jesse_d Mentor Group - Closed (Page 2)

Sorting Out Swim Technique
by Steve Tarpinian

Whether you are a beginner or a pro, it's all about balance, rotation, and propulsion when you swim. There's always time to make some real improvement in technique. The challenge is to sort out all the great information available in a way that best applies to you. Many times a tip from the fastest guy in the pool or an offhand comment from a swimmer, while well-meaning, can cause confusion rather than help.

Recently I met a triathlete named Pat Crespi from Denver who expressed her frustration with her swim training. She enjoys swimming and has seen some improvement but it has leveled off. She feels there must be some easy changes that might help her, but they have eluded her. What's more, she has received conflicting information about technique. Does this sound familiar?

Let's start by getting some advice from two swimmers who have achieved success in the water: Mike Smedley and Mike Bark.

Smedley is a member of the USAT Resident Team and has greatly improved his swimming in the two years since he began racing professionally. What does he attribute it to? "Focusing on my technique with directed drills and putting in the laps and training to get more comfortable in the water," he says.

Bark is an amateur triathlete who dropped three minutes off his 500 meter time in three months and is counting on qualifying for the Hawaii Ironman this year. "Doing specific drills tor my stroke and putting in the meters" is what Bark says helps him.

What is important to take from both Mikes' answers are the words specific and directed. Simply doing drills will not lead to maximum improvement. Doing drills that are directed at an aspect of your stroke that needs work and doing them correctly is the key.

Obviously, we cannot tell each triathlete reader what he or she needs the most, but we can identify three very important aspects of freestyle technique that all swimmers at every level should be improving. Chances are very good that at least one of these is going to be a winner for you.

Interestingly, the swimmers we work with at both professional and beginner levels need work on the same aspects; the only difference is that the faster swimmers require a little less correction in these areas:

1. Streamlined and level or balanced body position (especially on your side)
2. Rotation from side to side
3. Propulsion: generating power in the correct direction

Most swimmers with any experience have done some or all of the following drills. The key is to do them correctly, so pay particular attention to the descriptions so that you don't make the same mistakes in a drill as in your stroke and simply cement your flaws.

Kick on side drill
Mastering a balanced position on your side is best accomplished by lying on your side with one arm at your side and the other outstretched. After 6-10 kicks, rotate over to the other side for 6-10 kicks, etc. Work on generating the rotation from your hips and kick. Rotate body together generating power from you hips.

One of the keys to this drill is to rest your head down on your arm and strive for "one goggle in and one out." This will keep you from lifting your head up and driving your legs down. You may struggle with this and ingest some water, so be patient, and if you are having trouble getting air, rotate your head as opposed to lifting it.

Vertical Kicking Drill
The best drill for finding and perfecting an efficient kick. Kick in one place in deep water.

Cork screw drill
This drill helps with rotation. With your arms at your side, you use your core muscles and kick to rotate over.

Kick on side with rotation
Once you get the side position down it's time to work on rotating from side to side. Here the key is to rotate from your kick and hips, so focus on making your shoulders the last part of your body to rotate. Kick six to 10 times on a side, then rotate and continue the sequence.

Fist and catch up drills
These are two great drills to help generate power when you swim. The fist drill is best done by alternating 10 strokes with your hands closed and then 10 with your hands open. This drill helps you keep a high elbow with nyou pull. This dynamic method helps make the change of bending your elbow earlier more permanent. It is very important to make the connection of this drill to rotation.

The catch-up drill, which involves waiting for one hand to enter the water before pulling with the other (like single-arm drills) can be used for many purposes. Here, the main focus should be accelerating through the pull. Successful catch-up drills are awesome for improving both rotation and rhythm or "pacing" of your stroke.

Finger tip drag drill
This drill helps with relaxing your recovery and gaining a clean, smooth entry. On the stroke recovery, drag your finger just at the surface of the water with elbow in the air.

