FitBricks » Swim Training http://fitbricks.com Building your fitness one brick at a time Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:23:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Breathing Swim Article http://fitbricks.com/2009/09/29/breathing-swim-article/ http://fitbricks.com/2009/09/29/breathing-swim-article/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:30:19 +0000 Diane http://fitbricks.com/?p=662 Perfect Your Breathing With a Better Body Position

By Rod Havriluk, Ph.D.
Swimming Technology Research

Good article for you guys to read

]]> http://fitbricks.com/2009/09/29/breathing-swim-article/feed/ 0 Natalie Coughlin swim tip videos http://fitbricks.com/2009/04/28/natalie-coughlin-swim-tip-videos/ http://fitbricks.com/2009/04/28/natalie-coughlin-swim-tip-videos/#comments Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:58:15 +0000 Diane http://fitbricks.com/?p=546 here are 3 little videos with some swim tips.  It’s interesting to watch her swim because her arm recovery is so high- this goes against what we are taught, but as is with any professional, she has fine tuned what works for her- at her level or competition. This doesn’t mean you should start making your recovery that high too.  But, do note her body position and her pull it is perfect form.   Also remember, she is not a triathlete and she swims sprints compared to what you swim.

http://www.active.com/swimming/Articles/Natalie_Coughlin_s_Body_Position_Basics.htm?act=EMC-Eteamz&Vehicle=Swimming&Date=04_27_09&Edition=1&Sections=Articles&Creative=Natalie_Coughlin_s_Body_Position_Basics&TextName=More&ArtText=Txt&Placement=1&Dy=Tue

]]> http://fitbricks.com/2009/04/28/natalie-coughlin-swim-tip-videos/feed/ 0 Swim Race- what a trip… http://fitbricks.com/2009/03/22/swim-race-what-a-trip/ http://fitbricks.com/2009/03/22/swim-race-what-a-trip/#comments Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:04:06 +0000 Diane http://fitbricks.com/?p=518 So I did my first swim race yesterday as part of a relay at the Multisport expo.  What a trip.  I was soooooooo nervous.  I’ve never done a swim race and we had to dive off of the blocks- and I was trying to do flip turns- both things I started doing in practice over the past 6-8 weeks to try to get ready for this race.

The relays were 4×400.  I placed myself 2nd so I would be in one of the slower spots.  I’ve never swam so hard in my life. It was pretty funny.  I made all of the flip turns except for 2 – one where I misjudged the wall and was too close, and the other where I could not see what lap I was on so I had to kind of slow to a stop, look up and find the number– I was thrilled to see the bright orange blocks indicating that I was on my last lap.

In any event, it was very fun and I would definitely do it again next year. It is very different then when you swim in practice.  I just swam the 400 and felt like I had worked out HARD for an hour.  It was pretty funny.

]]> http://fitbricks.com/2009/03/22/swim-race-what-a-trip/feed/ 0 Article on the 5 Common Swimming Myths Exposed http://fitbricks.com/2009/02/27/article-on-the-5-common-swimming-myths-exposed/ http://fitbricks.com/2009/02/27/article-on-the-5-common-swimming-myths-exposed/#comments Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:39:57 +0000 Diane http://fitbricks.com/?p=467 I wanted to share this article about swim myths.   Some I’ve heard before!

_____________

By Eric Hansen
For Active.com

Any group of swimmers at any level is an interesting case study of their preconceptions about the do’s and don’ts of swimming fast.

Denial and justification of specific training methodologies are the most fun to observe and debate. Having swum competitively for 20-some-odd years and coached now for over 15, I have witnessed some interesting concepts.

It was my interest in these debates that led me to get my MS in exercise physiology and apply it to my sport of choice, swimming. It is from my education and my experimentation as a National Team athlete and coach that I share with you a few of my favorite ongoing misconceptions:

1. Don’t eat within two hours of swimming. You will certainly cramp!

Whoever coined this phrase or gave birth to this concept certainly didn’t have my body. There is a significant percentage of swimmers whom I have trained with and have coached that need to eat right up to training time.

