I have routinely been a 1:02-1:07 IM swimmer and looking to go sub 1 hour. However with work, time, commuting, life, etc. it looks like I am only going to be able to commit to two 1 hour masters swims per week. Is this enough to improve swim times? I know that if I came from a swim background and just looking to maintain form and stay sharp that 2 hours would be fine but I am looking to improve time and get more comfortable in the water, is it possible?
It’s going to depend on what kind of swim training got you to where you are now…Is the 2 masters workouts less than you’ve been doing up to this point?
Is your swim technique impeccable? or will your coach be able to find efficiency improvements?
For the last few years i’ve routinely done 3 swims per week on my own with no coach, no previous instruction and usually 1 session of 1 hour and two of 45 minutes (in general). My form is definitely not impeccable and and i’m sure a coach would be able to find areas of improvement. Thanks
Well, on the downside you are hoping to improve with less swimming than you’ve been doing.
If your coach is able to find improvements in efficiency for you then it’s possible. I assume that you’ll continue to have a great cardio fitness level due to running and cycling.
My guess is that you will probably stay plateau’d where you’re at.
Yes regarding the cardio; and the benefit of just the 2 swims per week will be that I will have more time to focus on run/bike where i’d be able to make up much more time than the 5 or so minutes during the swim. Thanks
If you throw in two weight workouts, that specialize in upper body stuff, with a lot of swim bench style stuff, you can improve quite a bit with just two swims a week. You can get most the stuff really cheap that you need, and then can do it at home where it is easy to fit in…
Work with someone who can help you get your technique to something close to perfect.
And when you are in the water: threshold and vo2 max sets. threshold and vo2 max sets. threshold and vo2 max sets. No wasting time with easy swimming, get in and crush things.
This sounds interesting. Are you talking stretch cords? What exercises/equipment specifically would you recommend?
Stretch cords are good, but you know those benches that Chuck Norris promotes, you can find old ones for 10 or 20 bucks at swap meets and gararge sales. THose work good for swimming, you can set the bench at whatever angle you need for more resistance, and then do high elbow pulls using your body weight. I have two of them. Cost over a grand new, but end up being junk in peoples houses that had some big idea they were going to work out, kind of like the cross country ski machine. I remember that there was one of those in just about every house I ever visited…
Other than that, some cheap free weights, with a bench is all you need. Once again, garage sales and swap meets are great place to get this stuff, sometimes free at the end of the day because they do not want to lift it back into their trucks, and have to screw with it again…
I would try to swim more often, maybe 3-4 times a week but a total of 2 hours. It is better to train more often than just twice a week.
It is all about technique.
So why would it be that more frequency would be more beneficial if overall time is the same- you’re saying something like four 30min swims per week would be better than two 1 hour swims per week? Thanks
if you never reach the level of 1h swim at a ironman and what to reach it on 2h a week, it s pretty much impossible…
there is no way around improving but passing more time in the water. I suggest you to invest in finding strategy to get yourself in the water 4 maybe 5 times and you will have a shot at improving.
i m sure it s not the answer you look for but it s the real answer to this question… yes you can do weight, streach chords and what ever else you can think off but be in the water is what matter.
Am planning to go sub 1hr this year with about 3 x 40min swims a week. It will be a wetsuit swim and the lake will need to be pretty calm. Have a year pass at a very good local pool but haven’t been getting along like I shouls recently. Actually they made a mistake and rolled over my yearly pool card from a couple of years ago. strange , but have no excuses. just have to knock 23secs off my swim time.
Did swim 4 x week for a couple of months in winter though focusing alot on swimming.
I reckon try and go sub 23mins in a well measured standard tri first(i.e a 1500m swim).
Am very interested in some of the above advice. Some specific weight training does sound good to keep in shape.
Will be trying to do a bit more open water swimming when the time gets near also.
I have routinely been a 1:02-1:07 IM swimmer and looking to go sub 1 hour. However with work, time, commuting, life, etc. it looks like I am only going to be able to commit to two 1 hour masters swims per week. Is this enough to improve swim times? I know that if I came from a swim background and just looking to maintain form and stay sharp that 2 hours would be fine but I am looking to improve time and get more comfortable in the water, is it possible?
What is your swimming background? Are you a fish that has swum for years, or did you start swimming in order to do triathlons? When you did learn, how did you learn?
Refining technique is going to be much more beneficial than anything. That way you get more speed out of less effort. I’d recommend 3 hours a week. 2 hours crushing sets at the level TC recommended, and another hour working with a stroke mechanics coach (Not a swim coach, there is a difference). That one hour on technique refinement will pay huge dividends out the other side of the equation.
Perfecting stroke mechanics is not a linear improvement equation, it’s an exponential one.
John
Work with someone who can help you get your technique to something close to perfect.
And when you are in the water: threshold and vo2 max sets. threshold and vo2 max sets. threshold and vo2 max sets. No wasting time with easy swimming, get in and crush things.
What she said.
Due to life/work constraints, I averaged 1 swim at 4000m/week in the months preceding IMAZ and I pulled of a :55, so yeah, it can be done. I have years of college and club swimming experience to draw on, but I’m 35 so who know what residual effect that has other than the knowledge I can do it. Every workout I did was focused on technique at speed. Hard, long sets, minimal rest, no garbage yardage just to say I did it. And I know others may disagree but my “secret” is doing lots of IM. I have no issue sharing this tip as I’m sure the masses who want to swim faster will disregard it.
If I were you, I would advise getting into the fastest lane you can and then try and lead that lane, move up and repeat. No going at the end of the lane, no bailing out on kick sets with fins. If you aren’t fast enough to lead the lane the whole workout on day one, you will be given enough time.
I finally quit Master’s Swimming. Started lifting weight’s, lot’s of reps between Jan & March, then started swimming in April for July race, only swam 4 x’s a week in a pool & lake swims. Started with wetsuit until water warmed up then I only pulled, using pull-bouy. Got under 1hr after 6 previous try’s at 1:06 to 1:02=58:34, felt great, next year going for 56-58 min in the swim. Next project bike 5:20 down from 5:36, run down from 4:20 to 4hrs.
"If I were you, I would advise getting into the fastest lane you can and then try and lead that lane, move up and repeat. "
Not sure I would go with this advice. especially if you don’t come from a swim training background.
I do all my swim training by myself these days and am sure alot of other people here on ST are in the same boat.
I can still push really hard. i take it easy warming up and then once well warmed up go pretty hard out. When I start feeling tired i see if i can push through it. Same days i can and even move up a gear. Other days I am flat and after trying to go hard in a few sets will change to some other stroke/technique and shorten the session.
Of course you will have to push yourself and do some fast reps as the big day approaches. it is all out there and if you do a search on ST you will find this thread before.
G.
I am looking to improve time and get more comfortable in the water, is it possible?
No. People underestimate the energy it takes to swim 3.8. The overall cost is usually pretty high. The “I was on track to break 10 Hr’s but my stomach shut down” race reports are usually the result of swimming too hard relative to fitness. The inability to process calories later in the race often starts in the swim.
The common view is that working harder on bike and run will save the greater amount of time. True if you aren’t so blown from the swim that you can actually bike and run to your fitness.
I hear what you are saying to basically make the most of my limited time in the water but to hammer as hard as I can in the fastest lane possible; I feel like by just trying to hammer through I would be sacrificing focusing on forms- where’s the balance or happy medium?
You swam under 1 hour that’s great but you also mention that you were able to swim 4 times per week, I don’t have that capability.