This bit of great swim science from our swim-technical advisor, Dr. Rod Havriluk of Swim Technology Resourses (STR):

The best swimmers in the world are racing at a speed of 2.1 m/sec - certainly not an easy feat. This speed requires a far better than average technique and considerable strength (as well as super conditioning and expert coaching).

 A formula (the drag equation) is useful for calculating how strength and technique contribute to speed. When applying this formula, technique is measured by the active drag coefficient (Cd) and strength by hand force. The calculations shows that a swimmer with a Cd of .8 (where Cd = 1.0 is average) must generate an average hand force of 40 lbs (180 Newtons) to swim 2.1 m/sec.

 Are you strong enough to generate an average force of 40 lbs? Keep in mind that swimmers often waste one-third of the stroke with the arm in a weak position that generates very little force (less than 5 lbs). Typically, a swimmer must be capable of a peak force of 60 to 80 lbs (with each hand) to maintain an average force of 40 lbs.

 How effective is your technique? By the way, if your technique “looks good,” that probably only means your Cd is around 1.0. A Cd must be quantitatively measured, and cannot be qualitatively eyeballed.

 So, what is necessary to go faster than 2.1 m/sec? Swimmers can work on traditional methods to improve both their strength and technique so that average force is greater than 40 lbs and Cd is less than .8. However, probably the most neglected area for performance improvement is arm synchronization.

 A .1 sec change in arm synchronization can increase the average hand force by almost 7 lbs. Unfortunately, many swimmers practice an antiquated counterproductive arm synchronization – resembling catch-up stroke - that results in gaps in propulsion and a lower average force. A more continuous source of propulsion yields a higher average force without having to get stronger! 

Now, in the past, we have taught and instructed “catch-up” drill in the context of body-balance and to instruct a hip-initiated stroke mechanic.

But as the athlete’s balance and core-stroke-activation improve…….the science is pretty clear that NOT losing your momentum is, by far, the best way to sustain speed in the dense medium of water.

In other words: a catch-up centric stroke WILL help to teach you how to engage your powerful core muscles…….but once you have neuromusularly “learned” this…….catch-up will only allow you to swim so fast. {Particularly in the more choppy, open water medium.}

Swim smart.

Every January I face the same line of questions regarding the structure of the racing plans ahead.

I call this “The Buffet Effect” (playfully alluding to the ever popular ‘Butterfly Effect’ of cause-effect).

When pre-planning an upcoming season of races many/most of us easily fall into a trap as our aptitude for ”the game” increases.

With a new ‘toy’ (ie: greater progress and fitness across the 3 disciplines)………we’re like a kid in a buffet line who wants it all……15+ races.

Trust me, I’ve done this as well.

Eventually, what you come to realize is that you can’t be ”on top” of your highest level of fitness all the time. And if, rather when, you try…….you only get tired and end up actually shortening the duration of time where you’re truely fit/ready enough to KEEP your progression and race-trajectory going upward.

The answer?

This is tough pill to swallow, but: Do fewer races…..yet target them more specifically.  And afterwards, be secure enough it your abilities to allow some fitness to leave your body. Yep—it’s counterintuitive for sure.

This serves to give you some much needed rest and ‘freshness’.

Because it’s only THEN…….from a position of “freshness”…… that you can begin to re-build and even add to your highest ”form”.

The equation goes like this: Fitness + Freshness = Form.

But the catch is that the act of getting fitness reduces freshness. Likewise, you can sit on your tail and get great freshness, but not be building fitness.

It’s for this VERY reason that an Annual phased periodization-plan must be structured to divide your season up into phases of build—-peak—-race-prep—-taper/race………(then, & this is the hard one)—REST.

Why is it hard? Because this works SO well that your results will inevitably supercede what you’ve ever accomplished before.

And, yet, the very day AFTER you’ve achieved that result that confirms the height of your newfound form……….you’re riding high and yet we have to insert rest.

Let’s face it………………who is good about taking 2 or 3 days completely off after hitting a PR-race over the weekend?? (not me)

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So, with this said, the very first thing we do is sit down and pre-periodize and “phase out” your entire 2012 agreeing on the events, discussing the spacing, talking about the focus-strategies, and covering the details.

Once you’ve gone through this cycle just once, and have a string of PR races to show for it, as well as continued hunger year long……you’ll see the true value in inserting brief, yet incredibly important blocks of rest that coinside with the phases of your annual training.

On occasion, as coach I think it’s good to share some of the everyday Q&A exchanges between athlete and coach. Frequently, we find that the devil is truely in the details.

