swim endurance
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garager posted 3 years ago.
If you depend on your shoulders for all the distance you'll have to swim to get the endurance you want you are going to overtax them and suffer some level of injury. If you think of other sports seldom is the strength required gotten from one set of muscles. Swimming requires the use of all the big muscle groups working in a coordinated effort to propel one through the water. Recently, even as much as I enjoy swimming, I think the returns in a race compared to the effort in training doesn't really balance out. ( more later ...)
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1421 days
garager posted 3 years ago.
Total Immersion and Fitness Swimming are two books that I recommend you take a look at.
TI has a great comprehensive collection of videos and DVDs that many of the people here at
trifuel have used to their benefit. TI offers a weekend seminar that will get you jumpstarted that will set you back some $500, I think. I spent 28 months going through it by myself. It took all
my patience and faith to go through all the drills month after month after month after month, but it paid off very well. For example, last Sunday's swim: 50x20 on 1:15, odd laps (50m slow, time :55), even laps ( 50m faster, time :50). Final 50 in :45. All laps were completed in 26 strokes. 150mx4 ( swimming 125, kicking 25 non-stop, all lengths in 13 strokes ) It wasn't a monster workout by in stretch of the imagination, but the efficiency achieved by applying TI and FS is something I will be able to apply to my endurance efforts as time goes by.
It just so happens I got bitten on the knee by something last Saturday night and had to take the whole week off to give it time to heal. Needless, to say I'm getting a little stir crazy.
good luck,
garager
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Jcody posted 3 years ago.
I agree with garager - wimming is ALL about techique and form. Totoal immersion is the way to go. I have not purcchased the DVD but just looking at their web site and the short demo video they have can teach you a lot about hand position, balance - did I say balance? Maybe I shouldn say that again BALANCE. Once you learn balance head position and hand positoin swimming becomes so much easier and yes you too will most likely be swimming each lap with 13 or 14 strokes - while you watch the guy next to you thraching away. This is the real key to swimming - I am certainly no expert and have not been doing it long, but this is what is important - if you work on anything in the pool make sure it is form - this will pay off much mor ehtan strength and endurance - although of course you need some of this as well.
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o2Ripper posted 3 years ago.
what is the site address for Total Immersion?
Thanks
-Branden
"Its an addiction"
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PrinceofClydes posted 3 years ago.
Would you believe www.totalimmersion.net ?
PoC
"Pain doesn't last, chicks dig scars, glory is forever!"
- Shane Falco.
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ThommyM posted 3 years ago.
RE: Total Immersion, jcody and garager are right. The DVD is the only swim coach I've ever had. It stresses the following concepts: Stay as long as you can for as long as you can (Body and arm elongation), Hide your head (neutral head position, head in line with spine) Breathing by body-roll, NOT
turning your head, instead roll the entire body and point your belly button at the side of the pool, Stacking your shoulders (not swimming flat, on your chest, but rotating your entire body core for power), Don't overkick (use a shallow 2 beat instead of a spinters 6 beat kick, and use it only to initiate body roll ), High elbow with a relaxed slow recovery, and swimming WITHOUT splashing any water, Looking straight down and not out, and breathing full, relaxed and deep breaths, exhaling completely thru both the nose and mouth under water. Long strokes with maximum glide in between. I repeat these technique concepts to myself before each pool session. It has paid off immensely.
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1421 days
garager posted 3 years ago.
According to Emmit Hines the author of fitness swimming you really do have to rewire your brain for this stuff. Refinement of the technique is a lifetime thing. It is slow going for sure, but well worth the water swallowed! In my experience you have to take it for the long haul. We have fought long and hard as a species to stand upright. Now some of us nuts want to go back to the water. Expect some stubborn resistance.
Lately I've been starting all my workouts with 400m of mixed stability drills. Then, I'll do 20 50s on a long rest rotating through five swimming drills ( 50 downhill swimming, 50 hand swapping, 50 hand to hip, 50 long reach and 50 all integrated, then repeat ). After I'll do 5 X 200 on the same rest and finish with 100X5 on the same rest. The 100s seem effortless I guess because of the looooong warmup and just doing double the distance. It feels really good.
The books and the DVD are giveaways considering the benefit you will receive. It's a whole new world with it's own vocabulary to boot.
garager
I'm doing really well with my weights and cardio. Infact, my trainer said I'm on my own cuz I apparently have it down. I am lacking on my swimming area... what do you recommend for building endurance? My shoulders get so tired. I have only been swimming freestyle since August and am up to swimming a 100 well, but then I feel like I need to catch my breath. Is it just practice or is there something I should be doing to increase my laps?
I've been swimming with a floaty between my legs and really working my arm strength. Talking with some people, it sounds like in triathalons (I'm training for my first next summer), you only really use your arms, but some say you still use your legs. It's rather confusing. I'm still trying to breath without swallowing the pool.
Well, I've come a long way, but I'm still struggling in the pool. My trainer is going to start back up with me in the pool next week. This will be good. :p
:) Workinit