I am a weak swimmer (HIM: 39:00, IMLP: 1:32) but making progress since last season with private lessons, underwater videotape, etc). I swim 3 days a week, usually 1200 to 1500 yards per session. Last year my all out 100 time was 1:40. I have made some improvements and am now at around 1:25, but I can’t sustain that pace for more than one. My easy pace is about 1:50 and I can do 5-7 x 100 on 2:00 and come in around 1:40. I know my stroke still needs a lot of work, but at the paces I am now swimming, should I concentrate more on increasing yardage per session and cut down on the amount of drills I am doing? I usually do a 500 easy warmup, 400 yds of drills, then 300-500 of hard intervals, either 50s, 100s or 200s.
I have read all of the threads about volume v. technique work, but was curious whether at my pace it is now more about upping the yardage rather than continuing to focus on drills. I don’t have time during the week to spend more than 45:00 per session in the pool, but will be starting a masters group tomorrow which should help increase my yardage.
I have also thought about switching a run day for another swim to increase the time in the pool, since the run is my strength (Olympic run: 38 flat, sprint: 19:xx), but I seem to run better on 5-6 days a week.
Id say 300 to 500 warmup and drills, make the main at least 1000. You are training for a 1500 straight (sounds like) so def more volume than 500 in the main set.
Tecnqiue is the number one limiter to people improving their swim time, but your volume is very low. Look to try and swim 4 times a week and extending your workouts to 2.5-3k’s (1200-1500y will not be of much help). The extra mileage will help you get a better feel for the water and get stronger. Most people can get to near 1hr on basic volume alone, you’ll find that youll (to a point) will naturally develop a better tecnqiue, beyond that though without coaching it gets very hard to lose any more time.
I think 10k’s a week is a pretty sustainable figure for most AG athletes, maybe over the off-season have a 1 month specific swim block, I swum everyday for a month.
You are doing just as much drill work as your main set? What can you possibly improve with 1200m of drills a week after a week or two? You’re probably improving your ability to do the drills, but that doesn’t mean anything for your full stroke. I’d drop the drills down a bunch and try and improve your actual swim. If there is a problem that your coach can point out to you, make a conscious effort to correct it while swimming.
Pyro, as you can tell from my slowtwitch handle Im no “fishie” so perhaps I can give you a somewhat rare perspective on getting faster…not fast. My first IM WAS a 130 but has been improving ever since. Heres what seemes to help me - it really is being secure enough in your running ability to take some chances. Back off the runs to about three times per week. Swim four times a week and crank up that yardage, well meterage here inCanada. I went from 130 to 120 and then to a respectable 115 by doing that with very little drill stuff. Another key was once I felt secure enough in my swim fitness, not ability, I seeded myself in the middle of the oack and really used the fishies pull me along.
Your yardage is way too low. Add another swim day and bump up the yards to at least 2000 per session. Use pull buoy and paddles if you must. You’ll never get anywhere on less than 7000 yards per week. Once you see and appreciate what increased volume can do you’ll probably be so excited that you add another swim day.
Your yardage is way too low. Add another swim day and bump up the yards to at least 2000 per session. Use pull buoy and paddles if you must. You’ll never get anywhere on less than 7000 yards per week. Once you see and appreciate what increased volume can do you’ll probably be so excited that you add another swim day.
x2. If you are on the low end for a week, you come in around 3500 or so. The fish consider that a single workout.
“You are doing just as much drill work as your main set? What can you possibly improve with 1200m of drills a week after a week or two? You’re probably improving your ability to do the drills, but that doesn’t mean anything for your full stroke. I’d drop the drills down a bunch and try and improve your actual swim. If there is a problem that your coach can point out to you, make a conscious effort to correct it while swimming.”
+1, couldnt agree more, way too many drills, need to seriously bump up the mileage and focus on some fitness sets.
Masters will help a lot thats for sure. I convinced someone to join whos a back of the pack swimmer and he thanked me for convincing him to sign up for it cause its made a world of difference.