Lastly, though technique is crucial, at some point we need to match efficiency with speed. For that purpose it is best to do a min/max drill. Here you go for minimum strokes with maximum speed. Do a set of 50s wherein you count your strokes and time it. Add the two numbers. The idea is to play with speed and stroke length to find the optimum efficiency. Speed comes later.

Drills help you effectively work and concentrate on only one aspect of your stroke at a time. Repetition will make it natural. You have been swimming the way you do for a long time. Be patient: the changes may take a while. All drills with the exception of fist drill get best results with fins (preferably Zoomers). As my friend Doug Thralls says, "play on."

Here are some videos I have saved in the past.  I recommend that you create a file structure on your computer   Triathlon --> Then Swimming -->  Articles  and then one for --> videos.  Read a bunch of articles and save them all so you can return to them over time.

Videos - comments.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CIzBaSiWdRA  (popov - notice the ease at which he places his hand in the water.  No effort.  He just slaps his hand down)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=f6qIhkuzTx0&feature=related  (Hackett - This is a rediculous video.  The great thing here is the extention of his arms - and really not a crazy leg movement for how fast he is going.  You kick is meant to balance you and not propel you)

 http://youtube.com/watch?v=7dJs0ToB_z4&feature=related  (visualization)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=sYt8x_7uL48&feature=related  (Dave Scott - Love Dave Scott - he always has very practical advice) 

http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1437079279&channel=5957401

Hope you didn't have the swine flu!

I don't follow any set workout schedule at the moment, but I'm assuming that'll have to change this summer.  Normally I run anywhere from 3 to 5 miles about 4 days a week, sometimes more, sometimes less.  I just started swimming last week, so I need lots of work on that!  I see you posted a bunch of info on swimming.  I'm sure that will be helpful!  Now that it's getting warmer outside, I bike to work which is about 4 miles one way.  In the summer I like to go for rides around the lake.  I think that's about 14 miles, but I'm not sure if any of this biking counts as "training."  I lifted weights about three times a week over the winter, but I haven't for a couple of months now.  I just got kind of sick of it.

I want to do the Devil's Challenge Triathlon on September 20th, so I've got some time to get ready.  My goal is just to finish it.  It's a sprint tri and I've heard that the biking part has very steep hills. 

I know I can do all the activities on their own (especially running), but I don't know how putting them all together is going to go.  I guess I'll find out in September!

Cheryl,

Yes, that first swim is a killer.  I hate to scare people but that is just the way it is.  I hope that everyone can get in some open water swims before their race.  And even with the open water swims there is no real way to prepare yourself.  My tips for that first swim (although you have already done it) is 1) stay out of everyone’s way   Seriously, get to the outside and don’t try to swim with everyone  2)  Focus on exhaling when your face is in the water and just breathing correctly.  3) go very slow at first and only increase speed if/when you feel comfortable.   TELL YOURSELF THESE THING OVER AND OVER AND OVER again before race, as the gun goes off, while you are swimming.  Inevitably you will run into people but you just ignore them and keep telling yourself “breathe properly, go slowly”

OK – on to other matters.

Let’s tackle these one at a time.  I know you are just getting back into the workouts after being sick.  So, I don’t suggest just gung ho follow exactly what I say to a tee and go all out.  But, this is something you can work towards.

Biking – Currently, you are biking a total of one hour a week on the trainer?  Is that correct?  If so we need to increase that.  I hope I’m not going to sound like a broken record to everyone about increasing the amount of training time but in reality that is what is needed a lot of the time   I think the trainer is a good idea for some things and not for others.  I would like to see you get one long bike ride outside each week.  What I mean by long is start with 1 hour.  Then maybe over time you’ll be able to move that up.  My long ride is 4 - 5 hours so you can certainly do 1 to start

On top of that I would like you to do some strength training on the bike to get ready for those hills.  You can certainly do this on the trainer or on the road.  Do it with intervals.  I would start by warming up on whatever is an easy level for you.  Maybe spinning at a fairly fast RPM (100) just to get the legs loosened up and get the heart rate up a bit.   Then you’ll want to do a series of alternating efforts.  Starts with 2 min hard then 2 min relaxed spin.  As a starting point I would do 3 sets of this.  Then you can work your way up to 5 sets.  There are two different ways to do these intervals.  1)  You can do very hard level at less RPM (maybe 60 rpm).  And 2) You can do moderately hard level at higher RPM (say 90).    I would recommend doing both types.

