I spend hours doing drills and trying to improve my technique. My technique has improved although there are definitely more improvements to be made. However, I never seem to get any faster… I can dip just under 2 mins for 100m long course. 10:30 for 500m, 22-23 mins for 1K.
Is there anything I can do other than technique work, which is making minimal gains. Intervals like in running? If so, how best to do them?
Thank you
Get a video analysis done.
Someone needs to view your stroke and give feedback.
Then the usual things:
Swim more
Swim with faster people
Get a video analysis done.
Someone needs to view your stroke and give feedback.
Then the usual things:
Swim more
Swim with faster people
Had loads of swim analysis. I can now quite easily watch a video of myself and see the faults. But working on them is not making me faster:
Get a video analysis done.
Someone needs to view your stroke and give feedback.
Then the usual things:
Swim more
Swim with faster people
Had loads of swim analysis. I can now quite easily watch a video of myself and see the faults. But working on them is not making me faster:
How long has this process been going on for?
What are your target distances race wise?
How many is “loads” of swim analysis?
It would seem as much as you are working on things you are potentially not getting the right advice as to what you are doing wrong.
If you technique is relatively poor then no amount of reinforcing the same technique flaws is going to make you faster.
Post some videos on here if you like and you will get some good advice as to what you are doing wrong.
Have you tried doing hard 25’s or 50’s with a lot of rest?
A lot means 1000-2000 meters worth.
Nope. That’s the kind of thing I’m thinking of trying.
Those are tedious but helpful.
Sometimes I’d do 5 sets of 12(25’s) with 30 seconds rest so I can go faster.
Those are tedious but helpful.
Sometimes I’d do 5 sets of 12(25’s) with 30 seconds rest so I can go faster.
How much rest between 50’s?
I was also thinking of maybe a hard 50 followed by a slow 50 back focusing on technique, maybe? Or is just every length flat out?
Those are tedious but helpful.
Sometimes I’d do 5 sets of 12(25’s) with 30 seconds rest so I can go faster.
How much rest between 50’s?
I was also thinking of maybe a hard 50 followed by a slow 50 back focusing on technique, maybe? Or is just every length flat out?
Rest for 1/4 to 1/2 the amount of time it takes to swim the 50. The more rest the faster pace you should be able to hold.
Hard 50 / slow 50’s are also great.
If you swim 3x a week you just came up with two of the workouts.
For this specific purpose I’d be getting at least 30 seconds, probably more like 45 for it to be effective. There is a time for short rest 50’s, this isn’t it.
You work on the speed and technique at the same time like this article explains:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/Training/General_Training/The_High_Cost_of_Good_Form_3273.html
swimming should be ALL interval training.
Hop on over on the No Dry July thread for some ideas.
How many times a week do you swim?
How many times a week do you swim?
Normally 3.
swimming should be ALL interval training.
Hop on over on the No Dry July thread for some ideas.
Yeah I’m not doing long continuous distances. Today I did drills of 100s and 200s and finish with a 500. What I haven’t been doing though are flat out fast as I can intervals of 50.
I am a front of pack swimmer and my advice to you is swim more. I only swam summer league swimming growing up- not year round. But when I got serious about triathlon I started swimming more. 5-6 days a week. After having to take time out of the pool for different time lengths and for different reasons, I tested different methods to come back. 3 bigger swims a week 5k+ each one (up to a 10k one) or 5-6 swims 2-4k each. Can you guess which worked better? Frequency is so important in swimming. Need that neuromuscular adaptations. This is where you will find that “feel” everyone talks about. Drills are good but if you aren’t swimming 4x+ times a week it won’t matter as much. I say 3x a week is maintaining swim fitness and 4x is minimum for people to make true improvements. And as others say, intervals! The suggestion about doing 25s and 50s is good. Start with shorter intervals keeping that good form you have been working on. Build the speed until your form is about to break down and then stop and don’t go any faster. Keep doing this and slowly increase speed and distance until you can go faster holding good form. Hope this helps. Good luck mate!
How long have you been swimming and what is your background? I am an adult onset swimmer and have gradually become FOP (age group). The secret is that there is no secret. Swim 2000m a day, everyday (well, 5 days a week), for at least 5 straight years (I’m on 43 straight). I guarantee you will be faster. My buddy who is a hulk of a man but was not a swimmer wanted to do an Ironman and have a reasonable swim. I said join me every day for 5 years and then you can do your ironman. He did not like that answer, but did it!! He is now right with me in triathlon/Ironman swims.
Those are tedious but helpful.
Sometimes I’d do 5 sets of 12(25’s) with 30 seconds rest so I can go faster.
So 60 x 25 with 30 sec rest between each 25. That’s around 45-50 min for 1500 hard yards/meters.
In reading this and almost every other ‘how to get better at swimming’ thread on this forum, there is no silver bullet, as much as you, me and all of our fellow AOS want there to be.
The best answers always boil down to swim way more than you think you need to. 10k a week seems to be the minimum to start to improve speed, and as other have on this thread said frequency is the key to that.
On the other hand, I still cant imagine being one of those guys that is in the pool for 30k+ a week. Seems impossible to achieve that time in the pool combined with the other two sports and a life on top of that.
swimming should be ALL interval training.
Hop on over on the No Dry July thread for some ideas.
Yeah!
She’s a PHD for a reason.
My go to is 12x100 on 2:05. I call it my trip around the clock.
At your level I’d do on the 2:15. Almost full rest, but make each 100 “hard.” Speed is a good teacher.
** 50s on the 1:15 (75 in swim/track speak), maybe even 1:25.
Track your times and suffer for improvement. Kids do it, every day x2!
Unfortunately I can’t get to my lap pool every day as it is 45 mins away and I don’t have time every day. I can do a tethered swim on the other days, not sure how useful that would be. My location is definitely not conducive to swimming unfortunately.