How can I get maximum benefit from mixed sets

"Pat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

What I have in mind is to do side stroke, back stroke, front crawl, and breast stroke. Would it be
better to do, say, 1/4 mile of side stroke before changing to breast stroke? Or some other
arrangement?

Can some of you coaches out there give some advice on this?

When I do 4 laps of side stroke, my left leg gets fatigued where the femur joins to the pelvis
area. Should I stop then and go to a different stroke or continue to do 4 more laps in order to
"tough it out" and get to the 1/4 mile distance? Or maybe I should do one lap of each stroke in
rotation?

It depends on what your goals are. I guess that they are not to optimize your competitive
potential, because you would not be doing sidestroke if you were. Given that, I wouldn't tough it
out, especially if it causes you discomfort. Perhaps you could do it as if it were an individual
medley; you could change strokes in rotation as you suggest. Maybe 50 yards/meters of each would be
good for you.

Don

Quoted message said:

It depends on what your goals are. I guess that they are not to optimize

your

Quoted message said:

competitive potential, because you would not be doing sidestroke if you were. Given that, I
wouldn't tough it out, especially if it causes you

discomfort.

Quoted message said:

Perhaps you could do it as if it were an individual medley; you could

change

Quoted message said:

strokes in rotation as you suggest. Maybe 50 yards/meters of each would be good for you.

Don

Sometimes, when I do these mixed drills, I am trying to recover from cycling or my newest effort of
learning to skate with inline skates. The hematoma on my right femur is now gone and I can get back
to the skates, but in the meantime, I have been trying to work most of the major muscle groups of my
body, keep up my breathing, and help the hematoma resolve. The side stroke helps with the quads and
hamstrings a lot.

Pat in TX

Pat said:

What I have in mind is to do side stroke, back stroke, front crawl, and breast stroke. Would it be
better to do, say, 1/4 mile of side stroke before changing to breast stroke? Or some other
arrangement?

Can some of you coaches out there give some advice on this?

When I do 4 laps of side stroke, my left leg gets fatigued where the femur joins to the pelvis
area. Should I stop then and go to a different stroke or continue to do 4 more laps in order to
"tough it out" and get to the
1/4 mile distance? Or maybe I should do one lap of each stroke in rotation?

To me, that fatigue (pain?) indicates a muscle imbalance and/or tightening probably due to your
cycling. I would do some weight lifting with light weights. do some squats and use some of the
machines that exercise the pelvic area. It is curious you don't have the same problem in
breaststorke though.

martin

--
If you are a US citizen, please use your constitutional right to vote, because we badly need a new
president.

Quoted message said:

To me, that fatigue (pain?) indicates a muscle imbalance and/or tightening probably due to your
cycling. I would do some weight lifting with light weights. do some squats and use some of the
machines that exercise the pelvic area. It is curious you don't have the same problem in
breaststorke though.

martin

I think this particular pain at this time is due to my efforts at inline skating. I fell on that
side once and the other side twice. Also, I have an old soccer injury (about 5 years ago)--a torn
hamstring at the same site or nearly so. So, maybe scar tissue is part of the problem.

Pat in TX

Pat said:

Quoted message said:

To me, that fatigue (pain?) indicates a muscle imbalance and/or tightening probably due to your
cycling. I would do some weight lifting with light weights. do some squats and use some of the
machines that exercise the pelvic area. It is curious you don't have the same problem in
breaststorke though.

martin

I think this particular pain at this time is due to my efforts at inline skating. I fell on that
side once and the other side twice. Also, I have an old soccer injury (about 5 years ago)--a torn
hamstring at the same site or nearly so. So, maybe scar tissue is part of the problem.

Then both sidestroke and breaststroke could aggravate the problem, because they both ask for an
explosive use of the hip joint. I don't mean don't do those strokes, but warm up carefully, ease
into them, and maybe do those strokes at a lower effort level in general, use them for strengthening
the injured area, rather than as part of your aerobic training, at least until the problem goes
away. It could take a long time to fix. Stretching the are is also very important, after you are
warmed up, and again after the session.

martin

--
If you are a US citizen, please use your constitutional right to vote, because we badly need a new
president.