Courtesy of James Fike, Founder and CEO of Fike Swim.
Six years in the past, I fully modified my coaching in what I believed was a last-ditch effort at 36 years previous to perform what I couldn’t in college- break the :55 barrier within the 100 yard breaststroke. I turned away from conventional coaching to work on high-intensity, short-distance exercises that mimicked the stresses of racing. I gave up on each different race, together with the 100 meter breaststroke. Quick ahead to at present and I’ve completed that objective after which some- hitting 53.1 within the 100 and 1:56.6 within the 200 (down from 2:02.1), however I’m as soon as once more struggling. This time, it’s that lengthy 100 that I swore off so a few years in the past. My unsuccessful try to qualify for this yr’s Olympic Trials has turned my focus to lengthy course. And though I didn’t qualify, I’ve realized some classes about lengthy course that will assist me, and also you, proceed to drop time.
Physique Weight
A part of my transformation six years in the past was including weight. I used to be informed in faculty to take care of a weight of 195lbs at 6’3”. That was after I went 55.2 within the 100 yard breast. After I went 53.1 final yr, I weighed virtually 220lbs. Including muscle will be tremendously useful in brief course, the place the addition of extra energy will increase wall velocity and carries you thru the few strokes you must take earlier than turning round and doing it once more. We noticed this work wonders for Liam Bell this yr at NCAAs, the place he took months of heavy weight room coaching and bulking and turned it into an American Report within the 100 breast. However in lengthy course, the lack of half of your partitions creates a better dependency on endurance and being lean sufficient to remain excessive on the water lengthy after the lack of wall velocity.
On the urging of Coach Kim, a breaststroke guru at Metro Aquatics, I dropped to 200lbs. I used to be skeptical at first. In any case, I used to be dropping time in lengthy course at a heavier weight, albeit very slowly and nowhere close to sufficient to get the ridiculously quick Trials time of 1:02.19 (I dropped from 1:04.8 in faculty to 1:04.1 final yr). I knew I needed to play each card I might, and dropping numerous weight was one among them. The outcomes have been unbelievable. No, I didn’t qualify, however I lastly broke 1:04 (1:03.7) in a flawed race that coulda shoulda woulda been a 1:03low, and I might completely really feel the affect on my physique place as I rode greater on the water. Not solely that, I had far more velocity than ever. I figured dropping weight would possibly assist the general time however harm my top-end velocity, as a result of dropping weight would affect my power. As an alternative, my 50 breast time fell from 29.0 to twenty-eight.3!
Yardage & Approach
I’ll at all times be a proponent of decrease yardage and a “Much less Is Extra” philosophy. That stated, the variety of meters I used to be doing within the winter on heavy swim coaching days thrice per week (about 2,600), whereas nice for brief course, was barely inadequate for lengthy course. Given my propensity to lock up on the finish of the lengthy 100, I made a decision to play one other card I had lengthy been reluctant to use- extra yardage. No, I didn’t return to the normal grind of 6,000+ per apply. Nevertheless, I did improve to about 3,600, together with some practices with Coach Kim at Metro Aquatics as soon as each few weeks that might put me shut to five,000.
I’ve to provide one other shout out to Coach Kim, who’s one of the best coach I’ve ever labored with and who gave me a recent take a look at breaststroke coaching. Technically, he helped me remodel from a battleship forcing my approach via the water to one thing resembling the younger jet skis on both facet of me in a race. I developed better hand velocity and better hips, in no small half as a result of he took the time to tell me after which, most significantly, comply with up and keep on me till modifications had been made.
When it comes to conditioning, his units uncovered weaknesses in my pull endurance and kick velocity. All too typically, we take a look at issues like locking up on the finish of a 100 and default to units like 10×200 to attempt to repair it. Though his practices practically double the gap of my very own and look fairly totally different from my brief burst, lengthy restoration units, they handle to be very purposeful. For example, one among my favourite Kim units is 3×400 breaststroke pull, due to the way in which it progresses. The primary 400 is with a associate holding on to your ankles, the second is with only a buoy, and the third is with fins, and in all three the objective is to carry a robust tempo. Or we would do 48×50 lengthy course on :40 damaged into 4 rounds and within the order of two free 50s and one breast 50, in order that you’ll be able to construct endurance for the again finish of a race whereas executing higher-intensity, higher-quality breaststroke than you could possibly should you had been doing all of it breaststroke.
Power Coaching
As I stated, measurement is my buddy in brief course, however lifting big quantities of weight solely takes you up to now in lengthy course. I used to be a lot stronger than I wanted to be, so I started slicing again the lifting periods from thrice per week to 2 and changing the third day of lifting with an extended swim day, which bumped my weekly common from roughly 10,000 to round 15,000. The lack of 20lbs from my body did affect how a lot I might raise, however not practically as a lot as I anticipated. Among the huge lifts solely suffered 5-10% loss, whereas most different lifts stayed the identical and even continued to enhance, equivalent to pull ups.
The sorts of lifts and length of lifting modified barely as effectively. For example, a typical day of higher physique work within the fall and winter included a press, a pull, a row, bicep curls, tricep extensions, and core work that each one lasted round an hour and twenty minutes. Within the spring, the coaching shifted to incorporate extra lighter-weight velocity work with fewer reps and fewer actions, such that the entire time decreased to an hour. It was good work that principally maintained power and nonetheless improved on explosiveness.
Might Much less Weight, Much less Lifting, and Extra Yardage Work for Quick Course?
Sadly, I feel the reply depends upon who you’re. I’ve had an excessive amount of success in brief course to fully flip my again on weighing extra and getting stronger. I do know no doubt I couldn’t propel myself off the partitions and thru the breakouts at my faculty weight and power stage like I did at 220lbs, however there are many guys with sooner occasions who weigh 40lbs lower than me. So, the reply would possibly lie someplace within the center. I can completely make power beneficial properties, notably the varieties which might be most related to swimmers, at weights lower than 220lbs, so I don’t see a necessity to return to that simply but. But it surely does seem I’ll be going via durations of fasting and bulking every year till I discover that excellent weight-to-strength ratio that permits success in each programs.
When you have ideas on this that might assist, please be at liberty to ship me an electronic mail. As at all times, I hope my journey and exploration will help you discover your individual path to finest occasions. Good luck, SWIM DIFFERENT!
And sustain with the newest from Fike Swim right here:
About Fike Swim
“We design merchandise solely for the hardest sport on the planet. We unapologetically place swimmers on a pedestal. The pains they embrace each day can solely be understood by one other swimmer and so they deserve an organization targeted 100% on serving to them succeed. Whether or not you’re simply beginning out or coaching for Los Angeles, we stand behind you.”
–James Fike, Founder
Fike Swim Merchandise was born when founder James Fike put a brick on high of a kickboard and remodeled simply one other legs-only kick set into a complete physique exercise felt into the following day. Since then it’s been our mission to create distinctive swim tools with the single-minded objective of constructing you quicker. We don’t promote toys. We create instruments that will help you attain your potential.