Have you ever tried to train on an empty stomach for three hours when you’re only carrying 4 percent body fat? It doesn’t work well. I’m not a huge advocate of jalapeno poppers or nuclear chicken wings prior to training, but I’ve found peanut butter and jelly or energy bars work great.

The sacrifice of tasting anything during warm-up, due to reflux, is counterbalanced with a solid block of energy to help you with prolonged duration at high intensity.

2. I’m not a great swimmer, nor will I ever be. I am a sinker, not a floater.

I love this one! This bit of philosophy tends to be used more as an excuse to not put in the time to adapt to an aquatic environment and learn to work with water, as opposed to punishing it.

Having worked with numerous Masters swimmers and multisport athletes who struggle with this concept, one thought always enters my mind: Relax!

Having swum or coached internationally for over 15 years, I can honestly say that the majority of world-class swimmers could be classified as “sinkers” due to their low body fat percentage. When trying to move through water at high speeds, body fat rarely can be regarded as an asset. Marathon open-water swimmers may have an argument, but the rest of us need to accept the fact that adding an extra layer of insulation won’t assist us in achieving world-class status.

I realize that elephant seals and a few other aquatic mammals seem to excel with their elevated adipose tissue. What mother nature gave them in the form of high fat content was counterbalanced with incomparable hydrodynamics and skin composition. We’re not so lucky.

Sorry about the lack of justification for holiday and weekend feeding frenzies. Let me reassure you that swimming has evolved to the point where the added buoyancy achieved through an increase in body fat is outdone by the unfavorable decrease in a strength-to-weight ratio.

3. Pulling with paddles is the quickest way to become a better puller, thus a better swimmer.

Paddles can be a dangerous tool to the inexperienced or technically challenged swimmer. The increased surface area that they provide has the potential to put undue pressure on parts of the shoulder that are sure to produce overuse injuries.

Proper pulling (with or without paddles) should be initiated with a preload on the latissimus muscles. Swimmers who tend to press straight down as opposed to getting the pulling surface of the paddle to point to the rear will inevitably put additional stress on the rotator cuff and triceps.

For those athletes who are strong and can muscle the additional surface area, speed can be achieved without the optimal muscles or pulling pattern. When the paddles are removed, people without the proper pulling mechanics most likely will swing off the back of the set.

With that in mind, try eliminating the paddles and incorporating a full pulling surface. By that I mean utilizing the surface area from the fingertip to the elbow. The quicker you can use the forearm along with the hand, the sooner you can pull and eventually swim correctly.

Not only do you utilize the appropriate muscles, but your shoulders and triceps will thank you!

4. Lifting weights for distance swimmers will affect their stroke and build too much muscle mass.

The first thing that comes to my mind whenever I hear this argument is the progress of weight programs in basketball and golf. These are two sports where a soft touch and flexibility are at a premium.

Although neither sport is distance-oriented, it is proof that strength training can be specific enough to produce the desired effect, while maintaining the important elements in each motor skill.

Strength-to-weight ratio is a critical concept for swimmers. The ability to maximize strength, while finding the right balance in muscle mass and flexibility, is the battle.

Periodization of strength training within a distance swimming program is the key. The majority of the strength training models that I consider successful use strength training in addition to the normal water workouts.

The early acquisition of additional strength and power can be successfully channeled into a season with proper planning. Early-season high-repetition lifting sessions can be tailored to enhance strength and minimize the addition of any substantial gain in unnecessary muscle mass.

5. Kicking is primarily used to facilitate body rotation in swimming and doesn’t really add much to forward propulsion.

I am guessing this philosophy grew in popularity throughout the stone-age. Although many open-water swimmers and multisport athletes choose to limit the use of legs, it’s about energy conservation, not ability for the legs to help propel.

