If you compete, April to May means the end of short course season, in other words, taper time! It’s time to rest the ol’ bod, fine-tune the engine, blast a few twenty-fives, and shave down for the big meet.
Well, there may be some bad news for those of you who have just started your taper—it may be too late!
It takes more than a few weeks of rest and sprinting to achieve a peak performance at the big meet. The months of long mileage and short rest interval training get you in shape, but they do not prepare you physically or mentally for the 100 percent effort you need to achieve a personal best at the big meet. That’s why many swimmers begin a weekly “lactic acid” workout if they are training for a championship meet in April-May.
Lactic acid is a by-product of short-term, high-intensity exercise. As lactic acid builds up, it prevents the muscles from contracting. Improvement in higher-intensity swimming—swimming faster—can only be obtained by adapting your body to the increased stresses by overloading the metabolic and physiological systems involved. What all this means is that training at or near race speed is the only way to prepare for and adapt to the stresses placed on the body during peak competitions.
I do not recommend these workouts for the lap swimmer or part-time (two workouts per week or less) Masters swimmer. However, for those of you training regularly, athletes training for triathlons or ocean competitions, an occasional lactic acid workout may just be what the coach ordered to break up the monotony and prompt you to a new level of performance.
Rotate four sets of all-out swims each month as described. In addition to enhancing high-quality performances, these workouts promote team enthusiasm and camaraderie.
Lactic acid workouts should be discontinued two weeks before your big meet and replaced with the conventional taper: a long warm-up, some build/pace fifties and hundreds, and a few all-out sprints from the blocks.
About This Workout
1. Always begin with a complete meet warm-up to be ready for an all-out effort on the first swim. Most Masters swimmers need a minimum of 1,000 to 1,400 yards warm-up.
2. These rotating sets add up to only 600 yards, but they are “all-out” efforts—hold nothing back. Simulate meet conditions by starting from the blocks. Record your times on a log sheet to compare with the next month, when the set will be done again. If the set is done correctly, your times on the first three swims will be fairly consistent and close to meet performance times. Then it happens: lactic acid invades the body. Your times start dropping off. You tighten. You shake. You fatigue. But keep fighting! Think “technique” to battle the fatigue. Keep your stroke long. Streamline off the wall. Head down on your finish. When the big meet comes, the pain and fatigue will be familiar friends that you will face without fear or intimidation.
3. The “broken” two hundreds in week 3 are approached somewhat differently than the other three sets. The goal here is to achieve your meet 200 time and splits. (Remember you are getting 10 seconds rest after each fifty, which you won’t get in the big meet.) By repeating this set over the course of the season, you will learn how to pace a meet performance 200-yard swim.
4. The 400-yard loosen-down. This is a minimum and a must! You worked hard. Let your body cool down gradually.
Technique Tip
Let’s discuss dives.
Most coaches encourage their swimmers to have their hands on top of each other during the start (Figure A.7A). But it is equally acceptable to have the fingers just lightly touch, thumbs together (Figure A.7B). This is really up to the individual swimmer, depending on flexibility.
Notice the pointed toes (Figure A.7C). It is essential to concentrate on extending to a complete toe point. The foot flex is dramatic and powerful right from the push off the block. Keep your toes pointed throughout the dive. Your knees will stay together and won’t bend if your toes remain pointed. Your entry into the water will have a better chance of being streamlined if your toes stay in this extended pointed position.
Dive Drill
The best drill for improving your dive: practice!
WARNING:
DO NOT DIVE UNLESS YOUR
POOL IS OVER SIX FEET DEEP
AND PERMITS DIVING—
CHECK WITH YOUR COACH OR
POOL MANAGER!
1. Always begin with a complete meet warm-up to be ready for an all-out effort on the first swim. Most Masters swimmers need a minimum of 1,000 to 1,400 yards warm-up.
2. These rotating sets add up to only 600 yards, but they are “all-out” efforts—hold nothing back. Simulate meet conditions by starting from the blocks. Record your times on a log sheet to compare with the next month, when the set will be done again. If the set is done correctly, your times on the first three swims will be fairly consistent and close to meet performance times. Then it happens: lactic acid invades the body. Your times start dropping off. You tighten. You shake. You fatigue. But keep fighting! Think “technique” to battle the fatigue. Keep your stroke long. Streamline off the wall. Head down on your finish. When the big meet comes, the pain and fatigue will be familiar friends that you will face without fear or intimidation.
3. The “broken” two hundreds in week 3 are approached somewhat differently than the other three sets. The goal here is to achieve your meet 200 time and splits. (Remember you are getting 10 seconds rest after each fifty, which you won’t get in the big meet.) By repeating this set over the course of the season, you will learn how to pace a meet performance 200-yard swim.
4. The 400-yard loosen-down. This is a minimum and a must! You worked hard. Let your body cool down gradually.
DO NOT DIVE UNLESS YOUR
POOL IS OVER SIX FEET DEEP
AND PERMITS DIVING—
CHECK WITH YOUR COACH OR
POOL MANAGER!
POOL MANAGER!
TIDBIT FACTS
The fastest swimmers (under 20 seconds for the fifty) hit the water at just about 8 miles per hour (11.9 feet per second). If these swimmers could continue at this speed, they would complete 50 yards in 12.5 seconds.
The typical 25 seconds per 50 yards Masters swimmer hits the water at around 5.7 miles per hour. For a fifty, this would be 16.7 seconds.
The typical 30 seconds per 50 yards Master swimmer hits the water at around 4.7 miles per hour. For a fifty, this would be 21.4 seconds.
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