(NOT YELLING – I REALLY CAN’T STRESS ENOUGH THE POWER OF INTERVALS)

On bike computer.  First what type of bike do you have (road bike, tri bike, mountain bike)?  I will almost 100% recommend a computer (after I hear your response to what type of bike do you have).  Nothing fancy.  Just time and MPH.  It is a great way to gauge your progress over time. 

On swimming:  Total Immersion is a great way to learn.  The guy that made TI is Terry Laughlin and he has an amazing smooth technique.  I don’t know about you but it does help to have video or something you can look at in addition to the articles (paper).  So, maybe it would help to pick up the video.  Definitely go back through my last few posts on swimming and then lets dig deeper there.

My project for you.  Why not build a schedule that you are comfortable with and post it and I’ll give you my feedback.  Just make sure that you are committed to the times and days. And that there are no potential conflicts with spouses, etc.  (One example of a bad schedule is saying you are going to workout Thursday nights when you know darn well you rarely get out of work on time on Thursday night or that you rarely feel like working out after work   )

Here are the components I would like to see:

2 – 3 swims a week of at least 30 min swim time

3 – 4 runs (preferably 4) a week of at least 5k.  One of these runs I would a lot a little more time to so that we can start building up a long run.

3 – bikes a week – this can be a combination of trainer or outside riding.  At least one of the rides should be outside and for one hour long.

So, at minimum, we are talking about 8 workouts. 

I think by focusing on primarily the bike with some basic swim improvements you’ll smash your past times.  Shoot, at least you have one hurdle out of the way.  You know what to expect on that swim.

Regards,

Jesse

Nikki – yes the swine flu crosses my mind (I will admit it) J  But, then logic set in! 

You said some very telling things in your post and you have realistic goals (to just finish J )

You are just starting on this journey.  I think you are smart in seeking advice.  My opinion is the first step is to have a schedule that you can be dedicated to.   Then we have to work on the individual components.

So, there is good news and bad news.  Good news:  we have a lot of time to get ready – almost 5 months.  Bad news = we have a lot of work to do.  OK – I joke you – there is no bad news.  Really, it will be fun.

First, we have to set a schedule up that you are happy with and can commit to given your family/work life. 

My project for you is to create a schedule that encompasses:

1)      What days of the weeks you can workout and what times each day you can workout.

2)      Yes, your bikes to and from work count.  Yes, you ride around the lake counts.  It just has to be consistent from here on out. 

3)      Build in 2 – 3 days swimming, 4 days running, 3 days biking (this is going to be a little different for you given you ride to work – but I would really ignore the biking to work for this little schedule project and we can include that in after we’re done – I’ll show you what I mean

An example:

Monday 6 am Run (40 min), 7am swim (30 min).

Tuesday (off)

Wednesday 5 -6 pm (bike).

Etc.

I want you to put what time you have and can commit to.  Don’t short yourself by putting what you think is optimal J 

Jesse’s Schedule:

Monday (morning) 45 min swim, 8 – 9 mile run

Tuesday (morning) 50 min swim, 8 mile run

Wednesday (mornign) 8 mile run, One hour bike

Thrusday (morning) One hour bike, long run 11 – 12 miles right now.

Friday (morning) – Swim (OW or pool), Long Bike 50 – 60 miles.

Sat - Off

Sun – 6 mile run, long Bike 50 – 60 miles

Regards,

Jesse 

That is alot stuff to go through, but I bet if I correct my breathing in the water it will help out. I swam in Jr high but they never taught anything about breathing. I will give it a go this weekend and see how it goes.

