Swim Class 1, its totally different training

For the last 6 months, i would swim a mile (64 laps) and then get out of the pool. Now, the coach has changed the way i train to make my swimming a little more efficient.

Warm up 8 laps. Breathe every 4 strokes. Trust me this is not easy in the beginning. You feel oxygen depleted very fast.

Kicking: 4 laps kicking with hands completely outstretched and clasped together. You need to stretch the arms as far out as possible. This makes you aero dynamic. Kick hard 20 times and then come up and breathe. When you put your head underwater, breathe slowly out. Don't make the mistake of doing heavy blowing out underwater. This exercise teaches you on using your legs more efficiently and swimming with less oxygen. Coach says that this helps in running also as you use your oxygen more efficiently.

Kicking hard and exaggerated slow hand stroke: 4 to 8 laps. Kick very hard and move your arms very slowly forward and stretch to the max to make the stroke efficient.

Paddle : Use your paddle for 4 laps by 2 sets with a break.. Start first lap slow and end fast. This will teach you how to swim faster and be more aero dynamic.

Pull Buoy: 8 laps. Gets to focus on upper body movement.

Paddle + Pull Buoy: 8 laps.

Zoomers: 6 to 8 laps. Breathe every 6 to 8 strokes as your speed is very fast.

8 by 25 meters sprint intervals: Go all out. Take a break of 20 seconds between sets. It takes me about 20 to 22 seconds on average to do a lap. Start kicking underwater as you kick off to get speed. Breathe every 6 to 8 strokes and kick and pull all out.

16 laps cool down.

Overal swim was about 2.2 k.

Bringing in swimming efficiency

Pull Buoy
Swim Paddles
Zoomers
Just started with coach Shailesh at Willingdon.

How to Use a Swimming Pull Buoy

A pull buoy is a foam flotation device that is placed between a swimmer's legs to provide support while practicing different strokes.

It is used to elevate the legs and properly position the body in the water.

Pull buoys allow swimmers to focus on their arm movements and build upper body strength.

The pull buoy should be positioned between the upper thighs, near the crotch, for proper body alignment.

Instructions

1. 1 Get in the water. Keep the pull buoy on the side of the pool or in your hand until you are already in the water and ready to swim.
2. 2 Push the pull buoy under the water.
3. 3 Place the pull buoy between your thighs. A solid foam pull buoy just slides between your thighs.
4. 4 Cross your ankles and allow the pull buoy to raise your legs up to the top of the water.
5. 5 Begin pulling with your arms.

Hand Paddles: Helps increase your speed.

Through the use of hand paddles we are able to isolate and work more on the back, chest and arm muscles. These include the latissimus dorsi, pectoral muscles, biceps and triceps to name a few. By increasing the strength in these muscles, we in turn improve our speed, and gain greater distance per stroke.

1. It is important when swimming to keep your fingers closed. By doing this you push the water more effectively, and no water escapes through open fingers, which in turn slows you down and makes your stroke less efficient. By wearing hand paddles we can work on this powerful pointer. The hand paddle is a flat attachment to the hand which ensures that you must push the water efficiently. There is no open finger option. You must use the power you have to push the paddle through the water, and if you understand this feeling as you swim it will enable you to achieve better technique.

2. Maintain high elbows if swimming front crawl. This creates a more efficient stroke. If you are dragging your hands through the water you are creating more drag and are much less efficient!

3. Ensure you have correct hand position. If this is a point you are struggling with then by using hand paddles you will feel where your stoke is going wrong. The paddles will emphasis where you falter and enable you to feel and correct more easily.

Many drills with paddles involve the use of not just the paddles, but also a pull-buoy. For those of you unsure what I am talking about, a pull-buoy is a foam flotation device that you place between your legs to enable them to float whilst you don't use them. Hence, this is a drill without the use of legs and purely concentrates on the arms. Pulling your body through the water with arms alone is difficult enough, but with arm paddles also is definitely increased difficulty.

If you choose to use hand paddles when training, then you will reap the benefits. Not only will you increase your muscle strength, endurance and speed, but also your upper body tone. By isolating the upper body muscles, building strength and using correct technique you can only improve your speed.

Overall Benefits of Hand Paddles include;

- Better technique.

- Better 'feel for the water'.

- Increased body awareness.

- More powerful arm stroke.

Zoomers :

Among the benefits of using Zoomers is to improve ankle flexibility. As the use of fins may require you to exert extra force to kick, you will gradually improve the flutter kick when you have better angles of kicking attack on the water. Besides, you can hold a better body position by using the Zoomers. When you have a good position in the water, you can focus on other techniques such as the timing and body roll. No doubt, fins are one amazing workout kit to improve on your swimming.

Zoomers are a unique swim fin that utilize patented short-fin technology to promote a shorter, faster kick. They are designed to provide the ideal amount of propulsion for perfecting the swimming kick and stroke, allowing for better form over longer periods of time. Because they have a smaller blade than traditional fins, Zoomers make the legs work harder without overloading the muscles. They help you avoid burnout and sustain an optimum workout level over a longer period.

Zoomers fins allow you to practice swimming at or above race-level speeds without being rested or shaved. For each speed in the water, there is a size of the kick that works best. The kick creates propulsion that moves you forward, but each time the legs separate in the flutter kick, they create drag which slows you down. At higher speeds, the drag created can potentially cancel out the extra effort put in. A smaller kick creates less drag, but also less propulsion. Zoomers are designed to help practice and perfect this smaller kick by providing just enough extra propulsion while avoiding additional drag.

Breaking the 40 minute barrier, 1 mile swim

Been swimming the mile on a regular basis (6 months, once a week) at about 75% effort level. 64 laps normally takes me about 42 to 43 minutes non stop.

On Sep 14th, 2010 i finally swam the 64 laps in 39:48 which felt awesome. However, in reality i'm still a below average swimmer and have a long way to go. Followed instructions from Shailesh ( swim coach) and Lisa( pro swimmer and tri partner). The key was to start breathing every 4 strokes which leads to better aero dynamics of the body. I started swimming at 4,2,2,4,4 strokes and that started making the difference.

I have slowly moved my swim effort from being 45 minutes in the pool to 60 minutes. Thats a huge jump and i swim about 2.3 km each time, about 92 laps. This is the basic benchmark required to get into training for an ironman.