Training plan swim question

I'm in the last few weeks of the plan. I take about 30 seconds to 1 minute between warm up and main set, and prob 30 seconds before moving into the cool down.

In general, no matter what type of workout you're doing, you should rest long enough in order to complete the intended goal of the next set.

LOL for me it all has to do with how much time I have left till the pool closes! I agree in principle with Suzanne, but my reality is that if a meeting goes overtime (they often do) and I get a late start, there is pretty much NO break between warmup, parts of the main set, and cooldown, except maybe to take a few sips of water. (Of course, I am taking rest intervals within the sets.) I have very tight constraints on my pool time and train solo; it's just the reality of my training situation here. I sometimes do the warmup sets continuously, stopping only to put on/take off pool toys if they are a part of it, if pressed for time. I do try to make sure not to rush through sets such as drills where the focus is on form rather than speed or endurance. I also try to make sure to pace my effort on each set so I don't need much extra rest to make it through the workout with good form.

Last year, I did a lot of my swimming while a HS team was training in adjacent lanes. Although I was far from the fastest swimmer in the pool (especially at the shorter distances the kids usually do), I could routinely get through 1.5 to 2X the yardage that they did in a 60-90 minute workout, even on days when it was a conditioning, rather than technique-based workout for them. That's mainly because I had limited time to train and no one to stand around and chat with before the workout and between sets. At times it kind of becomes a game to see if I can possibly finish a workout before time runs out. Last week I was pretty pleased with myself when I finished a 3200m workout in a total of one hour (from jumping in for warmup to getting out), with 54 minutes plus of total swimming. A mix of swim and pull sets from 75 to 275m. Needless to say, there weren't a whole lot of breaks between sets!

Edited by Hot Runner 2016-05-02 5:14 AM

Hot runner: so what your saying is you out first priority on getting in the full distance while trying not to let form falter?

Everyone is different if the purpose of the warmup is physical muscle readiness the minimal rest is fine

If the purpose of the warmup is to identify a stroke correction that you'll take to a longer set, you can't rush that.

Likewise if the purpose of the cool down is to recapture a stroke correction that may have gotten away from you during a faster main set you can't rush that either.

I don't know a single swimmer that doesn't have corrective opportunities, including the pro and elite triathletes I've worked with.

When time constrained sometimes it's even more important to swim fewer yards if the benefit at the end of your lunch hour is that you've improved your stroke by 0.5%

But I believe everyone does what's most important to them at the time, so not a judgement just a perspective for others to consider.

It would depend on the purpose of the workout. I don't rush drill sets or those where I'm supposed to focus on a particular element of form. I would cut the workout short in that case if needed. I've been swimming a long time, but sure I don't have perfect form. Generally one workout per week has more of a form focus (though there's some in every workout, usually on the warmup), one more strength/speed, and one more pace work/endurance. (If there's a fourth swim, it's more of a recovery effort after a long bike or run.) It's the pace/endurance workout (since it tends to be the longer one) where I often get pressed for time and just do the sets one after the other. I'm taking the rest intervals. Standing around between sets just isn't a part of it, though.

Thanks for clarifying that. It's important that newer athletes appreciate that different workouts have different purposes.