Speedo Tip
This week’s Speedo Tip of the Week comes from David Swensen, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and assistant coach for the YMCA of the North Shore in Beverly, Mass. Swensen offers some advice on an in-season, dry-land program for a distance swimmer.
Swensen’s Tip:
For a distance swimmer, an in-season resistance exercise program should focus on muscular endurance. This involves 1-2 sessions per week (depending on the competition schedule), executing two to three sets of 15 to 20 repetitions of exercises performed as a circuit, with 20-30 seconds rest in between each set. He should be sure to include core strengthening exercises in his routine. Using an exercise ball is a good way to train the core stabilizing muscles to work effectively.
Here is a sample exercise routine: include oblique crunches, planks, reverse flies, wall squats and hip extensions with opposite shoulder flexion exercises, all performed on a ball; then add side bridges, lat pull downs, triceps extensions, seated rows and lateral shoulder raises. This is just one example. Many other types of exercise and combinations are possible. Rotator cuff exercises performed on a more frequent basis of three to five times per week would help him go the distance with a lower risk of injury.
Peirsol, Peterson Win in Santa Clara
The Toyota Santa Clara International Invitational Swim Meet began Thursday night with timed finals in the womens’ 1500m free and the mens’ 800m free.
Hayley Peirsol, from Club Wolverine, won the womens’ 1500 with a time of 16:12.08. North Carolina Aquatic’s Chop Peterson took the mens’ 800 in 8:02.59.
Coughlin Goes 4:10 in 400m Free
Natalie Coughlin went a 4:10 in the 8 lap 400 meter freestyle at the Janet Evans International, which is a best time by 4 seconds, to secure gold.
Zeigler Breaks 1500: 15:42 WR
The oldest record in the books – Janet Evan’s 1500 meter freestyle world record of 15:52.10 – fell to Kate Zeigler after 19 years in the books.
Here are the splits:
29.23; 1:00.49 (31.26)
1:32.09 (31.60); 2:03.46 (31.37)
2:35.17 (31.71) ; 3:06.74 (31.57)
3:38.34 (31.60) ; 4:09.87 (31.53)
4:41.41 (31.54) ; 5:13.01 (31.60)
5:44.80 (31.79) ; 6:16.48 (31.68)
6:48.07 (31.59) ; 7:19.63 (31.56)
7:51.06 (31.43) ; 8:22.57 (31.51)
8:53.91 (31.34); 9:25.42 (31.51)
9:57.07 (31.65) ; 10:28.74 (31.67)
11:00.19 (31.45) ; 11:31.70 (31.51)
12:03.42 (31.72) ; 12:35.17 (31.75)
13:06.55 (31.38) ;13:38.54 (31.99)
14:10.13 (31.59) ; 14:41.85 (31.72)
15:13.27 (31.42) ; 15:42.54 (29.27)
Upcoming Swim Meet
Though this meet doesn’t take place until June 9th, its already time to get in the entries. This meet will be fun. Since it’s a fifty meter meet it won’t be very competitive. Unfortunately it will most likely be hotter inside the pool building than outside. At least the water will be cold!
So, here is what I’m planning on swimming:
100m Breaststroke
100m Freestyle
50m Free
200m Breaststroke
I’m still not sure about the 200 breaststroke but I’ll probably swim it.
Flip Turns
A flip turn is really easy to do. Here are a few simple steps for doing the turn:
STEP 1: Approach the wall of the pool swimming freestyle. Begin your turn just short of a body length away from the wall.
STEP 2: Tuck your chin to your chest and roll your body into a ball, so that you start to do a forward flip in the water. Blow air out of your nose to avoid inhaling water.
STEP 3: Open your body halfway through your flip and extend your legs to push off against the wall.
STEP 4: Push off the wall in the opposite direction from the one in which you were swimming. You should still be on your back at this point.
STEP 5: Streamline your entire body and roll back over onto your belly as you glide. Your shoulders should be up against your ears and your fingers should be pointed. Begin kicking immediately.
STEP 6: Begin stroking with your arms as soon as your body breaks the surface of the water.