In my 15-plus years of coaching, I can honestly say that my fastest kickers were my fastest swimmers. Although there may be exceptions to this rule throughout the swimming world, it is obvious that leg power correlates to swimming speed.

The common thread among the previously mentioned misconceptions is education. Trial and error is probably the single greatest teacher.

With the multitude of variables our sport has to offer, a whole lot can be learned by sharing experiences. Sometimes, trial and error is what teaches you what works. There are a host of swimming theorists who don’t really experiment in our medium. In the water is where theory becomes fact. Your body will dictate which theories are applicable to your peak performance.

Eric Hansen is the head men’s and women’s swimming coach for the University of Wisconsin. He has been the men’s head swimming coach for the U.S. National team for several international competitions, including the World Short Course Championships in 2006, the 2003 Pan Am Games and the FINA Short Course World Championships in 2002. He is a former U.S. National Champion and U.S. National team member.

]]> http://fitbricks.com/2009/02/27/article-on-the-5-common-swimming-myths-exposed/feed/ 0 Kicking drills article http://fitbricks.com/2009/02/15/kicking-drills-article/ http://fitbricks.com/2009/02/15/kicking-drills-article/#comments Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:13:30 +0000 Diane http://fitbricks.com/?p=456 Here is an article on Active to give you some swim drills.  They should look VERY familiar to you :-)

Kicking Drills for Better Body Position

Backstroke

By Karen Buxton
CoachBuxton.com

Don’t miss Part 1 of this series on swim-stroke efficiency drills.

The following drills not only help develop your kick, but improve your rotation and body position as well.

These drills are easily incorporated into your warm-up and cooldown and should yield good results if done consistently. Remember, if good technique were easy to come by, everyone would have it.

Discipline yourself this season to make these drills a part of your regular swim regimen.

Kick on side: Kick on your side with both arms at your side. Play with head position and see how that affects how your hips ride in the water. (Think “downhill” head pushing down and out and help your hips ride high).

Kick on side with rotation: Same as above, except after a six-beat kick, roll to your other side, initiating the rotation with your hips and core (the shoulders and upper body will follow).

Kick on side, arm out: Lie on your side and kick a length of the pool with the bottom arm extended and the top arm at your side. Concentrate on feeling long.

Kick on side, arm out with rotation: Same as above, except after a six-beat kick take a complete stroke (one-stroke cycle) and roll over to your other side. Lead the rotation with your hips, not your shoulders.

Karen Buxton coaches triathletes, duathletes, cyclists and runners and can be reached at CoachBuxton.com.

]]> http://fitbricks.com/2009/02/15/kicking-drills-article/feed/ 0 Good swimming article on common freestyle mistakes http://fitbricks.com/2009/02/15/good-swimming-article-on-common-freestyle-mistakes/ http://fitbricks.com/2009/02/15/good-swimming-article-on-common-freestyle-mistakes/#comments Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:11:34 +0000 Diane http://fitbricks.com/?p=454

Common Freestyle Flaws and How to Fix Them

Even top swimmers can benefit from technique work, so working out stroke inefficiencies is time well spent.

Steve Tarpinian
Triathlete magazine

Your weakness is your strength! Cliche? Yes, but like many cliches, this maxim contains an element of truth, since every imperfection presents an opportunity for improvement. And when it comes to swimming, ironing out wrinkles in your stroke can yield huge dividends in terms of improved efficiency and lowered splits.What’s more, regardless of your level of proficiency in the water, there is always room for improvement, so even the most talented swimmers can improve by continually tweaking and refining their strokes.

Start by Taking a Breather

Let’s back up. Before we talk about technique, let’s start where most problems begin in the water: breathing. When you’re swimming freestyle, it’s critical to exhale when your face is in the water so you are able to take a full breath when you roll to the side.

However, because they can’t relax in the water, many swimmers hold their breath or only partially exhale, which subsequently prevents them from taking in a complete lungful of air. Invariably, these swimmers need to breathe every stroke and usually go hypoxic after a short swim, not from the effort but merely from lack of oxygen.