Yeah, I agree with Pyromaniac, join a masters group and get that yardage per session up. I think you would be better suited doing 2 days a week of 3-3.5k than 3 days of 1.5-2k. Your yardage per session is equivalent to a warmup set in our masters group. Just sayin’ for frame of reference. Your workouts should be on average at least as long as the races you are training for and ideally a little longer.
There is no need to do drills in every session. The drills are to improve your stroke, if you aren’t using the drills learned during the main set, then you are simple wasting your time. As everyone has said, add a day and yardage. To get faster, you have to hold form and swim fast threshold types sets with minimal rest. Given your comments I would suggest something like 15 x 100 on 1:55 aiming for 1:45 type pace. Similarly you could do 5 x 500 (like above) holding 1:50 pace. Add kick sets also, as this will help your form and body position…
Regarding your run - how much slower will you be if you miss a run day; versus how much faster will you be if you add a swim day. My guess is you won’t change your run time (perhaps loose a few seconds) but could drop minutes on your swim - Net gain.
combine your warm up with your drill set, something like 25d 25s for your entire warm up. Now your main set is 700-900. Which is a start for improving.
I am not even as fast as you, but I would listen to Desert Dude. under 1k of a main set is just too little. That is like training for an IM and only running 10k’s. Your main set is only taking you something like 15-20 minutes to do. Do your 5-7 100’s then maybe do a 100 slow for recovery, then repeat your 5-7 100’s.
BUT THIS IS COMING FROM SOMEONE WHO IS BATTLING TO PACE BELOW 2.00, BUT WILL SOON GET FIRST EVER STROKE TRAINING.
I might get flamed for this and some people will shriek because they are probably lying to themselves but here it is…Technique training is worthless without volume. If you want to swim faster, better, more efficiently, you need to swim more.
Because sets vary and people swim at different speeds; instead of giving you yardage ‘requirements’, I’ll give you some very basic parameters in time-
Swim 1-1:10 at least 4 to six times a week; on the days that you are doing speed work…the workout can be a little shorter and the main set distance covered will be a bit shorter. Also, do not discredit time spent with fins, paddles, etc. Typically, I structure my workouts like this:
1k - 1500 of warm up/drills/etc or 15 to 25 minutes of warm up/drills/etc
1500 - 2500 Main Set (if it’s a sprint day, the main set is closer to 600-1k) or 20 to 35 minutes of main set
500-1500 strength / toys / assisted set: IE: 500 paddles + fins + snorkel / 500 pads / 500 snorkel. This gives you a chance to increase distance / time in the pool and maintain, improve or thing about your technique. or 10 to 20 minutes of shake down
Thanks for all the input. I had my first ever masters workout today and it was great. 2400 yards total. I pushed myself much harder than I usually do, and only had to sit out one kick set. I can’t seem to generate any forward movement using a kickboard.
I will report back after a month of 7000 or more yards per week.
I will also post some video soon for critique, but I am getting private lessons twice a month.
Not sure about dropping a run day yet. If I do I can always increase the pace of a few runs.
Starting tomorrow, do 5 x 500 every other day. Each time out, try to do each set faster than the one before. Check back with us in a month or two.
Disagree with this.
500’s are too long for a slow swimmer to try and hold any sort of reasonable form.
Considering the OP’s current volume and times, they would be better off with a 3-400 warm up, start out with 10 x 100 on 2:00 (all easy), building to at least 20 x 100 on 2:00 (again , all easy), and once they have achieved that, then start adding some pace and reducing the send off.
However, the best thing the OP could ever do is swim every other day. Even if it is at their current session volume and then build from there.
A lot has been posted recently on swimming & how to get 2min/100 people faster.
Is it volume or technique work?
I think it’s obvious that neither one in isolation will work to any great extent. It depends on how fast you want to go, of course.
Getting your technique better will certainly set a nice platform to build on. Why not reinforce good technique with volume?