There are a lot of ways you can practice a flip turn as well. Start by doing flips in the middle of the pool. Don’t worry about exiting the “ball” position.
Once you’ve got the hang of that, start to open up the ball. You should almost be sitting, legs bent to about 90 degrees. Keep practicing.
Ready for the wall? This time stand in front of the wall, then flip. Don’t push off the wall. Simply stop your flip once your feet touch the wall. Repeat until you feel well acquainted with where the wall is and where you should be once you begin your flip.
Now that you have gotten a feel for using the wall, stand a couple feet back, and then jump into your turn, pushing off on your back. Remember your technique!
After practicing that for a while, start to swim into the wall. Don’t breath for two strokes into and out of the wall. Also, make sure you are pushing off on your back. Don’t twist around on the wall. Believe me, it pays to develop good habits early on.
Well that’s about it. A flip turn is very simple, it really just takes a ton of practice.
Steps from here.
Dual Meet #3, Sat. 20, 2007
Well, the third and final dual meet of the short course (yards) season is over! For once there was someone there who was older than me. Yay! Anyway, we did okay, as always. There are too many little kids who can’t swim fast at dual meets. Pretty much the only races our team won were swum by group four and five swimmers. Including me that comes to about… five people?
My times:
100 Breaststroke ~1:16
200 Individual Medley ~2:36
The 1:16 was not a best time, but it was not a worst time either. I’ve hit a plateau. Again. Oh well, my 200 I.M. time was very good. The 2:36 was 8 seconds faster than my previous time. All together, it was a very good meet.
Gold Meet
Wow, I haven’t posted in a while. Sorry. Anyways, I’ve been getting ready for the biggest swim meet of the season (at least for me) Golds!
Now to the main topic: Golds! It was, altogether, an excellent 4 day meet, with best times all around. Though the meet lasted 4 days, I only attended the Saturday, Sunday and Monday sessions and swam 7 events over those 3 days – the 100 Breast, 100 Free, 100 Back, 200 Breast, 50 Breast, 50 Free and 50 Back. Here are a list of my times ( nearest second; min:sec):
50 Breast- :34
100 Breast- 1:16
200 Breast- 2:43
50 Free- :27
100 Free- :59
50 Back- :32
100 Back- 1:11
Along with best times in every event except the 100 back, the 2:43 in the 200 Breast was also a team record. YAHOO!!!!!! I also had the opportunity to meet two of the boys who swam in my events, Jordan and Joey. Jordan was a lot of fun to talk to, and we spent a lot of time discussing our races and swim practices. Joey, on the other hand, is extremely hyper. He went around the pool for about twenty minutes and, whenever he came to somebody he knew, he would start hopping and sing:
“I got a bunny hop-hop-hop!”
While showing off the bunny someone had drawn on his arm. Talk about crazy! I’m looking forward to seeing both of them again, either at Silvers, this February, or Championships, late February/early March.
Now, before I forget, some amazing kid did a freakin’ 2:22 in his 200 fly. That. Is. Utterly. Amazing. Seriously. The kid was 11! It’s outrageous! He’s faster than a 16 year old Varsity swimmer (and she’s the fastest flier on the team!!!) . Holy Crap!!!
Swimming: Article #1
How Do Some People Stay Motivated Year After Year?
Swimming is a year around sport, but only if you stay motivated year around. Have you noticed that some swimmers never seem to tire of swimming, while some swim in spurts or seasons, and others only drop in occasionally? What keeps some people coming back year after year? If you interview people as to what motivates them to swim regularly year after year, you would probably get plenty of different reasons. Some people may swim because it is the only activity they can do to maintain fitness. Others may fear getting out of shape and starting all over. Still others may swim just because it’s fun. There isn’t just one thing that motivates everyone. In fact what may motivate you one year may not motivate you the next. Motivation strategies need to be juggled occasionally to fit the individual’s current needs.
Studies have shown that adherence is lowest in the initial stages of starting a new exercise routine. More people drop out of an exercise program during the first few months than any other time. Ironically, this period is also when the rewards are the greatest. This is the time when you will see the greatest improvements in fitness. Initially, coaches can help motivate swimmers. They need to give swimmers an opportunity to tell their story, while trying not to control their responses. They should discuss the swimmer’s needs and expectations, help the swimmer set attainable goals, monitor progress, and help with re-negotiation. Goals initially may just be to show up 3 times a week.
