(My Road Bike)
Is it possible to swim fast without swim training? Obviously swimming practice/training is the best way to swim faster. But I think I might have stumbled upon 2 ways to swim faster without actually getting wet.The 1st way I stumbled upon by accident. It is circuit-cardio weight interval training. NOT any old circuit weight lifting, but a very specific type. They are what I have called "Fat Blasters" in previous workouts. The "Fat Blaster" consists of a series of 7-14 different multi-joint weight lifting exercises sandwiched around a cardio activity such as jump rope, burpees, or nordic track ski machine. So, to review, here is an example: 1) Jump Rope full speed for 2 minutes 2) Pullups to failure 3) Jump Rope full speed for 2 minutes 4) Dips to failure, continue alternating a cardio sprint activity with a mult-joint weight lifting activity until you cry uncle. Here is the kicker - no rest in between. Sometimes I do these workouts at home, but when I do them at the gym, people look at me like I am Ivan Drago from a Rocky movie. While they are all waiting in between lifting sets, I am running from speed Jump Rope, to Pullups, to burpees, to power cleans, etc. without resting. I am sweating like a pig and out of breath with my heart rate sky high. They are waiting for their next set or watching paint dry, or something.
I think it has helped my swim for this reason: Every year I begin swimming after a long layoff of many months. When I first get back in the water, initially I am only able to swim about 100 yards before my form seriously begins breaking down. So in that first month, I usually do a lot of 50yd and 100yd intervals with rest in between (workout total 800yds). This year after doing "Fat Blaster" workouts I was able to do 5 x 400 and 6 x 400 at a pretty steady clip. That is at least 4x the distance per interval and 3x the total workout distance!! Although I can not prove that the lifting intervals are the only reason for the dramatic change, it is the only thing I can identify that is different this year compared to the past. I think the lifting intervals help because they mimic the strength/endurance requirements of swimming. In triathlon style distance swimming, it requires the ability to perform repetitive multi-joint upper body strength movements while at an elevated heart rate. The "Fat Blaster" workouts require the same type of thing. This new discovery gives me another reason to try and keep fitting these "Fat Blaster" workouts into my schedule...To hear about my second way of swimming faster (without swimming) check back later.
Swim 6 x 400 Yards (Tot = 2,400 yds)
IronCraig http://schlawin.blogspot.com/ and I then went for an easy spin outside since it was so nice. Our route took us from our neighborhood to Rock Cut State Park, and then one loop around the park. This was the first time that I have been outdoors this year. We had to stop often for traffic and roadblocks, etc. and we took it real easy for the most part.
Bike
QuickLift(No Rest: 3 minutes total)
The picture above was not from my actual swim workout today. This is me 16 years ago (age 16) in my first triathlon. It was the original Pigman. Back then I was bulking up and training for football. Times change.From a swim training standpoint this was not a smart workout to do. I probably should have done some drilling and shorter intervals concentrating on form. But I wanted to test myself a little to see how the layoff had affected my swimming fitness. Although my form broke down quite a bit and I wasn't the fastest, I was pleased to be able to do over a mile without training.