ON RUNNING:

Running is my strength.  I love to run slow and fast! (Mostly fast).

I wanted to talk in general about running and I have some thoughts that may help you.

2 Really Important Points:

1. Don't make your long run the equivalent of your race run.  Meaning, if you are doing a race with a 5k don’t make 5k your long run.  I would shoot for 6 miles to be your long run about a week out from the race.  The reason this is important is you want to be over-prepared for the race.  You want to finish the race feeling great and not like you are about to die.   ALSO – there are some extreme benefits of adding mileage to your training (and how this relates to swim and bike as well). 
2. You may come across different methods of running (chi, pose, etc).  Ignore them all!  The best way to run is to take short relaxed strides.  Your arms relaxed.  Your legs loose and relaxed.  Do not over stride!  That is a sure way to lead to shin splints and other injuries.  When you increase your cadence to over 90 running you’ll become faster.   As you add intervals and distance running your body will adapt and you’ll naturally increase your stride without trying to do it by reaching with your legs.

Setting a running schedule – how to increase your running over time.

My thought is that I believe everyone should run at least 4 times a week.  I know some of you are real beginners and are thinking I am crazy.  I know!  I am.  But, that would be my goals if I were outright coaching you to become a better runner.  Let me tell you how I would train a beginner runner for a 5k.

Start:  No running experience

Week 1 - Run 3 days a week 2 miles a day (Walk, skip, run if you have to)

Week 2 - Run 3 days a week 2 miles a day (last run of the week go to 3 miles)

Week 3 - Run 3 days a week / two runs at 3 miles – one run at 2 miles

Week 4 - Run 3 days a week 3 miles a day.

Week 5 - Run 4 days a week 3 miles a day (the extra run at 1 - 2 miles)

Week 6 - Run 4 days a week 3 miles a day.

Week 7 - Run 4 days a week / extend one run to 4 miles.

Week 8 – Repeat week 7

Week 9 - Run 4 days a week / 3 miles (extend one to 5 miles)  Start light intervals on a short day.

Week 10 - Run 4 days a week / 3 miles (extend one to 6 miles) / light intervals on one short day.

Week 11 - Run 4 days a week / 3 miles (extend one to 6 miles and one to 4 miles) / light intervals on the 4 mile day.

So, maybe you can see where you belong on this list and try to incorporate something like this.

Maybe some of you can increase faster than this without injury.  But, the first sign you have of a use injury just stop and discuss.

Jesse

Cheryl,

I am excited to get share what I have learned and get everyone on board with their goals.  I’m glad you are excited too.  If I am too overzealous just holla’ out!  J

I think the number of rest days is completely up to you and what you feel comfortable with.  Also, everyone is different and has different goals and races they will be doing.  Because I believe the min number of workouts considering your history should be 8 I would think maybe a good starting point for you would be two days off.  Where you double up on 3 of the days?  If you make your schedule and find that you want to do more workouts than that you’ll have to examine if you can do more doubles or add an extra day.  But, really that is up to you and there is no right or wrong answer I would say.

It sounds like the spinning classes are great.  And the short answer is yes you can substitute. My personal opinion to improve your bike is that you should have a nice balance of working on leg strength, cardio (threshold), and distance training rides (time in the saddle).  So, I would just ask – what is the benefit you are receiving from that class?  Is it mostly cardio for 45 straight mins?  Do they do intervals?  Etc.  Then we can decide which ride the spinning class can substitute for.  But as far as your schedule please use the spinning class as a ride.

Bike – that bike is certainly good enough to achieve your goals.  Because you are doing all short races (so far) I don’t think you need to worry about getting aero bars or anything.  Sure, if money were no object I would say get a tri-bike.  But, money is rarely not a consideration.  Yes, I would get some clipless pedals.  I really think it is important.  Just know that anything you purchase for this bike you will be able to transfer to a new bike in the future.  So that is nice. 

