Periodisation can be defined in simple terms as the division of the annual training plan into smaller and more manageable phases of training. This approach permits one aspect of fitness to be the focus of training, while maintaining the others. In essence a periodised training program is really about being an organised and systematic coach.

The transition from training to racing is commonly referred to as the taper and is characterised by a reduction in the volume of training and the development of race speed. Both periodisation and taper lead to the peaking of performance necessary for high-level and international competition.

This article focuses on some physiological aspects of the periodisation and tapering of elite Australian swimmers preparing for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. We aim to share some of the ways that swimmers are prepared for major competition. A fundamental principle of preparing athletes is that periodisation and tapering applies equally to all the different aspects of fitness such as endurance, speed, strength, flexibility and power. From a physiological viewpoint, there are several reasons for a periodised and balanced training program leading up to major competition:

• A higher training load with excessive fatigue.
• Faster recovery and regeneration.
• Maintaining performances very close to their maximum for a long period of time.
• Correct peaking for the major competition of the year.
• Maintaining a basic level of fitness over a long period of training (or even a period of reduced training).
• A greater degree of specificity to be incorporated in training.
• A more efficient and effective taper (and super-compensation) process.
• More complete adaptation to training without two or three parts of the program interfering with each other when trained concurrently.
• Better planning for both major and minor competitions.
• More effective integration of sports science testing with the training program.

A periodised training and tapering program is based on the principle of overload-recovery-peaking.This principle forms the basis of preparing swimming training programs with the aim of increasing the level of competitive performance. The training program must provide an overload (stimulus) to force the body to adapt to a previously un-encountered level of stress. After sufficient application of the stimulus (in terms of magnitude and frequency), a period of recovery and regeneration will allow residual fatigue to dissipate. If the processes of overload and recovery are managed correctly a period of super compensation will occur so that performance is elevated to a higher level for important competitions.

Tip: The most important consideration is that peaking for performance is an active process. Put as much effort into the planning and execution of the tapering and peaking program as you do for regular training.

Most elite swimming coaches are familiar with the term periodisation and the various meso, macro and micro-cycles that are used to design a training program. These terms are used to establish a hierarchy of training within the overall program.

Mesocycle refers to a long-term training phase lasting several weeks to months. In swimming this represents the entire 12 week preparation for a major national or international competition. Most commonly, there is a two mesocycle year with peaks for the national swimming championships (normally held in March/April) and then the major international competition (eg. Olympics, Worlds, Commonwealth Games etc) held later in the year (July-September).

The length of the mesocycle will depend on the specific training and/or competition objectives for the mesocycle, and the individual swimmer’s current fitness level. It is apparent that coaches of Australian swimmers are incorporating more variety more within the mesocyles than a few years ago.

Tip: The annual plan and the competition calendar are essential tools. To achieve extraordinary results you need an extraordinarily good training program. Last year’s program may bring you last year’s results.

The term macrocycle refers to shorter training blocks within the mesocycle. Typically these are 2 to 4 weeks in length. A number of macrocycles form a single mesocycle. Experience has shown that after several weeks of intensive or extensive work, most athletes require some period of recovery (and within macrocycles as well).

There are many types of macrocycle depending on the requirements of the program, coach and athlete. Just some examples used by swimming coaches are the introductory macrocycle (general training, low volume – low intensity), preparatory macrocycle (transition from low volume – low intensity to higher volume training), specific macrocyle (more specialised higher intensity training, with emphasis on improving competitive speed), and the competition macrocycle (competitive performance on a single or repeated basis).

In each case, the volume and intensity of work will vary according to the specific requirements of the programand individual athlete. The better coaches (and swimmers) are always aware of “where they are up to” in the training program. Getting bogged down and stale in a long and arduous meso-cycle or macro-cycle is not a very efficient approach to training. Athletes should not struggle with their training for more than a few days without some intervention.

Tip: Make sure your athletes are able to train at close to race speed when required. This is achieved by the careful management of endurance, speed and recovery.

The term microcycle refers to a short-term training block within a macrocycle. Most commonly swimming training microcyles are planned around a standard 7-day training week. Coaches and athletes are creates of the modern working week and most swimmers have to fit their training programs around work, education and family commitments. However coming in to important meets such as the Olympics, the training schedule takes precedence and the day of the week, weekends and public holidays become less important.

