building up speed in swimming?

mad m

I go swimming about 3 times a week,do an hour of front crawl in a 25metre pool.Sort of built up my laps over a while now.Basically i do 60laps continuous then stop for min and do two sets of 10 in just under an hour,but lately im putting in a couple of extra 2 lap bursts after my routine.But i was wondering how can i build up speed,is it better to do just sets of 4 or 8 or something?...Anyone got a routine they know about to build up speed as well as strength.maybe its me but if feel slow,reason is had someone swimming beside me tonight and he was like a dolphin in water,he was doing bursts of 4 laps then stopping for couple of seconds then off again.

thanks

Milkman

Sets is the way to go.
Jumping into the pool and doing 1.5k is a nice start - shows that you have built up the strength and fittness, but if you want to get faster then you will have to progress to sets, timed off 50m/100m/ 200m/400m. The only problem I find with sets is that is is much earier todo with a partner, swapping the lead and pace.

What you should do is go to a club or coached lane swimming ( most pools have them) , even just a few sessions so that you can see the pattern and paces set throughout the sets.
http://www.wsumastersswimming.org/workouts/sampleworkout.html
will give you a start.

Remember one thing though, an inefficient stroke will only hamper your efforts. Dolphin boy may not be faster/fitter than you - he might just have
excellant technique.

good luck.
M.

Genghis

I do 3-4 sessions of swimming a week.

One is a 'drill' session where I focus on technique only. This might involve 40-50 lengths over the course of maybe an hour, broken down in to 5 or 6 drills, where one aspect of my stroke is focussed on (e.g. kicking, then arms, then balance, etc).

One is a 'speed' session which is something like you described, although it wouldn't be as straightforward as 'x no. of laps, rest and repeat'. Instead it might be 6 or 7 exercises, different lengths and different rest periods, even different strokes. It takes 40 mins to 1 hr to complete. See below for 3 sample sessions.

One is a 'long session' where I would swim 50-80 lengths continuously after 10 lengths warm-up.

If I do a fourth session, I favour repeating the technique drill session; as far as swimming goes 'speed follows technique' - if you improve how you do it, you will be able to swim longer and faster. (Incidentally, I used to train just like you, and found no real improvements in speed by swimming longer and longer).

For technique I use 'Total Immersion' - an excellent approach to swimming. Do a google or an amazon search to find out more.

Sample 'Speed' Sessions

Session1 (1,900m)
8 x 50 IM (Rest 1' 30")
400 (50 arms + 50 kicking)
6 x 75 (1 frontcrawl + 1 IM) (Rest 2' 15")
50 easy
6 x 50 (5" slower than PB) (Rest 1' 20")
100 easy
2 x 50 (25 + 25 !!!) IM (Rest 1' 30")
100 easy

Session2 (1,800m)
4 x 200 (100 frontcrawl + 100 IM) (Rest 20")
8 x 25 !!! (1 fly + 1 frontcrawl) (Rest 30")
100 easy
10 x 50 arms only (finish !!!) (Rest 20")
100 easy
4 x 25 IM from the block

Session3 (1,600m)
400 (50 back + 50 breast)
6 x 50 kicking (the last one swim hard) (Rest 15")
100 easy
200 swam hard
50 easy
100 hard + 50 easy
2 x 50 (Rest 1' 30")
100 easy
200 frontcrawl (Long stroke)

the_syco

I've found, if I'm trying to get my legs or arms to do alot of work; just use them.

To really use your legs, do brest-stroke, legs only, and head above the water at all times. Sounds easy, but to me it wasn't. If your sinking; your doing the stroke wrong.

Also, using arms only, in brest-stroke, or front-stroke I find also works on my arms.

Finally; speed isn't everything. Whilst teaching some of the younger people, I can see some can swim fast, but alot of the energy is sapped by stupid mistakes.
One of the most common in front-stroke is that people slap the water, instead of using a front knifing type action with their hand. This ensures that the momentom is not lost (which would be in the slap of the water), and it makes it easier.
Another common on is that their fingers are not closed. Your fingers should be closed, otherwise the water pass's through them. By closed, I don't mean in a fist, but side-by-side. This will ensure that all your hand is used, and not just your palm half.
When I said speed isn't everything, I meant that to make sure you can swim properly, before you can swim fast. Once you know that your stroke is good, try doing just your arms or legs, to see if the speed is that same.
When I did this myself a while back, I found that my lenghts with arms & legs, were the same with just arms. This was because my arms were doing all the work, and my legs weren't doing much.

