads…
Also, I will plug our own monthly fish threads on this forum. They don’t really rise to the level of a “program”, but it does give an idea of what types of sets / volumes other swimmers are doing.
Thanks all!
To add to everyone’s great resources, here’s another one that I like
http://joelfilliol.blogspot.com/2012/01/most-popular-post-on-this-blog-is-is.html
happy training
.
I will have to say the progress I have seen from a friend using a Swim Smooth CSS training program has been huge. He always swam plenty of yardage and 3-4 times a week, but it was messy and a lot of unfocused garbage yardage. He is swimming a bit less total yardage now, but way faster. If memory serves he was maybe just breaking 30 for an Olympic swim 2 seasons ago and is now under 25
Echoing the Swim Smooth suggestion. Also, if you like books and read and re-read information as you digest the visuals, check out the Swim Smooth book - I have found it incredibly helpful and refer to it often. Same information as on the website but more detail and explanation. Speaking of books, also: Sheila Taormina’s Swim Speed Secrets - great explanation of the high-elbow catch.
What about advice for endurance? Or increasing endurance I should say. I can run our ride forever, but swimming, one lap and I’m needing a quick rest. Obviously not finishing a mile swim any time soon. Suggestions on how to improve? Just volume?
if you are completely gassed after a lap, endurance isn’t the issue. technique is. You probably aren’t getting enough air and/or are over-exerting.
relax, breathe out while your face is in the water, breathe in while your face is out of the water… go back to the coach you consulted and work with them for a while…
For new swimmers I always suggest Swim Speed Secrets by Sheila Taormina. Breaks down the elements of the freestyle swim stroke in a very quick and easy to understand book. Plus, you can get the Swim Speed Workouts as a supplement to learn and ingrain everything taught in the book while at the pool.
I’m not an expert and others in this forum can give better advice. But what worked for me is, yes, volume, also paying attention to good form. Those two things always go together: volume (fitness) and good form (technique). If you’re currently doing one lap and need a rest, you can follow a progression along these lines:
- make sure that one lap is done with good form (don’t know where you swim, but guessing it’s a 25 met. or yard pool)
- Once you can manage 10 or 20 repeats, make that 50s (two laps)
- Then 75s and then 100s
- Note the length of the repeat doesn’t keep getting bigger, once you reach 100s or 200s do more repeats, vary the kinds of repeats you do or start focusing on doing those repeats a bit faster.
I hope that helps.