Microcycles represent the specific plans and strategies needed to achieve the broader objective of the macrocycle.The microcycle consists of the individual (daily) workouts and again these are based on the objectives of the macrocycle.

Tip: Plan broad details for a mesocycle, fine details for a microcycle, and adjust details on a daily basis.

In our experience (and many others of course) one of the fundamental principles that underpins the periodisation of training is that volume of training is increased before the intensity of training.This principle applies to meso-, macro- and micro-cycles alike.

Most coaches are familiar with the concept that a foundation of aerobic fitness is established easily in the mesocycle or competition season. After this initial period of increasing training volume to build endurance, the emphasis of training switches to the development of speed and anaerobic capacities.

It is often observed that this base level of fitness can be re-established fairly quickly (4-6 weeks) in those swimmers with an extensive training background. This has implications for older more mature swimmers who are returning after a break. However it is much more efficient for swimmers to maintain a basic fitness program during the off-season.

A reasonable level of fitness can be maintained on about 30% of the full training volume i.e a swimmer who normally undertakes 10 training sessions per week, should be able to maintain a base level of fitness for several weeks by just training 3 times per week. In this case, it is important to maintain some intensity in the work (up to and including threshold level) as volume and duration are reduced.

Tip: Although the requirement for aerobic work applies to the middle distance and distance events, even the shorter sprint events may benefit from this type of training.

This principle of volume first, then intensity, also applies to strength and muscular endurance. In a fashion similar to that for endurance training, strength programs are often based on an initial period of volume training (lighter weight – many repetitions) before intensity training (heavier weight – fewer repetitions) is undertaken.

On this basis, a typical 4 week strength program (eg free weights, machine weights, circuits) for endurance athletes could take the form of a 2 week macrocycle of volume training and then a 2 week cycle of intensity training. While some coaches and swimmers place a heavy emphasis on strength training, it is clear that strength alone is not highly correlated with swimming performance. Other factors like muscular power, muscular endurance and muscle elasticity, and of course, swimming technique, should not be overlooked.

Tip: A more effective approach is to have a broad-based conditioning program. Too much concentration in one area eg weight training and neglect of others eg flexibility or cross training, may be a limiting factor.

In terms of designing microcycles the volume first, intensity second principle is also valuable. One approach that we have found to be successful is the use of three-day microcycles.

The first variant involves two training sessions a day for the first two days, followed by a single session on the third day. In some circumstances in swimming, where three training sessions a day are used, the second variation takes the form of three sessions a day for two days and then two sessions on the third and final day.

In both versions, the first day is largely aerobic in nature, with a gradual decrease in volume and increase in intensityas the microcycle proceeds. The emphasis is on increasing speed from day to day, and athletes generally find this easier if the training volume is decreasing. Many swimmers (and coaches) like to finish each microcycle with a quality or speed session.

Tip: Be proactive: make and dictate the move from volume to intensity, endurance to speed and training to racing.

Another feature of planning is the relationships between duration and intensity.

Generally speaking, the lower the intensity of cycles the longer the duration; perhaps up to 7 days. For higher intensity work, shorter 2 – 4 day training cycles are used. Variation of training distance and intensity within cycles is important.

Early in the program, microcycles may involve higher intensity training for athletes already fatigued. The thinking is that this will provide a greater stimulus for adaptation. Later on, when the emphasis is on competition specific speed, it is usually better to undertake high intensity training in a fresh condition in order to facilitate higher speeds.

Tip: When peaking, the development of race speed should take priority over conditioning work on the track, road or in the gym.

Periodising to Build Endurance and Speed

A typical 12-week swimming preparation between national championships and the major international meet may encompass some or all of the following features:

Macrocycle 1. Aerobic (Weeks 1 – 4)

As in most training programs the initial phase involves the development of reestablishment of endurance fitness. This services as a basis for the subsequent development of aerobic and anaerobic capacities and, importantly, the functional utilisation of these capacities. By functional utilisation we mean increased running speed at a given metabolic load.

