Amdending post since a lot of people are reading way more into the original comment than I was intending. My bad. so, I’ll clarify.
Wanna gat faster? It doesn’t need to be complicated. You can see improvement on doing nothing but 50’s on 1:00. You just need to be honest with yourself and put the work in. hit the basics and make every day count.
old text -* (wanna get faster? 120x50 on 1:00 is all you need. Do that every day and you’ll improve (read the article though, there’s some twists)*
(Just to get it out of the way, I’m in no way a fan of Sutton). I came across this through my fb feed, and it looks like sound advice.
If you’re limited to a 60min swim, just go through the set once. I’d also argue that it doesn’t quite meet the needs of modern sprinters with the importance of the underwaters.
Interesting. I like his answers on tho questions at the end.
It would seem to me that the biggest gain with this protocol is with conditioning and VO2 improvement - which is important. But maybe stroke mechanism and form improve a good bit also - by naturally morphing into a more efficient technique and/or form.
Like the old saying goes, if you typically go out on your bike and ride 18 mph ave then you will always be a 18 mph rider. That won’t cut it come race time.
If we’re dealing with triathletes (not the top swim squad folks in his article), you could take his methodology and simplify it even more -
Show up for swim practice 5 days per week, 2 hrs per day. 10hrs/wk should get you into the front of the triathlon pack after a few years, and if you’ve got any sort of natural talent for it, you’ll likely be FFOP with that kind of volume!
There’s also going to be some serious self-selection in that Newcastle group. How many kids do you know of as well as their parents who are going to commit to 2 hrs/day, 5 days/wk, with NO EXCUSES, if they are joe-average talent? (And I’m not talking joe-average compared to their competitive swim peers, I’m talking joe-average compared to Mr. Everyman, which is the talent pool most AG triathletes are dealing with.) I was a top violinist in the country in my youth, did Juillliard music school, and 5 days a week of ‘must-be-there’ practice at a facility would have been a no-go even for me back then!
Not saying his approach wouldn’t work (swimming 10hrs+/wk with lots of intensity and quality will always work for AGers!), but I’d be a lot more impressed if such a plan of nothing but 50s on the clock would work for the typical AG triathlete who is lucky to swim more than 4hrs/wk. In particular, I’d be impressed if you could cut that down to 2-3 hrs/wk and outperform other swimmers of same ability who are doing 5-6 hrs/wk, just because the regimen of those 50s is so good.
Wait, you/ Sutto’re suggesting that swimming 6k daily, 5x a week will make you a better swimmer? Weird hypothesis. /snark
Note: I’m a big fan of 50s on the 60. I do them often. Mix in strokes. But, ew, to suggest 120x50 daily for the entire season? I’d probably fall asleep mid-set on day 3, which can’t be all that good. Even with the stroke and cones tactic, it’d get old quickly. I think the biggest reason most other coaches mix it up is to keep their swimmers engaged and to provide differing stressors.
Wait, you/ Sutto’re suggesting that swimming 6k daily, 5x a week will make you a better swimmer? Weird hypothesis. /snark
Note: I’m a big fan of 50s on the 60. I do them often. Mix in strokes. But, ew, to suggest 120x50 daily for the entire season? I’d probably fall asleep mid-set on day 3, which can’t be all that good. Even with the stroke and cones tactic, it’d get old quickly. I think the biggest reason most other coaches mix it up is to keep their swimmers engaged and to provide differing stressors.
I see the main point of the article is going straight over your head. Hint, it isn’t about the specifics of the workout. Or self selection (which is true of any sport), or any of that stuff.
The point is that there aren’t any secrets. It doesn’t need to be complicated.
I see the main point of the article is going straight over your head. Hint, it isn’t about the specifics of the workout. Or self selection (which is true of any sport), or any of that stuff.
The point is that there aren’t any secrets. It doesn’t need to be complicated.
Ok mysterious one please clarify for us unenlightened ones
Interesting for sure. I also like 50’s on the 60, I might incorporate more fly/back/breast into my workouts. I suck at fly but I’m thinking for a set of 10 I’ll wear fins until I get a better hold on it. I’m already a FOP/MOP 50+ AG swimmer so this might be a good experiment. When I swim back and breast and really work it I get gassed pretty quickly.
