"Just Swim"

Enjoyment MUST be there at some level.  Any plan that kills your interest/motivation in a sport is a poor plan.  If you want to "just swim" sometimes- go for it!!!

I "just swim" for the most part.   Maybe 25% of my swim workouts I'll throw in some drills, but not often.   I typically "just swim".  But while "just swimming" I'm always focusing on technique, reaching to get long, rolling, elbow up, etc.      I guess it depends on what type of athlete one is.   I'll never be in contention to win, so I just do it to have fun and push myself past my own limits.  

I never do drills. I just swim. Each time I swim I try to go a little further. I only have limited amout of time to swim and i would rather build up my distance. I am getting faster every week it seems. I am not a swimmer either. I just started swimming in may and I am up to 1200m. Drills are just boring to me. I sure they would make me a better swimmer but I would probably talk myself out of going to the pool if I were doing drills that day. That's just me though.

I always do a preset plan.  I never just swim.  My training partner and I hate the long straight set days (1 x 1500) BLAH!  If we "just swam", I can't imagine that we would meet to swim very much longer.

When people ask me the best way to lose weight or get in shape, my first piece of advice is to find something you enjoy doing.  If you don't like doing it, eventually you will quit.  If you feel like "just swimming", go for it.  That is better for you than hitting the snooze button and making excuses why you won't be going to the pool today.  Sure, there are certain training methods that are better than others, but the best method is the one that you will stick with.  Triathlons and training are supposed to be enjoyable.  Go do it how you want to.

Just swim, just swim drills, just swim fast, just swim a lot. It all works as long as you do a little of all of it!

...just swim fast seems to be the one people avoid the most. It hurts, it sucks, it's hard, it's not much fun, but it's a MUST.

Edited by bryancd 2009-07-31 8:25 AM

Funny you say that. I had been working on my distance and felt pretty good that I could swim a mile with ease.  I worked on just doing sprints last night and it sucked.  I'm a LOT more tired than when I swam a mile. 

I last did drills when I was 13. Now I just swim, assuming by "just swim" you mean doing intervals, long sets, mixing it up, etc. but all with "actual swimming" using both arms and no gadgets :-). I rarely do long, continuous swims anymore and prefer to do shorter sets. But I think you were asking about drills and no, I don't do em. However, the woman in the lane beside me this morning does drills and she is smokin fast (she passed me while I was swimming a 1:22/100 interval), so seems to work for her. I just don't have the time or interest in doing drills- would rather spend the time running or biking given that those areas need more work for me.

When I first got back in the pool I just sort of did some sets alternating free breast back X 200-300, first day I got a half hour in, second day I forced myself to do an hour and just barely made it. Third day I finished a full hour and didn't want to stop. I was doing 400-500 free then 400 each back breast X3 and that was just my set. Usually would time myself on the free to see how I Was doing and I was consistant within 10 seconds of my warmup 400 middle 400 and 400 after 100 laps. Once I knew I had my endurance back I started mixing it up. I'll usually do a 500 of each free back breast then some sort of 50s and 100s sprint sets then again 500 each free back breast, whatever takes a little over an hour and gets me about 3500-3600 yards. I've started doing one day of just the distance stuff and one day with the sprints mixed in. Did a T20 earlier this week only due to time contraint will probably push that to a T30 this coming week.

The sprints suck but they do help, I dreaded them back when I Was competing as  kid and in HS especially since I was a distance swimmer but you need them. It still fun but harder then just doing 500yrd sets.

I do... and it is my favorite.  I also do the workouts. 

When I was first learning to swim (basically a year ago) I "just swam" every swim.  My focus then was just trying to build endurance and I think it was really helpful.  When I decided I wanted to get faster I started focusing on swim workouts and different types of training and it works, I got faster.

So keep your goals in mind but dont get too caught up in it.  It is important to enjoy what you are doing.

X2

I always "Just Swim" the last time I did a swim workout was the end of my senior year in college. I generally jump in and do a straight 2500-3000 yards then pack it up and go home.

Edited by youthfulwarriormom 2009-07-31 9:43 AM

intervals.. make your self hurt.. you won't be bored, just in pain.

When my training partner can't make a workout, I do "just swim" sessions - get in, do 3000 yards, get out.

I do my swims approx like my runs:

1 session technique (drills)
1 session intervals
1 session distance ("just swim" the whole distance all at once.)

LOL! Swimming slow and long makes you great....at swimming slow and long!

I went from someone who just swam laps....

to someone who did the drill thing (TI)

to desiging my own sets (having no purpose)

to today where I have set workouts each time I hit the pool.  each one has a point and purpose.

im unclear on some of those points and purposes (but learning), but I trust the person designing them.

whenever there's a in my workout next to the set, I know its gonna hurt....some days there lots of , some days there's only a few....

I really like swimming with sets...much more enjoyable and I feel like a swimmer....though that's debatable.

To answer the OP, I just get in and swim.

For an OWS, or pool swim, I just look at the watch and swim non stop for 40 - 45 mins.

I agree that swimming slow and long makes you great at swimming slow and long which can be a good thing if you are treating the swim as a means to get to the bike. Having a swimming and water polo background my instinct is to get in the water and to go as hard as I can for as long as I can which usually does not leave a lot left for the bike or the run. This means that I actually spend a good amount of time reminding myself to slow down on the swim so that I am not burned out before getting to the bike (this is a lesson that I still need to apply for the bike in getting to the run).

Bottom line is that everyone is different and as long as you have, or find, a system that works for you then it is good.

I think the point is that VARIABILITY is good.

I definitely "just swim."  But I always have a purpose for my just swim (just like I have a purpose for each workout I do - although truth be told, sometimes I decide the purpose when I show up at the pool or river).  When I first started swimming again, most often my purpose was something like get comfortable in the water again, figure out your breathing, go a little longer than last time, learn to hit the pool even if I don't want to (HTFU), have fun.  These days, any of those can be a purpose for the workout, but I've also added some like focus on technique, focus on speed, focus on endurance, get comfortable in OW, learn to love my wetsuit.  And ya, I do a variety of different interval sets, from 10X50 to 1X1500, and a variety of different drills.  But have fun is always good for a purpose.  Granted I'm definitely not FOP by any stretch, but I'm continuing to improve as each week passes.

Edited by hussybowler5000 2009-07-31 12:31 PM

I'd argue that swimming long and slow is not a good thing in a race unless you can't do anything else. Coming from a swimming/waterpolo background I'd assume you can swim pretty fast. Being able to swim long and fast is way better for a race. I don't see the point in going slow in the swim just to get to the bike fresh. Of course you don't want to wipe yourself out on the swim, but I think what many would argue is that if you spend your 30-60 mins in the pool doing intervals rather than a continuous, slow plod will make you faster, stronger and fitter and prepare you for a fast swim in your race, rather than a slow plod come race day. If you are used to swimming fast in practice, the race won't seem that different. Personally, I don't go to the pool to train to be slow...and I see the swim as a means to get to the bike, hopefully in front of more people than I am behind!