Apart from the underlying physiological adaptations, improved endurance will lead to an increased ability to cope with fatigue and more rapid recovery from the stresses of speed training and competition. In particular, the aim is to develop the capacity and efficiency of the cardio-respiratory system. This process is largely achieved by high-volume, low-intensity training.

Other adaptations include increased utilisation of fat as a fuel source, stronger ligaments, tendons and connective tissue, adaptations within slow-twitch muscle fibres, and improved neuromuscular control. The length of this phase will depend on several factors (eg fitness level of athletes, time available, objectives of mesocycle) but is normally between 3-4 weeks.

Tip: Control the intensity of training by speed (pacing), heart rate and perception of effort (by the athlete and coach) – don’t neglect any one factor.

Macrocycle 2. Aerobic/Anaerobic: (Weeks 5-8)

In this macrocycle, the other primary components of aerobic training are developed. Assuming that low to moderate intensity endurance work is developed in the first microcycle, this cycle is characterised by an emphasis on anaerobic threshold training.

For example, the AIS swimmers undertake up to 30% of work in this cycle at the level of anaerobic threshold, and up to 15% of maximal oxygen uptake and lactate tolerance work. Some coaches may think these levels are too low for middle-distance and spring athletes – the levels will vary for different sports and events.

The total training volume is increased over Macrocycle 1 and there is a progressive introduction of shorter and faster intervals. The duration of the macrocycle is normally 2 – 3 weeks.

Macrocycle 3. Transition: (Weeks 9-12)

In many ways this is the key training phase. The aim is to develop the functional utilisation of the energy systems and capacities that were developed in the Aerobic Endurance and Aerobic/Anaerobic macrocycles. It is well documented that the factor that correlates most highly with endurance performance is the speed at anaerobic threshold or VO2 max. This is an important point that is often overlooked.

Consider the following example. Runner A is likely to perform better if their speed (eg. 19.5 km/hr) is faster than Runner B (eg. 18.5 km/hr) at the same relative anaerobic threshold (eg. 68 ml/kg/min). Improving the functional utilisation (speed at a given metabolic load) is achieved through training drills of higher intensity but shorter duration, at speeds close to and faster than competitive speeds.

The high degree of aerobic fitness developed earlier will be maintained even though the emphasis of training is on higher quality intervals. This macrocycle is fairly short with an average length of 3-4 weeks.

Tip: Use speed-assisted drills: group work or pace work with similar or faster athletes, very slight downhill running or running with a tailwind.

Macrocycle 4. Taper and Competition: Weeks 12-14.

The final macrocycle within the season (mesocycle) involves the taper period and the competition phase. Again the logic follows the preceding macrocycle and training is characterised by a further reduction in training volume, and the development of speed and power.

In swimming, it is common to reduce the training volume by approximately a half (50%) to two-thirds (66%) of the peak weekly volume for the preparation. The key is to reduce the volume and sharpen the speed. For many sports, this process involves shorter intervals at faster than race pace. E.g., for 100m swimmers, there would be an emphasis on 25m and 50m intervals at afaster than 100m race pace.

It is important to maintain some aerobic training in this macrocycle and a common mistake is to reduce training mileage too rapidly. Aerobic work is needed to support the taper and forms an essential part of the recovery and regeneration process prior to competition.

Tip: The key of peaking is: reduce the volume and sharpen speed. Peaking is an active process of training and achieved by a well planned and executed training and recovery program.

Wayne Goldsmith and David Pyne

Without doubt the toughest question in swimming to answer is “How much training is right for me?”

Training has often been described as being like making a cake.

When you make a cake, you follow a recipe which specifies how much flour, how much butter, how much milk, how many eggs, how long to bake in the oven, what temperature to set the oven for – yummy I can almost taste it now!

If you add too much butter, no eggs and five pounds of flour more than the recipe needs, then cook it for three hours at a high temperature, you get a mess more like a brick than a dessert!

Training is a mix of the right things done at the right time in the right quantities.

It all starts with your training plan – your “recipe” for success.

Your training plan includes lots of ingredients like endurance, speed, power, technique training, skill training, gym work and about 100 000 other tasty training treats.

It’s mixing these training ingredients correctly that makes all the difference.