It’s interesting, but like I was saying to lightheir, there’s nothing magic about 120 x 50 on 60. That particular interval could be substituted with just about anything, as long as the kids could make the interval.
It’s about showing up every day and being committed, and enforcing accountability . In this case through process (attendance) and performance (weekly club meets) metrics.
As far as specifics, they worked through a full range of intensities, some moderate and some very high intensities. That generally works well. It’s not just getting in and swimming mindless meters.
That would be a tough consistent set for me even doing all the yardage in freestyle.
On our birthdays we get to pick the workout at our Masters group. I usually do my birthday X 50 on the 1:00. At 60 X 50 this year I did not get much rest toward the end. Maybe a good challenge for 2020 - see how many before I can’t hold it. Then see if I can better that - week on week.
The secret is consistency. Spend more time training and less time on message boards and you will get faster.
No, consistency is only a part of it, but not the only piece or secret.
There are quite a few middling AG triathletes who are VERY consistent with swim training. They are very consistent in putting up 2000yds/workout, 3 times per week, without fail, year round. With plenty of mixed interval intensities in there, from aerobic to all-out.
And many (?most) of these AG triathletes can’t even break out of the MOP, and for the less fortunate, they’re stuck in BOP. They are very, very consistent but it’s absolutely not enough to be a good swimmer.
Consistency + volume increases start rounding out the equation. Sutto’s consistency isn’t 2000yds/workout 3 times per week - it’s 6000 per workout, 5+ times per week, so in the range of 30k/wk. NOW we’re talking real improvement.
I’d argue those two are the main message. All the other stuff is helpful, but without those two, your improvement will be very limited except for the gifted ones.
I also find it very noteable that in all the KQ people I’ve heard interviewed here and elsewhere, zero of them are approaching 30k/wk in swimming at any point in the entire buildup for Kona, if ever in their tri careers.
Wait, you/ Sutto’re suggesting that swimming 6k daily, 5x a week will make you a better swimmer? Weird hypothesis. /snark
Note: I’m a big fan of 50s on the 60. I do them often. Mix in strokes. But, ew, to suggest 120x50 daily for the entire season? I’d probably fall asleep mid-set on day 3, which can’t be all that good. Even with the stroke and cones tactic, it’d get old quickly. I think the biggest reason most other coaches mix it up is to keep their swimmers engaged and to provide differing stressors.
I was thinking that exact same thing at first too, but I think the variable sprints within each of the sets of 10 would force you to be pretty hyper focused. Still, there’s no question that it would be a pretty monotonous existence for anyone in that club, focused or not.
5x matters way more than 30k. I make the same rate of improvement on 5x3k as I do on 5x5k until I plateau. After that, I have to add volume.
I thought everyone knew that 3x won’t get you very far.
Get wet, swim hard, rinse&repeat, alot.
Everyone knows you have to swim more period, but do you think most triathletes realistically swim 5x.per week 3k each session while doing bike run in a race build? Do you even do that?
Consistency and volume are critical but the far.more relevant and useful question is how you fit that into a plan of swim bike run year round consistently.
Read thru the Sutton workout and I think the thing that stood out, which I believe would help every swimmer, is the fact that it is multi stroke.
No Tri swim program I have ever been in (admittedly only a few) ever does another stroke.
I saw this too. Thought it was pretty sound (but what do I know?), and my god that’s a lot of volume. The distance swims seemed like they would benefit triathletes if done every couple weeks, esp without swim meets to track progress. This could be a good experiment for a few weeks.
5x matters way more than 30k. I make the same rate of improvement on 5x3k as I do on 5x5k until I plateau. After that, I have to add volume.
I thought everyone knew that 3x won’t get you very far.
Get wet, swim hard, rinse&repeat, alot.
And when you’re in the pool: swim hard, recover briefly; rinse&repeat alot. I’ve gotten pretty far in USMS swimming on 5x+/-2.5k week; and even been able to maintain a FOFOP competitive Sprint swim leg on 3x+/-2.5k, doing mostly short rest 25’s, 50’s, 75’s, & 100’s. Triathletes often seem to greatly undervalue the aerobic benefits of HIIT/USRPT/VO2max-interval swim training.