Installment #1 of this is here, below:

Q: It seems that most all of my longer swims are done with fins.  Should I only be doing part of the swim with fins? What is the major benefit I’m seeking by using the fins for such a large percentage of the work?

A: This is somewhat event-specific. In other words, if your Ironman is NON-wetsuited…….we should probably adjust the endurance-fin-swim-% to 50/50……..half with fins…..half without.

On the other hand, if your Ironman is wetsuited………then 100% of that weekly “long-steady-aerobic” swim can be done w/ fins.

The purpose is primarily 3-fold:

1)–Body positioning……..swimming w/ fins elevates your body to be more horizontal from the waste down………very similar to wetsuit swimming, in fact.

2)–Lower the stroke-count (while keeping your DPS–distance per stroke—”long“). A lower stroke count saves hr beats………which saves calories & keeps you more aerobic………and utilizes a higher % of fat-substrate……..ALL of which are CRITICALLY important to maintain prior to riding 112miles on the bike, and then running a marathon.

3)–Swimming w/ fins is faster…….and faster swimming exponentially increases drag……….and, thus, serves to heighten your awareness & sensation of that drag. By virtue of neccesity, we become more “slippery” in the water when we reccognize drag (consciously or not)………particualry in the absense of the effort it normally takes to go fast enough to create that extra drag.

***Case in point: Remember when you were a kid and learned to dive; it only took a few painful belly-flops to teach you to get your head down and streamline into the water! Water resistance “taught” you how best to shape yourself.

In other words, fins allow us to swim-fast……& thereby we better identify and eliminate drag……..all while remaining aerobic.

True, some swim-tools/toys can be overused…..(a pull-buoy and/or kickboard,  for instance). But some DO have a place if you know & apply the tool in a very targeted and specific task.

Swim smart.

Soach SD

So let’s get things started w/ the hot topic (quite literally) of the past 4-5 weeks……..the HEAT.

If there’s been one question that I’ve answered again & again over the course of this summer, it’s been along the lines of how best to prepare and train in the extreme heat and humidity we’ve had.

Seems simple, but to answer let’s first remember the purpose of training at all: To prepare for a target event/goal through the measured adaptation of cycles of stress and recovery.

Now keep in mind that training in the heat/humidity, studies show, is much like training at altitude. That is, the real benefit & adaptation lies in being exposed to it (ie: measured aerobic exposure)…….NOT actually training (intensive or extensively) in it.

The reality is that training in extreme heat/humidity actually reduces the quality & limits the desired ‘adaptation-effect’…..and even cost more in terms of recovery over the days after, too. In other words, NOT a good R.O.I. (return on investment).

Obviously, this is no place for a “no-pain, no-gain” mentality because the idea is to thrive in the training, not merely survive in it.

As a coach, it matters not to me whether an athlete runs the first half of a long-run in the heat, and completes the run indoors on the treadmill. (doing likewise on the bike.) …Or even if an athlete does the entire session indoors.

The objective is to get the most training benefit for the least cost-on-recovery.

So……..all this to say: Limit your heat/humidity adaptation training to shorter (sub 1-2 hour) aerobic rides/runs. And bring the intensive sessions INDOORS where you can hit the output-goals (pace/watts) in a more controlled environment.  All while you split the longer (2.5+ hour) sessions between a hybrid environment of indoors and outside.

Seriously, 100+ degree heat-index is nothing to mess with for hours on end. Not only is it dangerous, it can be counterproductive to training as well.

This is not “no-pain, no-gain”. This is about getting the most, for the least.

Stay cool, kids.

coach-SD

It’s about you.

Yeah, I get it that the traditional M.O. of blogs & blogosphere have been of the ‘all-about-me‘ variety.

But let’s face it, after you’ve read a few entries of what workouts I’m doing, which ones life interrupted, and the prototypical ENDLESS volumes of text that some will devote to a single race-report……it just gets old.

Reality….as coach, it’s just not about me.

So when I considered how best to use this medium, I felt like it should reflect the very things I catch myself running my mouth about most: The lessons learned from YOUR training successes & failures, YOUR race wins and losses, as well as the the far reaching effect of calculated preparation and competition on YOUR lives.

So if you haven’t figured it out by now, the truth is that each of you coach ME.

Sure, there will be (brief ) Team7 member race-reports, announcements, & updates. Yes, we’ll talk training. Of course, the X’s and O’s and science will be a topic not missed. And, of course, video and pictures will be aded as my technical acumen gets up to speed.

But at the end of the day, I ultimately hope to present these details in the larger context of the the things they teach us about the sport, about life, about ourselves. Daily, I’m amazed at how the sport, both, reflects and shapes us.

In short: It’s about you.

Coach Sonni