Do too much endurance without mixing in some speed work, gym work and flexibility and you will not get the success you deserve.

Not enough endurance training and you will find yourself “dying” at the back end of races.

It’s the balance of training “ingredients” that makes a great racing “cake”.

So how do you know how to make your “cake”?

Step One: Decide What Cake you Want to Make

Once you decide to make a cake, you then decide what type of cake it will be.

If you want to make a chocolate cake, you need eggs, milk, flour and chocolate. If you want to make a lemon cake, you need eggs, milk, flour and lemon. You select your ingredients based on the type of cake you want to eat!

In swimming, decide what performance you want to end up with at your next meet, then plan your training with the right mix of ingredients for that performance.

For example, If you want to improve your 100 fly, your ingredients are:

• Great fly technique – long slow arms with fast legs.
• Strong, fast, powerful underwater kicking.
• Powerful, explosive start.
• Controlled breathing – every 2-4 strokes.
• A solid base of endurance training so you maintain rhythm, speed and form in the second 50.
• Fast, powerful turn with a tight tuck and less than a second between the time your hand touches the wall to when your feet touch the wall.

Deciding what performance you want determines what training you need to do.

Step Two: The Perfect Recipe

So you want to make a chocolate cake. You ask around for a chocolate cake recipe. Maybe you buy a book about making cakes. Or search the net. Or call Grannie for her family favorite.

The perfect swimming recipe has four essential ingredients:

Physical Ingredients – a balance of speed, endurance, power and race specific tempo training.

Mental ingredients – a blend of self confidence, self belief, self esteem with relaxation, motivation and visualization skills.

Technical ingredients – a mix of great technique development training for arms stroke, kicking, breathing, body position, head position and timing.

Tactical ingredients – a box of tricks – pacing, racing skills, diving, starting, turning, finishing, racing strategy and psyche outs.

Step Three: Find a Great Kitchen

Now that you have decided to make a cake you need to have a kitchen with the right equipment to allow you to start making and baking.

The right environment is important. Just as you can’t make a cake without an oven, some bowls and some mixing spoons, you need to find the right environment to help you achieve your swimming goals.

The right training environment gives you the opportunity to realize your potential and achieve your goals. The right training environment is one which maximizes the opportunity for you as an individual to work on the specific skills and techniques you need to be a successful racer.

Find a pool with a motivated, passionate, caring, knowledgeable coach who has the time and patience to give you the individual attention to detail you need. Find a team with motivated, passionate, committed, fun loving swimmers who want to work hard but want to love and enjoy every minute of the experience.

Step Four: Keep Checking on The Cake

The reason they put little windows on oven doors is so cooks can keep checking and monitoring the progress of what they are cooking.

Every day you train it is important you check your progress.

Ask yourself seven simple but very important questions every day:

• How do I feel today? score 0 for good / great and 1 for bad / poor

• How well did I sleep last night? Score 0 for good / great and 1 for bad / poor

• How’s my attitude? Score 0 for good / great and 1 for bad / poor

• Are my muscles sore and aching? Score 0 for no and 1 for yes

• Do I feel stressed and anxious? Score 0 for no and 1 for yes

• Is there anything happening away from the pool that I can’t stop thinking about? E.g. exams, problems with family and friends? Score 0 for no and 1 for yes

• How’s my appetite? Score 0 for good / normal and 1 for poor

If you score 4 or more, chances are you are tired and bordering on over training. These simple daily checks are your “window” into how your body is “cooking”.

Step Five: Take It Out of the Oven at the Right Time

So your cake is almost done. You look in the oven, take a guess and pull it out before its ready, disaster. It doesn’t rise – it is just a gooey yucky mess.

Or – you think your cake is ready but just to be sure you leave it in the oven for another 30 minutes, what happens? It comes out with a hard, black base and tastes like charcoal.

One of the biggest mistakes swimmers make is to just do one more session or one more set – believing it is better to be “over cooked than under done”.

Racing is a combination of physical and mental skills. The excitement, the emotion, the joy and the rush of racing is the edge you need to perform at your best.

If you go to the Meet feeling light, fast, positive and energized, chances are you will race well.

If you go to the Meet tired, flat and negative because you just had to squeeze in a few more miles in the pool, no amount of positive thinking is going to help you get that PR.

