Swim Training Programme - get yourself back into shape

[fcallagy]

well done lucia,
2k is a lot and in good time too.
Trying to do some preventitive work for the christmas at present but the local pool is closing today at 6 so last night was my last try. Chistmas dip on christmas day for charity will be the next one but not much exercise unless shivering counts
Regards Feargus.

 

[naiad]

And I'm back into dynamic training too! It's still tough to get into the cold pool though...

A few days ago I did my shortest swim session ever - about 5 minutes! I got in the shallow end and just couldn't face the cold water. It was also crowded, so I got out and asked the lifeguard if I could go in the small pool because there wasn't anyone using it. I used it for a few minutes, until it was used for lessons and I had to get out.

Maybe I can break this PB soon with a 3 minute swim!

Lucia

 

[oferdegi]

It's still tough to get into the cold pool though...

Yea, I know what you mean, Lucia - don't give up! I had the flu a couple of weeks ago, and since then I'm constantly cold, in the water or out of it. After each session, I find myself spending the next 2 days restoring body heat & compensating for lost energy. Do you wear a suit in your pool sessions? I just bought some long pants & shirt of bathing suit material - its an improvement, but not quite enough if I ever stop in order to breath up - I must get something thicker, or devise a way to be constantly in motion throughout the session.
But the big news is that I just got my new monofin - first one ever! First swim with it was yesterday. It was like the first time riding a horse (you know how they try to scrape your leg agains fences & trees, if they think they can get away with it!). I find it surprisingly hard to keep direction & produce efficient movement - I guess I just need lots and lots of practice. Today I feel my muscles ache and it's a good feeling! & tomorrow morning I'll try to get over the cold and go for another swim - I feel so challenged!

Ofer

 

[land shark]

Ok heres some points I have learned the hard way over the years.
There is no shortcut to good form it takes drilling and lots of it. Notice I said form not strength. Water is 800 times thicker than air. The trick is control,not bulging muscles thats what weights are for. During my workout I start slow and stretch the full length of my body for 100m same freestyle form. Depending on how I feel I spend the next 10mins on drilling part of my form that needs work (i.e. alternate side breath control mostly). Once my form seems comfortable I sprint for 50m which brings my heart rate up to the zone. Then I sprint and cruise and work on breath control to keep my heart rate in the zone for at least 20 mins. On the weekends I find 45 mins is the best. Then the best part cool down ussually 10 mins I like about 400m or more depending on time. swim as slow as you can without breaking form or any turbulence ( Its kind of a Zen thing). Then its off to the steam room for pranayama. It is all about keeping your heart rate in the zone for a good aerobic work out. More than one hour of zone time dont seem to improve much.
If you want strong legs go to the weight machines they will get you there in half the time maybe on alternate days? Did I mention I swim on alternate days? Never do the same workout two days in a row! Go for the weights Youll be fit in no time.

Umberto's book put me back on track. Its about aquicity. Balance and Form a reduction in turbulence(turbulence = tired).

I'll gety off my soap box now

jim

 

[oferdegi]

Thanks for sharing, Jim. Great advice!
I've never tried to monitor my pulse, maybe I should adopt that - do you just stop once in a while to take it, or is there some gadget involved?
BTW, do you also do dynamic as part of your pool training, or just swimming as aerobic activity?

Ofer

 

[land shark]

Ofer

I ussually check my pulse after the first sprint if its not there another sprint.
After a while you can tell if your there or not. There is a lap timer to check it with. Im almost always alone in the pool at the early hours before work so dynamics are out. I know when I used to swim with a lifeguard around Dynamics were a good way to wind down.
jim

 

[oferdegi]

Yes, I do the dynamics at the end, too. Even with a lifeguard at the pool, I don't do more than 25 m laps with a short recovery between them.
I forgot to ask you before: what pulse do you aim at? If you know how I should calculate it for myself, that would be great.
Thanks,
Ofer

 

[naiad]

If you want strong legs go to the weight machines they will get you there in half the time maybe on alternate days? Did I mention I swim on alternate days? Never do the same workout two days in a row! Go for the weights Youll be fit in no time.

I also find that going to the gym has a huge effect on my swimming ability. It builds strength, so swimming is much less effort.