Prescription: Always focus on breathing while warming up and cooling down. This is the perfect time to smooth out your breathing and relax in preparation for the technique work and main set to follow.

Another useful exercise is to take five breaths on each side at the edge of the pool. If you are breathing to your left, place your right arm on the wall and rotate to the side, exhaling while your face is in the water and inhaling when you turn to breathe. This is not a physically demanding drill, but it helps to reinforce rhythm and relaxation.

Technique Troubleshooter

As noted, even top swimmers can benefit from technique work, so taking the time to work out inefficiencies in your stroke is time well spent. Here are a few of the most common sources of waterborne frustration for triathletes along with a few suggestions for improvement:

Crossover: When your hand enters the water at the beginning of each stroke, you must ensure it doesn’t cross your body’s imaginary midline running from head to toe. Crossing over puts a tremendous amount of strain on the shoulder joint and makes your body fishtail or swing from side to side, increasing drag.

Prescription: Single-arm and catch-up drills. Exaggerate the width of your entry point. At first it may feel as though you are entering far too wide, but this is simply because relative to where you were entering, it feels wide. Video analysis is usually necessary to monitor progress.

Entering too early: An early hand entry at the start of each stroke almost always causes the swimmer to drive down with his or her arm rather then extend forward. The driving-down motion causes an ineffective straight-arm pull that generates little power.

Prescription: Catch-up, finger-tip drag and single-arm drills.

Short finish: When you are sprinting, a shortened finish, which boosts stroke rate, is advantageous; however, for most distance swimmers, full or almost full extension at the end of the pull phase is much more efficient.

Prescription: Catch-up drill with thumb scrape on your leg to ensure you are completing the end of each stroke.

Dropping the elbow: Oftentimes, swimmers drop their elbows after their hands enter the water at the start of each stroke (instead, the elbow should remain high while the fingertips point down — think of reaching over a barrel on its side). This freestyle no-no robs swimmers of speed more than any other flaw. A similar flaw with the same prescription is pulling with a straight arm. In both cases, most of the resultant force vectors are directed down.

Prescription: Fist and single-arm drill. Also, visualize pulling over a barrel with each stroke.

No long-axis rotation: This is also described as flat swimming, where the swimmer doesn’t rotate from side to side. This flaw shortens the pull, reduces the length of the stroke and increases drag.

Prescription: Kick on side drill and catch-up drill.

Slapping and overextending entry: This is usually caused when a swimmer is working to lengthen his or her stroke; however, a long stroke must be generated by extending underwater and rolling onto the side. Otherwise, overextending on the entry can push a swimmer’s body down in the water and lead to a straight-arm pull.

Prescription: Catch-up, finger-tip drag and single-arm drills.

When working on the above drills, take the time to do them properly and concentrate on the skills you are developing. With practice, your stroke will respond and you can enjoy increased efficiency and faster splits in the water.

Coach Steve Tarpinian is the creator of the new Swimpower DVD and author of Swimming for Triathlons. He is also a keynote speaker on swimming and triathlons worldwide. For more information, please visit www.swimpower.com.

]]> http://fitbricks.com/2009/02/15/good-swimming-article-on-common-freestyle-mistakes/feed/ 0 Breathing Drills http://fitbricks.com/2008/04/07/breathing-drills/ http://fitbricks.com/2008/04/07/breathing-drills/#comments Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:47:17 +0000 Diane http://fitbricks.com/2008/04/07/breathing-drills/ To my breathing challenged swimmers (you know who you are :-)   Here are a few more breathing drills taken and summarized from a total immersion article written by Pawel Lewicki from Poland.  You will recognize some of them.  We can work on them the next time I see you at the pool.