Step Six: The Icing on the Cake

All great cakes get finished off with some tasty icing and maybe some candy sprinkles.

All great swims are finished off with something special…….you! The great swims are those which say something about the swimmer who swims them. That is, they are a statement about you, your hard work, your attitude, your belief and your discipline.

The icing on the cake is you and your ability to take the recipe and make it special.

So that’s all you need to know about training and racing. I bet you didn’t know that cake making had so much to do with being a great swimmer!!

Wayne Goldsmith

Whilst it would be great to have the world stop so you could train whenever you wanted to, the reality is that work, family, study and other life issues are always going to be there – and therefore for the masters swimmer – life and training need to be balanced and managed.

So what would be a great masters day: one that would allow you to do what you have to do but still create the environment to get the most out of what you want to do?

6:00am – Get up (before the kids). Grab a rug or yoga mat and do ten minutes of gentle stretching. Then work on “the basics” some good old fashioned swimming strength training exercises: sit ups, push ups, dips – all modified for your own personal level of fitness of course.

Set a target for your exercises. A good system is the units system. Each sit up / push up / dip etc is one unit.

On the first morning, aim to do a total of 30 units – this could be ten sit ups, five dips, three push ups, another ten sit ups and a few step ups.

The next morning aim for 31, then 32 the next day and so on. Soon you will be doing a hundred general body strengthening exercises with ease.

6:30am – Healthy breakfast. All the usual suspects…….whole grain toast, fruit, low fat yoghurt, muesli or a similar grain based cereal (natural not baked, fried or toasted), coffee if you want to (with low fat milk if that’s your preference).

8:00am – Getting to work or study. When time is short, the critical factor in maintaining a successful exercise program is efficiency in using your time. If you drive, park a few blocks away from the office and walk ten-fifteen minutes to work. If you can, ride a bike to work. Or if possible jog to work once or twice a week. There are plenty of creative ways to get more fitness into your life.

The critical issue is clothes!!!

Try this routine:

• Monday: Drive to work and take with you a few days of clothing changes (i.e. work clothes and training gear)
• Tuesday: Gym at lunchtime
• Wednesday: Ride to work. Ride home.
• Thursday: Lunchtime swim.
• Friday: Drive to work to collect your pile of dirty work and training clothes!

10:00am – Fuel!!! Eat something healthy and nutritious. Fruit is always a great option.

1:00pm – Lunch. How about two meat and salads sandwiches on whole wheat bread with no mayo? Or how about a tuna and salad wrapped in pita bread? Or chicken and salad on a large whole wheat bread roll? Or if you are well organized and have the opportunity how about a bowl of pasta with a tomato based sauce that you made up last night and carried to work in a plastic container to reheat in the office microwave? The principles of a great lunch are:

• Light foods (heavy foods / high fat foods tend to make you feel slow and sluggish in the afternoon)
• Plenty of salad / vegetables
• Low Fat
• High fibre
• Low salt
• Low processed sugars
• As natural as possible
• Limited use of butter, heavy sauces and mayo

If you have a flexible work environment, you may be able to fit in a short swim, a jog or a gym session at lunch time followed by a light meal – like snacking on a salad sandwich at the desk.

Lunch time fitness should focus on F.U.N. – Fitness, Unwinding (relaxing in the middle of the work day) and Natural (e.g. relaxed, easy swimming rather than hard intervals). Try to make your lunch time training a non stressful, enjoyable, relatively unstructured activity.

3:00pm – Snack time. A nice tub of low fat fruit yoghurt. Why not add a handful of fresh strawberries? Or a few slices of banana? Another good afternoon snack is breakfast cereal!! Try a bowl of a healthy nutritious cereal topped with fresh fruit and a tub of low fat yoghurt!

5:00pm – Now……….the big decision: to eat before or after training. Most Masters Programs start in the early evening after the peak training times for squad swimmers. This leaves the Masters swimmer with a choice – to eat before training or leave it to after training.

The dilemma is this:

If you eat before training, it needs to be light and healthy so you don’t feel weighted down in the water. Also you need to consider the rest of the family. It is difficult to prepare a meal for them and another meal for yourself.