Lucia

 

[Jon]

I spent last winter doing a lot of running and a little bit of lifting. What I found was that my Sunday runs were so long I was useless for my Monday night Underwater Hockey games.:crutch

I was running shorter distances, followed by weigths, at the end fo the summer. I ended up switching the weights for an after run swim. Eventually I just stuck to the pool since I don't ned to "psych" myself up for a swim- like I need to do when I run, I need a MUCH longer warm up for running as I get older to keep the injuries away.

Now I strictly swim and change things around a little bit each day. I have no buddy to watch me so my dynamics are nowhere near max and I do NO statics in the pool at all- just not safe without a proper buddy.

My swims are all around 90 minutes, except for Monday's wich are shorter because I don't want to be wiped for underwater hockey at night.
I had been doing bi-fins on Monday/ Wednesday/ Friday and Monofin stuff on Tuesday/ Thrusday, but then I broke my good mono and the back up is too painful to do much with.

I start with a halfmile of over/unders and then do some 50yd dynamics- with a good rest in between to make sure it's not too stressful sinc ethere is no proper buddy. Next 30 minutes is spent dolhin kicking 1 length and doing pulls back (pulls are arms only) This is done with my front mounted snorkel and a little device which fits on the top of it called a "Cardio Cap". This is a restrcition cap that increases the C02 retention on the snorkel by 40% to make the workout harder. Last 30 minutes is doen with very small rubber fins and it's just a front crawl with the same snorkel setup.

The number one thing that makes my swim possible is the waterproof MP3 player I got for Christmas! :inlove Swimming is so much more fun when you get to listen to (your own) music while you do it. Time just flies past and I'm done before I know it.

I know there are more diving related things I could do, like negatives to the deep end to work on depth, but without a buddy I just won't do it. I guess I could also do more fins free stuff, but since I never swim in real life without fins I decided not to- plus, it's more fun to swim with them on and fun is what keeps you coming back to the pool everyday.

Who knows, maybe in another month I be bored with swimming again and move back to running, but whatever it is, I make sure to get out and do something- bike season is just around the corner.

Jon

BTW: Please post more workouts on here as you see fit. I actually have a little waterpoof notebook full of different workouts that I have found on here, in magazines, and on videos. Whenever I start to get bored with one thing I look in my book and pick out something new. I especially am interested in people's monofin workout's. Well, I will be once I get mine back.

 

[island_sands]

Jon

BTW: Please post more workouts on here as you see fit. I actually have a little waterpoof notebook full of different workouts that I have found on here, in magazines, and on videos. Whenever I start to get bored with one thing I look in my book and pick out something new. I especially am interested in people's monofin workout's. Well, I will be once I get mine back.

! brilliant idea..never thought of that.

 

[land shark]

I started to do some green tea today after my workout out mmm. Im nowhere near as hungry as I was perhaps there is somthing more to the yoga thing.
Anybody know how long a Yoga Sunrise routine usually takes? Thinking about it.

ofer

It depends on your age I just grabbed mine off a chart in the gym It says around 130. I count my pulse for 6 secs then multiply by 10. Hope this helps.

jim

 

[naiad]

I'm thinking of doing a swim for charity soon. Still haven't decided what distance...

If I'm feeling very brave or foolish, 5km...

 

[island_sands]

I'm thinking of doing a swim for charity soon. Still haven't decided what distance...

If I'm feeling very brave or foolish, 5km...

Lucia i have changed my programme now.. do you want it? A little variation is good..

 

[oferdegi]

BTW: Please post more workouts on here as you see fit. I actually have a little waterpoof notebook full of different workouts that I have found on here, in magazines, and on videos. Whenever I start to get bored with one thing I look in my book and pick out something new. I especially am interested in people's monofin workout's. Well, I will be once I get mine back.

c'mon, Sara, ppppplease share your programme* with us! we're all eager for variation!

*unless it's a secret! rofl

 

[Old Man Dan]

Ofer,

I've been reading the posts for some time, but this is my first post. This is a great site; lots of great information, and lots of very interesting people.