Gymboy

Just to add my voice to Total Immersion. I got it in Hodges Figgis. It's good and things are explained efficiently simply.

mad m

thanks alot for all of your advice,even the little things like closing fingers during a stroke,i was thinking i do it sometimes but not always.So thanks Syco.I was thinking also am i doing enough at 3 times a week?,but i suppose its up to the individual.

Ive never came across any swimming clubs to be honest,well only one that comes to mind was up in Tallaght sport/leisure club(balrothery)i think.Im from kimmage area myself.I used to go down to crumin baths,but ive joined new Gym/leisure complex near me and its like going from a mini to a ferrari as in the condition of pool and only one swimming lane etc,plus pool in crumlin was heated and too warm at times.I know the breathing part is alot to do with swimming also so im not the bilateral swimmer.I always go to my right and after a session i try bilateral breathing but its hard,but im trying!

thanks.

Milkman

heya,
almost every public pool will have at least one swimming club.

If I was you, now is the time to re-teach yourself to breath. Bilateral is much more efficient and keeps your body in a nice even pitch. Try to practice it when you are fresh in the water not after an hour of booting up and down the pool. Take it slowly, one length at a time and build it up. If you are going to change your training to sets, then start using the bilateral in the warmup sets when you are fresh, gradually building up to only bilateral - it will take some practice but is well worth it - your body will feel much smoother in the water.
Remeber elbows up high when leaving the water, long kicks from the hips not the knees, and stretch those arms forward underwater for a long pull(with fingers closed, hand slightly cupped not completely flat.

good luck!
M.

tunney

Your fingers should be closed, otherwise the water pass's through them. By closed, I don't mean in a fist, but side-by-side.

So you'd think.

Anyone who was coached in the US or coached by someone who was coached in the US will tell you otherwise. Fingers slightly apart works best.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

tunney

So what's the reasoning? That too much resistance is a bad thing?

Ooopppps knew I forgot something, provided your fingers are not too far apart it actually increases the resistance. Conuter-intuitive or what?

mad m

Milkman wrote:

heya,
almost every public pool will have at least one swimming club.

If I was you, now is the time to re-teach yourself to breath. Bilateral is much more efficient and keeps your body in a nice even pitch. Try to practice it when you are fresh in the water not after an hour of booting up and down the pool. Take it slowly, one length at a time and build it up. If you are going to change your training to sets, then start using the bilateral in the warmup sets when you are fresh, gradually building up to only bilateral - it will take some practice but is well worth it - your body will feel much smoother in the water.
Remeber elbows up high when leaving the water, long kicks from the hips not the knees, and stretch those arms forward underwater for a long pull(with fingers closed, hand slightly cupped not completely flat.

good luck!
M.

So i tried bi-lateral breathing tonight for about four laps,after that it went abit of a dolly mixture,without realising it i went back to breathing to right after a few strokes...i have to say breathing bi-laterally is hard!After four laps it felt like 20 and i was out of breath,but ill keep it up as i can only get better.Ill have to goto a swimming club and they will point out were im going wrong as i cant see for myself.I just done my ususal session of 80 after i tried the bi-lateral and tried swimming from hips,its hard but practice makes perfect i suppose.

tk123

Lads sorry to hijack the thread but can I ask you - whats the best way to build up stamina if you're starting out after a break of a year(due to injury) and are crap?! I can only do a few laps at a time nowadays before I'm about to collapse!!! Should I just stick with it and try and push myself a bit more?

mad m

@ Tk123

your not hijacking anything sure aint we all here to help one another...Hmm i reckon from my point of view is to get the book like the lads suggested to me.I was away from swimming years and over year and half something snapped inside me and i went back swimming and the better for it now.Just keep at it,you will build your strength and stamina.It takes time so take it easy and always push for a few extra at the end of the week if your feel like it....

tk123

I'll try my bestest mad m but the jaquzzi is just too close to the pool!!

Milkman

mad_m,
way to go.. starting already I'm impressed. As for being wrecked, well yeah you've spent how-many-years breathing every second stroke, now you're increasing the amount of arm storkes and decreasing the amount of breaths - it will take some getting used to! But just try to take your warm up bilaterally, and build it from there... it will come naturally eventually. Practice practice practice.
good luck with it!

TK, again the best way to increase your fittness, is sets. Chek out the link further up in the post..

M.