If you eat after training – which usually means eating around 9-10 pm – you often feel tired and flat and you can’t be bothered preparing a healthy meal. This is why Fast Food joints near Master’s swimming programs do so well!!

The answer is both! Have a light snack before training and another (that you prepared earlier in the day) after training.

For example, if the family is having salad and pasta for dinner, eat the salad and some bread with them before training, then eat the pasta when you get home after training.

If the family is having meat or fish or chicken and vegetables for dinner, eat the vegetables with the family, then reheat the meat, chicken or fish and have it with a small salad after training.

In three words, balancing life and swimming for a Masters swimmer is about planning, planning, planning.

Wayne Goldsmith

But, eventually they ask themselves this question: How do I get faster?

What is speed?

Speed is defined in physics as:

The rate or a measure of the rate of motion, especially:

1. Distance traveled divided by the time of travel.
   1. The limit of this quotient as the time of travel becomes vanishingly small; the first derivative of distance with respect to time.
   2. The magnitude of a velocity.

But in learning to swim fast, speed has three key elements – the mechanisms of speed:

• Physical speed: Which comes from fitness, strength, power
• Technical Speed: Developing an effective stroke which is capable of propelling the body fast through water
• Mental Speed: The ability to think “fast”

How can you improve your swimming speed?

1. Swim faster

Now this seems like a dumb thing to say but one of the key principles of training is called specificity note the first 8 letters: “specific”. Specificity means that your body adapts to the specific training loads you push it through. For example, if you lift heavy weights, you get really good at lifting heavy weight. If you run long distances regularly you get really good at running long distances.

To learn how to swim fast, you need to practice swimming fast.

2. Allocate time to speed development

We know that the best time to work on speed development is at the beginning of training sessions.

This is because the ideal conditions to stimulate those three key speed mechanisms is at the beginning of training when you are fresh, relaxed and not fatigue and importantly “mentally” fast.

So you might write your workout plan as:

• Stretch
• 10 x 10 metres maximum speed (no breathing in freestyle or fly) with one minute rest between each swim
• Stretch
• Warm up and then the rest of the workout.

First things first – if speed development is your priority, give it priority in your workout.

3. “Holding Speed”

This is a critical concept. Many swimmers can sustain, long powerful strokes at slow speeds. Then, as speed increases they lose control and their stroke technique becomes short and inefficient. Coaches will often says “They can’t hold their stroke” at speed.

This means that in the effort to move their arms faster, the swimmer loses feel and “grip” on the water as the pressure (resistance) of the water gets greater.

A good way to improve this is to practice “builds”.

A “build” is a swim which starts out slow then gradually builds in speed. A good way to look at it is to think about changing gears in manual car. Over a one hundred metre swim a “build” effort might be:

• 1st 25 metres at 800 Pace (1st gear)
• 2nd 25 metres at 400 Pace (2nd gear)
• 3rd 25 metres at 200 Pace (3rd gear)
• 4th 25 metres at 100 Pace (4th gear)

However the crucial concept is not just changing pace, it is stroke efficiency as the pace increases. Ideally aim to maintain the minimum number of strokes per 25 as the speed gradually increases.

4. Wrists: Don’t break them!

The start of any movement is important. In swimming as you start to catch then pull with increasing speed, your wrists need to be strong to “hold” the water and keep your elbow in a high catch position.

The general idea is Fingers lead, Wrist leads, Elbow. Fingers lead with feel, the wrist and fingers start the catch, then the elbow position is high for maximum force production.

Some swimmers “break” their wrists i.e. they lack wrist strength so their fingers actually face up at the beginning of the pull – the exact opposite of what they are trying to achieve.

A really good way of improving wrist strength is to grab a large piece of newspaper by the corner and hold it in one hand. Use your fingers and hand only to gradually “scrunch” the newspaper up into tight little ball. Grab another sheet and do it again with the other hand.

Another good wrist strength technique is to take a small piece of wood and tie a piece of string one and a half yards long to middle so that is hangs down loosely to the ground.