The primary reason given for not exercising is lack of time. It is easier to overcome this barrier if workout flexible times are offered. Researchers have also discovered that the physical environment is a powerful influence. For example, how accessible, attractive, well ventilated, and safe is the facility? Is it convenient? Is there ample parking? A good pool manager will make sure that the facilities are clean and in the best shape possible.
In a study done by Stanford psychologist Mark Lepper, he found that no matter how enjoyable a task seemed, it became devalued when it was presented as a means rather than an end. Preschoolers were told that they could not engage in one activity until they took part in another activity. Even though they initially liked both activities, they came to dislike the task that was a prerequisite for the other. Some psychologists think the basic principles of positive reinforcement work, but mainly for tasks that are not especially interesting. Rewards can encourage people to do a task as quickly as possible, causing them to take few risks or expand their vision. Their thought process becomes very narrow in focus “this is what I have to do to get the reward”. People who work for money, approval or competition often find their tasks less pleasurable, and therefore do not do them as well.
Not all rewards have the same effect. Offering a flat fee for participation usually does not reduce intrinsic motivation. However, problems may develop when rewards are based on performance. For example, forcing yourself to swim every day in February just to get a medal for the February Fitness Challenge or to win a bet with a fellow swimmer, might actually have a negative effect on your swimming. It could actually get you to the pool less, because swimming may become less pleasurable. This is not the case with everyone, so it is necessary for you to pay attention to what motivates you.
Olympic gold medalist John Naber takes a different approach to motivation. In an interview with Swimming Guide, Naber said, “Olympic champions are not extraordinary people, we are ordinary people who have accomplished extraordinary things in a limited area of our lives.” Naber’s motivation was always improvement. He kept a chart on which he recorded his meet times. While he started out as one of the slower swimmers, it did not matter to him, because from his chart he could see that in 70% of his races he improved his times. Winning gold medals had little or no impact on Jon’s drive either. While being proud of the achievement, it was the personal best times that kept him going forward.
Cognitive restructuring can help some people. By identifying discouraging thoughts, one can practice self-efficacy strategies. Coaches can also help in this area. For example instead of telling yourself that you’re never going to get into shape, you say to yourself that change takes time. “I did not get into this shape overnight, so I will need to progress bit by bit.” Don’t tell yourself: “I’ve tried to exercise in the past but I always failed.” Instead, tell yourself: “Every time I begin a new exercise regime, I am getting closer to sticking to it.”
Below are some strategies you can use, if your current strategy just isn’t working for you.
1) Modeling can be a motivator for some. Finding someone who has succeeded at what you want to do can help increase your self-efficacy. Perhaps a news item in SWIM magazine, of a peer who had trouble overcoming a task but eventually was successful. This type of story may be worth reading a few times.
2) One of the best motivators is to swim with an organized group. The camaraderie makes commitment much easier. The most successful strategies for many self-improvement plans, including weight loss, quitting smoking, and recovering from alcohol abuse, involve formal groups.
3) Use upbeat, positive music. Avoid listening to songs dealing with negative topics.
4) Chart progress, or do periodic fitness testing. For example, once a month swim a 500 yard free for time and record your results.
5) Set short-range achievable goals.
6) Use imagery. Imagine yourself the way you want to be or perform. If you want to lose weight, imagine yourself thin. If you want to compete well, imagine yourself doing your race well.
When you have a high level of self worth, and your life is balanced, you have a better chance of performing at the top level of your skill. This situation is when visualization techniques may be most effective. Psychological issues should be identified and solved before techniques such as biofeedback, meditation, mental rehearsal, visualization, quieting your mind, etc., will work. Good coaches are able to tap into an athletes’ belief system and to create an environment than enhances feelings of self worth. Self-motivation isn’t about isolating yourself. Instead, surround yourself with positive people who make good choices, such as a local Master’s Swim Team.
