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Training
How Australian Swimmers Peak
Two of the most common features of the training programs of elite endurance athletes including swimmers and athletes are 1) the periodisation of training volume and intensity and 2) the transition from training to racing.
Periodisation can be defined in simple terms as the division of the annual training plan into smaller and more manageable phases of training. This approach permits one aspect of fitness to be the focus of training, while maintaining the others. In essence a periodised training program is really about being an organised and systematic coach.
The transition from training to racing is commonly referred to as the taper and is characterised by a reduction in the volume of training and the development of race speed. Both periodisation and taper lead to the peaking of performance necessary for high-level and international competition.
December 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment
How Much Swim Training is Right For Me?
(or How Cake Baking Can Help You Swim Faster!!!)
Without doubt the toughest question in swimming to answer is “How much training is right for me?”
Training has often been described as being like making a cake.
When you make a cake, you follow a recipe which specifies how much flour, how much butter, how much milk, how many eggs, how long to bake in the oven, what temperature to set the oven for – yummy I can almost taste it now! Read more
December 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
The Masters Day: How to Manage Training Around Life and Life and Around Training
The greatest challenge for any masters swimmer is to manage training around life (or is it the other way around?).
Whilst it would be great to have the world stop so you could train whenever you wanted to, the reality is that work, family, study and other life issues are always going to be there – and therefore for the masters swimmer – life and training need to be balanced and managed.
December 7, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Speed Tips: Getting Faster as a Masters Swimmer
Many masters swimmers take up the sport of swimming for fitness. They start swimming a lap or two. Then three. Then they start aiming for their first 1 km or 1 mile non-stop swim. They may even join a masters team.
But, eventually they ask themselves this question: How do I get faster?
December 7, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Older, Bolder and Golder: Coaching Senior Swimmers
What if I told you that there was group of swimmers who desperately want to be coached, who manage their diet and health carefully, who are great at organizing their time, will give you 100% effort at all workouts and who are committed to achieving success?
What about having the opportunity to coach a team of swimmers where you have no discipline issues, who turn up on time, those who remember to bring their swim gear and enjoy every moment of their training?
December 6, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Master Masters: Mastering Masters Swimming
If you are like most Master’s swimmers, sooner or later you want to get good at it and see how fast you can go.
So how do you make the jump from chump to champ? How do you move from Master’s beginner to Master’s Master?
Becoming a Master Master is a bit like planning a vacation. You need to answer five simple questions. Read more
December 5, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Making the Transition from Non-Swimmer to Masters Swimmer (Part 1)
Taking the First Steps
You flicked on the television one evening and watched the Olympic swimming finals and thought “wow – if only I could do that”.
Or maybe you were at the local pool with your children and saw a swim team in action and thought “that looks like so much fun”.
Read more
December 4, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Cross Training for Masters Swimming
Cross training is a great way to get fit, keep fit and help you improve your swimming performance. So what is it?
Cross training is any form of physical activity that allows you to train and keep in shape – that isn’t swimming. It allows you the opportunity to work on physical performance factors like speed, strength and endurance in training environments other than the pool. Read more
December 3, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Top Ten Questions Asked by Masters Swimmers
Having worked with Masters swimmers all over the world, I am always being asked questions about training, diet and technique. Here are ten of the most common questions asked by Masters swimmers.
1. How much training do I need to do?
A great question. The answer is…as much as you want to!
December 2, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Speed versus Effort
Swimming is a simple sport.
Jump in at one end and get to the other end before anyone else.
In the most basic analysis, It’s a game of speed. Speed is the most crucial element in the sport. It’s fundamental. The swimmer who swims fastest, wins the race.
But is it really that simple? We know from biomechanical analysis of champions at major swimming competitions that the fastest swimmer doesn’t always win. Sometimes the fastest swimmer (ie the person with the highest swimming speed) loses the race because of inferior skills, turns, starts and finishes.
Read more
November 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