To the other end of the string tie a small weight no more than ¼ pound. Now holding your arms out straight in front of you parallel to the ground that is, start rolling the stick so that the string begins to wind and the weight gets lifted from the ground. When you have rolled up all the string and the weight is almost to the stick, reverse the action and un-wind the string using your wrists only. As an added load, make sure your abdominal muscles are tight and strong throughout the movement.

5. Hand Speed = Swimming Speed

Don’t underestimate the importance of hand speed – or rather hand acceleration in fast swimming. Your hand speed will largely determine how fast you swim providing you are accelerating them while maintaining feel and pressure on the water. Just moving your hands fast achieves nothing – it is maintaining feel and pressure on the water as your hands increases speed that makes all the difference!

6. Think Fast

The mental side of fast swimming is rarely discussed but it’s your mind and your muscles working together that generate real speed.

When doing speed development work think “fast” – focus on words like “power”, “explode” “drive” “zoom” etc. Imagine yourself “flying” through the water. Thinking “fast” is a key element of going fast.

Speed is the most precious element in swimming – it’s what the drills, skills, technique work and training are all about. Give it priority and work on it every session.

Wayne Goldsmith

What about having the opportunity to coach a team of swimmers where you have no discipline issues, who turn up on time, those who remember to bring their swim gear and enjoy every moment of their training?

You are thinking, “where do I sign?!”

Coaching senior swimmers is a wonderful coaching experience because you get committed athletes with great attitudes who love swimming. What else could you want?

Coaching senior swimmers is great because:

1. They really want to be there at every training session. Many of them have had to make sacrifices and manage their day to attend workouts.
2. They “think” about their swimming. They listen to coaching instruction and apply it to their swimming training and racing.
3. They manage themselves, their eating, recovery and all aspects of their training with great passion and energy.

So they are coachable, passionate, self driven, enthusiastic and motivated…the perfect swimmers!

In general senior swimmers, let’s call them goldies (as in older swimmers who strive for gold medal performances) come in five categories:

• Former swimmers coming back into the sport after some time out of swimming
• Non swimmers looking to come into the sport for the first time for fun, fitness, health and well being
• Active sportspeople without a swimming background who are looking at swimming as a non weight bearing cross training option
• Injured active sportspeople without a swimming background looking at a non weight bearing fitness option.
• Age group Tri-athletes (who may or may not have a strong swimming background) who need to improve their swimming

Each group has a unique set of needs and challenges.

With Former swimmers coming back into the sport the key is patience. Former swimmers can sometimes aim to get back to their PB swimming performances of 10-20 years ago without preparing adequately or taking into consideration the passage of time.

The key here is thinking “I will aim to train to be the best I can be now and enjoy the thrill of moving through the water again” and not “I am going to be as fast as I was when I was 16” which is unrealistic and will only end in frustration.

Non swimmers entering the sport need to focus on two words; technique and technique (it’s so important it needs to be said twice)….and particularly on relaxation in the water. Non swimmers have a lifetime of tension in and around water to “unlearn” so in some cases coaches need to take adult first timers back to the basics of floating, breathing, kicking and having fun in the pool.

Injured or ill swimmers joining the team, need to be managed intelligently and all care taken to work with them around their limitations. To borrow a phrase from the medical community…first do no harm! It is smart to ask all goldies about their medical history and to ask for a medical clearance if you have any doubt or uncertainty about their capacity to join in with the team’s training program.

Tri-athletes should be coached not just in terms of their swimming abilities but with consideration for the overall training program, work commitments and other life pressures.

As a coach it is important that you learn as much as possible about the needs, limitations and motivations of all the goldies in your team – don’t assume everyone has come to the pool with the same attitudes and requirements.

You can start the “get to know” process by asking all new team members to complete a simple Swim Team Profile.

It’s not old old old………its old bold gold – senior swimmers are capable of achieving outstanding performances and working with them is enjoyable, challenging and very rewarding.

Wayne Goldsmith

1. How much training do I need to do?

A great question. The answer is…as much as you want to!

As a Masters swimmer you have many demands on your time – work, family and friends to name but three. Training load is very much dependent on the demands on your time and importantly your swimming goals.

It’s all about priorities.

If you have significant business commitments and this is your top priority but you also want to swim for fitness and health then training two-three times per week is fine.