I saw in one of your earlier posts that you were concerned about being overly reliant on using fins in your swim training. If I could make a suggestion, you might want to consider investing in a pair of Zoomer fins. It's a short-blade fin, and it's very well made (I've had my current pair for several years, and they get used at least 2 to 3 times a week). They provide enough propulsion that they assist your swimming, but not enough that you can rely on them; you still need to use your shoulders. If you do interval training with them you can really get your heart rate going. The Stanford University swim team uses them, and it has been a powerhouse in US collegiate swimming. Last time I checked, they run about $35 US.

I like to do interval swimming with them. I'll typically do a set of 10 x 100 yard swims on a 1:40 interval; I'll kick the first 50 yards and swim the second 50 yards. I usually alternate the kick segment, so that I do them both on my stomach and on my back; you use your leg muscles differently that way.

Good luck with your training.

Dan

 

[oferdegi]

Hi Dan, welcome aboard, and thanks for your contribution!
The interval training sounds interesting, I'd like to try out something like that. These days, a lot of my swim time goes into learning how to use my new monofin, but I still feel there's a lot to learn and perfect through more conventional swimming. About the Zoomers, I've been considering the possibility of getting a pair, but I'd like to try them out before buying - they look so short! Meanwhile, I took a pair of cheap fins and cut those a little shorter, but it's probably not the same effect. BTW, do you use the red or the blue kind? Is there any real difference? If I'd like to improve ankle flexibility, do you think it would be better to use the red ones, that are supposed to offer more resistance?

Thanks & good training,
Ofer

P.S Dan, I just looked up your profile & saw that you're a couple of months younger than me - maybe it's about time for me to become "Old man Ofer"? That would be an interesting change of perspective!

 

[naiad]

Lucia i have changed my programme now.. do you want it? A little variation is good..

Yes, I'd like to give it a try!

 

[Old Man Dan]

Hi Ofer,

If you get a pair of Zoomers, I would definitely get the red instead of the blue. The red blades are stiffer, and will make your ankles significantly more flexible. It's surprising; even with the short blade, you get a lot of propulsion from them.

How do find using the monofin? How does the technique for using a monofin differ from conventional fins? I've considered getting one, but I don't know much about them.

One of the great things about swimming is that it is a form of exercise you can do your whole life. I swim with a masters team here in New Orleans, and we have folks who are in their 70s and 80s and are still competing. It's pretty inspiring. I find as I get older, working on refining your technique yields great benefits, and I think that is one of the secrets to staying in swimming for a long time; it makes it more interesting, and you also have fewer injuries.

Regards, Dan

P.S. - "Old Man Ofer" - it has a nice ring to it!

 

[island_sands]

ok here goes Lucia
Small variation:

400m warm up (freestyle, but preferably front crawl)
200m front crawl, doing 2 strokes (s) - breath (b) - 4s b - 6s b
200m front crawl, doing 3s - b - 5s b - 7s - b
200m - legs only
200m - arms only (my legs sunk so i propped my ankles on a noodle and dragged it)
200m front crawl, doing 6kicks 1b
200m front crawl, doing 6kick 2b
400m slow cool down....

:crutch :crutch

 

[oferdegi]

Hi Dan!
I just arranged with a friend to borrow a pair of short fins & try them out. They're not zoomers, but it will just be enough to demonstrate the potential - if I can handle them, I'll go for zoomer reds.
What I really like about the monofin is the fact that it works mainly on core body muscles: abdominals, especially upper ones, back, buttocks & thighs. It feels radically different from any other form of swimming - much more fish/dolphin like. It's a long way to perfect style, but even now, some moments I don't feel I'm 'doing' anything like a 'stroke' - just wiggle through the water with very little effort. Of course, the reduced effort means you can cover more distance underwater for the same amount of oxygen.
If you feel like seeing some amazing monofin video clips, try out the following:
1. Peter Pedersen's 200 m world record:
http://www.spearfishing.com.au/cgi-bin/php-cgiwrap/adrenaline/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album13&page=1
2.Completely different style, high quality video of Teppo from Finland doing 153 m PB:
http://www.freedivingfinland.net/nuke/modules.php?op=modload&name=Downloads&file=index&req=getit&lid=24
There are many more, just run a search for monofin video clips, here or on the web.
You're right about swimming, improving style & age - in this matter, it's very similar to Tai-chi: you just keep improving all your life, taking less & less effort to do the same things as you get older!

All the best,
Ofer