Swimming expectations...

[Harrow]

I have been swimming 1500m in 30 minutes for some time with no real signs of further gain. Is this the sort of plateau I should expect?

I don't want to waste a lot of time training in swimming just to gain another minute, when the extra training might be better spent on the bike to save 10 minutes.

What sort of times would should average Joe Blow expect to achieve over this swimming distance?

I ask this question because I was reading a swimming book where the suggested training program had 50m splits of 45 seconds, and there is no way I could do this, but it was suggesting that everyone should be able to work toward this goal. Is this realistic ??

Thanks,
Harrow.

 

[Tom Henderson]

Harrow <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:

> I have been swimming 1500m in 30 minutes for some time with no real signs of further gain. Is this
> the sort of plateau I should expect?
>
> I don't want to waste a lot of time training in swimming just to gain another minute, when the
> extra training might be better spent on the bike to save 10 minutes.
>
> What sort of times would should average Joe Blow expect to achieve over this swimming distance?
>
> I ask this question because I was reading a swimming book where the suggested training program had
> 50m splits of 45 seconds, and there is no way I could do this, but it was suggesting that everyone
> should be able to work toward this goal. Is this realistic ??
>
> Thanks, Harrow.
>
>
>
> --
> This forum is a gateway to the rec.sport.triathlon usenet newsgroup. Any posts you make in this
> forum will be propogated to usenet.
>

You are absolutely correct that gains made in cycling are "worth" more on race day than swimming
gains. However, you may be able to make gains in swimming without increasing the time you already
spen trianing in that discipline.

If your current training consists of getting in the pool and swimming 1500m for time with a
warmup/cooldown on either side of it, you won't see much improvement in your performace after a few
initial gains. Try mixing in some drills, sprint sets, and medium distance sets that focus on form
and speed. Here's an off the cuff example:

Warm up:
---------
200 free 200 kick 200 pull 200 free

Main workout:
---------------
6x50, evens: Balance off the wall and in the middle, odds: 3x6 drill 8x50 free on an interval that
gives you about 10 seconds rest at the beginning 1x100 backstroke easy 3x100 descend 1-3 1x100
breast easy 3x100 descend 1-3 1x100 pull

Cool down:
-------------
200 choice easy 100 kick 100 free

 

[Jon]

>> --
>> This forum is a gateway to the rec.sport.triathlon usenet newsgroup. Any posts you make in this
>> forum will be propogated to usenet.
>>
>
>You are absolutely correct that gains made in cycling are "worth" more on race day than swimming
>gains. However, you may be able to make gains in swimming without increasing the time you already
>spen trianing in that discipline.
>
>If your current training consists of getting in the pool and swimming 1500m for time with a
>warmup/cooldown on either side of it, you won't see much improvement in your performace after a few
>initial gains. Try mixing in some drills, sprint sets, and medium distance sets that focus on form
>and speed. Here's an off the cuff example:
>
>Warm up:
>---------
>200 free 200 kick 200 pull 200 free
>
>Main workout:
>---------------
>6x50, evens: Balance off the wall and in the middle, odds: 3x6 drill 8x50 free on an interval that
>gives you about 10 seconds rest at the beginning 1x100 backstroke easy 3x100 descend 1-3 1x100
>breast easy 3x100 descend 1-3 1x100 pull
>
>Cool down:
>-------------
>200 choice easy 100 kick 100 free
>

For the novices amonst us can someone explain:

'balance of the wall and in the middle' and descend '1-3'

Thanks

 

[Harrow]

Originally posted by Tom Henderson
You are absolutely correct that gains made in cycling are "worth" more on race day than swimming
gains. However, you may be able to make gains in swimming without increasing the time you already
spen trianing in that discipline.

If your current training consists of getting in the pool and swimming 1500m for time with a
warmup/cooldown on either side of it, you won't see much improvement in your performace after a few
initial gains. Try mixing in some drills, sprint sets, and medium distance sets that focus on form
and speed. Here's an off the cuff example:

Warm up:
---------
200 free 200 kick 200 pull 200 free

Main workout:
---------------
6x50, evens: Balance off the wall and in the middle, odds: 3x6 drill 8x50 free on an interval that
gives you about 10 seconds rest at the beginning 1x100 backstroke easy 3x100 descend 1-3 1x100
breast easy 3x100 descend 1-3 1x100 pull

Cool down:
-------------
200 choice easy 100 kick 100 free

Tom,

Sounds great! Just wish I knew what on earth you were talking about. Would greatly appreciate some explanation of the swimmers lingo...

Regards,
Harrow.