  1. While standing, practice inhaling through the mouth and exhaling through the nose until you are feeling comfortable and at ease.
  2. With feet still on the bottom and arms remaining at sides, bend forward, placing the face in the water, practiced the same breath, turning the head first to one side, then the other and working through three focal points:
    • Keep the top of your head down as you breathe.
    • Relax the side and back of your head into the water as you breathe.
    • Establish an unbroken rhythm of mouth-inhale, nose-exhale.
  3. Repeat the above sequence with the lower arm extended.
  4. Finally go in to a full horizontal position, with a gentle push off from the bottom into Skating position and GO SLOW. Five breaths to one side. Pause. Five to the other side.

Following the breathing exercise series, practice your whole stroke, with your sole emphasis being on breathing in rhythm. Begin with a few rounds of a push-off followed by three, then five, then seven strokes—adding two strokes and one breath to each repeat. Breathe to the left on the odd rounds and to the right on the even ones.  The final drill is to breathe every third stroke.

]]> http://fitbricks.com/2008/04/07/breathing-drills/feed/ 8 Don’t panic, it’s just water http://fitbricks.com/2008/04/06/dont-panic-its-just-water/ http://fitbricks.com/2008/04/06/dont-panic-its-just-water/#comments Sun, 06 Apr 2008 12:24:06 +0000 Diane http://fitbricks.com/2008/04/06/dont-panic-its-just-water/ This is for all my athletes who are starting to panic because they can’t “breathe in the water”.  I’ve got one word of advice, OK, three words….

1.  RELAX

2.  SLOW DOWN

When we first start to swim, or get back in to swimming after a break of many years (many many years for some who haven’t been swimming since childhood) we think we need to move our arms really fast.  This causes the body to come out of alignment, thus requiring more energy to go through the water, thus causing us to breathe heavier, thus causing us to PANIC that we can’t breathe.  Phew…my heart rate was elevated just writing this…

So, what is the answer?  Slow down.  Don’t worry about speed.  Work on your form, and practice  breathing in a rhythm that is comfortable to you.

For those of you on the Westboro Swim and Tennis Tri Team, you can use one of your 3- 1×1 coaching lessons with me, Matt or Brian to work just on these things.  Ask Jim, it works when you slow down your arm rotation, think calming thoughts, and breathe 1..2..3  breathe, 1..2..3.. breathe :-)

Whatever your rhythm, get in to it and stick to it.  We can work on speed later.  It’s all about rhythm, balance and getting “the feel” of the water.

Let me know if you have any questions, or want some drills to try.

]]> http://fitbricks.com/2008/04/06/dont-panic-its-just-water/feed/ 0 Wetsuits http://fitbricks.com/2008/03/22/wetsuits/ http://fitbricks.com/2008/03/22/wetsuits/#comments Sat, 22 Mar 2008 10:42:08 +0000 Diane http://fitbricks.com/2008/03/22/wetsuits/ Marie wrote the following in question in the question and comments section, but I wanted others to be able to find the conversation if they wanted to.  I will respond to her post in a follow on post.

Marie Mcguirk { 03.21.08 at 8:36 am }

Can we open the dialogue about wetsuits? I would like to get one, and this might be dopey, but are the ones we are looking at the same one diver’s use? Because, if they are, my uncle has a dive-shop in Newport, maybe I could get us a group discount? I also have no idea how to shop for a wetsuit. On the topic of all the snazzy duds I am going to get to wear this season, are tri-shorts different than biking shorts (I just tried them out, interesting….) Thanks

]]> http://fitbricks.com/2008/03/22/wetsuits/feed/ 1 Great website for Swim Gear http://fitbricks.com/2008/03/05/great-website-for-swim-gear/ http://fitbricks.com/2008/03/05/great-website-for-swim-gear/#comments Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:39:15 +0000 Diane http://fitbricks.com/2008/03/05/great-website-for-swim-gear/ Hey, check out this website for swim gear.  Great prices!  I just ordered a bathing suit so I’ll let you know about quality and sizing on the ClubGear stuff.

http://www.swimoutlet.com/

]]> http://fitbricks.com/2008/03/05/great-website-for-swim-gear/feed/ 0