The clipless pedals will allow you to use more of your leg muscles and you’ll become a much better rider quicker.  Once you add them hit me back up again and I can give you some starting points on how they are different and what you need to do.

As far as the bike fit did anyone fit the bike to you?  Meaning, did you have measurements taken and have someone adjust the bike so that you are the proper height on the bike, etc? 

You can get the video and I assume it is worth it.  As a starting point maybe look through the sites and videos I have added and see what you can from all of it.

Focus on Breathing aspects, balance aspects, catch of your stroke, developing arm and leg stroke independently, etc.

Jesse

Christina,

I think that is a good schedule.  I believe you have good realistic goals for a beginner as well.  This schedule allows you to get in a long bike, longer run (Sun), and two swims (as long as they are a decent distance).   The other thing about spreading out your schedule like this is if you miss a day you can always tack on an extra workout on Sunday or during  a day where you just have a swim scheduled.

I do believe that as you progress just a bit you can find a way to work in an extra run and then maybe extend out your runs a bit – I think that will be great.  I can help you improve your run and learn about the bike.

Well, good to have you.  Feel free to ask any questions.  Definitely take the time to look through the previous posts as there is already some good information in there.

The only questions I have right now are:  1) What kind of bike to you have?  Do you have clipless peddles?  A bike computer?   2) How long have you been doing this schedule – or are you just starting now.

Regards,

Jesse

Nikki,

Good start.  Let me give some feedback. 

I think the strength training is good.  I do think that as you learn some great techniques in the pool that you won’t need it.  It is unbelievable how much you’ll use all of your muscles in the pool once you learn some of the techniques.

I do agree that lengthened out some of the workouts is probably a good idea.  I love all the biking as long as you just take it easy riding to work.  I don’t think it will be that big of a deal.  You’ll kinda separate the two a little in your mind so the ones on the weekend will be a little harder and work on different things (intervals and so forth).

I think you should try to make all of your swims a min 30 min because by the time you get in the pool you’ll almost be getting out with 20 mins.  I mean 20 won’t seem like enough once you get going and learn some great swimming techniques.

So maybe try 

Sun – 30 min swim with 45 min bike (Intervals)

Monday – 45 min run (intervals – you are probably ready for some light intervals given you have been running)

Tues – extend swim to 30 min

The rest looks great (maybe even keep the last swim to 20 mins so you don’t add too much).

Nikki – I forgot, do you travel to the pool?  How far? 

Regards - Jesse

Cheryl,

Yes, I am doing the HIM in Florida at Disney.  I live on the coast about 70 miles a way or so.  So, not too far for me.

Training was going great until that little flu thing.  The last couple days haven’t been going great.  I have been pushing it wayyyy to hard considering my body just isn’t back to normal yet.   I had a good swim this morning – just a straight 35 min swim focusing on good technique.  Then I started my 56 mile bike and it just didn’t go well.  I just pushed too hard.  So, I just went home slow the last half of the ride – skipped any run that I intended. Sat is my day off so I hope my body gets back to normal.

Training in general is so psychological.  You’ll have a couple of great days and think you are the king of running or biking and then have a couple bad days and think you’ll never be able to get it back again J

Great schedule.  I would do one slight change.  I would do your runs in time segments instead of distance segments.  Let me explain.   If you say you are going to do 5k you are going to do 5k and that is it.  BUT, as you get faster you’ll be cheating yourself.  I would rather you say you are going to do 30 mins.  Right now that might be 5k.  But, as you get to 9 min miles that will be a longer distance.  Then you can always move to 35 mins of running, etc.

I started my average sort of runs doing 6 miles at 8 min miles.  I do 8 miles now at 7 min miles.  It is the same effort for me but the additional two miles only takes me 8 min now.

I have a Cervelo as well.  I think the P1 will be great.  You can probably find a good used TT bike right now pretty inexpensively. 

Jesse