 

[James Goddard]

"Jon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> >6x50, evens: Balance off the wall and in the middle, odds: 3x6 drill 3x100 descend 1-3

> For the novices amonst us can someone explain:
>
> 'balance of the wall and in the middle' and descend '1-3'

Descend means to basically go faster for each rep. Typically you would say something more like:

3x100 on 1:15 descend 1-3

In this case you would do the first 100 in 1:00 and rest :15. Do the second in say :58 and
rest :17, etc.

On the balance off the wall and in the middle, he's lost me there too.

James

 

[Dave Andersen]

Harrow <[email protected]> wrote:
> Tom Henderson wrote:
> > You are absolutely correct that gains made in cycling are "worth" more on race day than
> > swimming gains. However, you may be able to make gains in swimming without increasing the time
> > you already spen trianing in that discipline. If your current training consists of getting in
> > the pool and swimming 1500m for time with a warmup/cooldown on either side of it, you won't see
> > much improvement in your performace after a few initial gains. Try mixing in some drills,
> > sprint sets, and medium distance sets that focus on form and speed. Here's an off the cuff
> > example: Warm up:
> > ---------
> > 200 free 200 kick 200 pull 200 free Main workout:
> > ---------------
> > 6x50, evens: Balance off the wall and in the middle, odds: 3x6 drill 8x50 free on an interval
> > that gives you about 10 seconds rest at the beginning 1x100 backstroke easy 3x100 descend 1-3
> > 1x100 breast easy 3x100 descend 1-3 1x100 pull Cool down:
> > -------------
> > 200 choice easy 100 kick 100 free
>
>
>
> Tom,
>
> Sounds great! Just wish I knew what on earth you were talking about. Would greatly appreciate some
> explanation of the swimmers lingo...

One of the best resources I've noticed for things like this is the Mountain View Masters website.
They post all of their workouts online, which is both rare, and totally cool:

http://www.mvm.org/

They also have an explanation of each of the terms they use in their workout descriptions. Most of
their workouts are longer than than 1500m, but then again, most real swimming workouts are.

And yes, you can definitely get faster than 30 mins for a 1500m. (Was that long course or short
course? big difference! but either way...)

-Dave

--
work: dga - at - lcs.mit.edu me: angio - at - pobox.com MIT Laboratory for Computer Science
http://www.angio.net/ (note that my reply-to address is vaguely despammed...) bulk emailers: I do
not accept unsolicited email. Do not mail me.

 

[Tom Henderson]

"James Goddard" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> Descend means to basically go faster for each rep. Typically you would say something more like:
>
> 3x100 on 1:15 descend 1-3
>
> In this case you would do the first 100 in 1:00 and rest :15. Do the second in say :58 and rest
> :17, etc.

Exactly. I didn't assign an interval because I don't know what interval he can manage. Heck, I don't
really set the interval for my own workouts, that's up to the coach.

>
> On the balance off the wall and in the middle, he's lost me there too.
>

Sorry. Here's the readers digest description:

Instead of pushing off the wall, start about a meter out from it and float on your stomach.
Concentrate on body position and getting your legs up. Once your heels break the surface and you can
hold it, start your swim. At the midpoint of the pool, stop stroking and balance again until you get
your balance right, then swim the rest of the way.

 

[Tom Henderson]

Harrow <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:

> Tom Henderson wrote:
> > You are absolutely correct that gains made in cycling are "worth" more on race day than
> > swimming gains. However, you may be able to make gains in swimming without increasing the time
> > you already spen trianing in that discipline. If your current training consists of getting in
> > the pool and swimming 1500m for time with a warmup/cooldown on either side of it, you won't see
> > much improvement in your performace after a few initial gains. Try mixing in some drills,
> > sprint sets, and medium distance sets that focus on form and speed. Here's an off the cuff
> > example: Warm up:
> > ---------
> > 200 free 200 kick 200 pull 200 free Main workout:
> > ---------------
> > 6x50, evens: Balance off the wall and in the middle, odds: 3x6 drill 8x50 free on an interval
> > that gives you about 10 seconds rest at the beginning 1x100 backstroke easy 3x100 descend 1-3
> > 1x100 breast easy 3x100 descend 1-3 1x100 pull Cool down:
> > -------------
> > 200 choice easy 100 kick 100 free
>
>
>
> Tom,
>
> Sounds great! Just wish I knew what on earth you were talking about. Would greatly appreciate some
> explanation of the swimmers lingo...
>
> Regards, Harrow.
>
>
>
> --
> This forum is a gateway to the rec.sport.triathlon usenet newsgroup. Any posts you make in this
> forum will be propogated to usenet.

Sorry. James and I have covered the meaning of "descend 1-3" and "balance drill." "3x6 drill" is a
drill where you swim three strokes, then kick 6 beats on your side, repeating this pattern for the
whole length. Any other parts need explanation?