If your aim is to break the Masters 100 freestyle record in your State, then the priority to your training and fitness is higher so four-five times per week might be appropriate.

Sit down before you start your swimming training program and list the top ten priorities in your life. Then based on where swimming is on your list determine how much of a priority your training needs to be.

2. How do I improve my technique?

Find a good coach. There are two basic ways to improve – the hard way and the easy way.

The hard way is to keep training and training and training and sooner or later you will improve because you are fitter, leaner and stronger. But you will also risk injury and “forcing” improvement by simply increasing training volume will lead to a dead end as ultimately your speed will be limited by your technique.

The easy way is to find a good coach and spend time every workout improving your technique. In the long term this is the path to speed and success.

3. What sort of training do I need to do?

For most Masters swimmers training should consist of four basic training types:

• Speed development: Short, explosive efforts over 10-15 metres with good technique.
• Endurance development: Long, slow, rhythmic, relaxed swimming over long distances at low intensity
• Technique development: Skills, drills and technique work Race specific work, doing repeats at your target race pace over ¼ and ½ race instances.

Yes I know about “anaerobic threshold” and “VO2 max” and “lactate tolerance” and all that stuff but for most Masters swimmers they are just not relevant. Keep it simple.

Develop great technique. Get fit. Get faster. Learn how to apply it specifically to your target race. That’s about it.

4. I only have one hour to train, two times each week what should I be doing?

If you only have one hour to train two times each week focus on the big three:

Speed, Endurance, Technique and Skills

5. Do I need any special foods or supplements?

No. Unless you have a food deficiency or under lying illness or disease special diets, miracle supplements and dynamic sports foods only make your urine more expensive and colorful!

6. What do I need to start swimming?

The will and commitment to stick to it! Swim suits help, a good pair of goggles, and a silicon cap is useful. But the most important thing is to just get to the pool and start swimming. Your desire to start swimming and get better at it is the most important piece of swimming equipment you can buy.

7. Do I need to join a Master’s team?

You don’t need to – especially if you are self motivated and enjoy training by yourself. The reality is that some Masters swimmers train by themselves because they enjoy the peace and quiet of training alone, they enjoy their “own time and own space” (busy moms particularly!!!).

However, other people love the positive environment of working out with others and the camaraderie, support and friendship that exists in most Masters swim teams.

Give it a try. Go to a Masters training session. If you don’t like it, try another team. If you still don’t like it, maybe it’s not for you. Or maybe form your own Masters group and encourage people who share your philosophy to join.

8. I haven’t done any athletic training since College. Do I need to see my doctor before starting a swimming program?

That’s a great idea; particularly if you are over 40, over weight and have a history of illness or significant injury.

9. What equipment do I need?

A basic swim bag would contain:

• Swim suit: Good quality, comfortable and made to last.
• Goggles: Not the most expensive or the ones worn by the world record holder – the most comfortable for you.
• Silicon Cap: They last longer and are easier to clean
• Fins: (not too big – this is swimming not snorkeling)
• A Pull Buoy
• Two Large Towels: You can never have enough towels.
• A Large Water Bottle: To drink during and after training
• Two Pieces of Fruit: To eat immediately after training to help your body recover.

The great thing about being a Masters “Mom” or “Dad” is that the kids always know what to buy you for birthdays, Christmas, Mothers’ Day etc…Swim Gear!!!

10. How do I fit in swimming with my work, family and other commitments?

It’s tough, but if it’s important you will find time.
Start by planning your week.

Write in the things you have to do, e.g. work.

Then write in the things you want to do, e.g. swimming, family time.

Then, make a commitment to yourself to ensure the things you want to do are as important in your plan as the things you have to do.

Wayne Goldsmith

Jump in at one end and get to the other end before anyone else.

In the most basic analysis, It’s a game of speed. Speed is the most crucial element in the sport. It’s fundamental. The swimmer who swims fastest, wins the race.

But is it really that simple? We know from biomechanical analysis of champions at major swimming competitions that the fastest swimmer doesn’t always win. Sometimes the fastest swimmer(ie the person with the highest swimming speed) loses the race because of inferior skills, turns, starts and finishes.

We know sometimes the fastest swimmer doesn’t win because they weren’t mentally focussed in on the task.

In the end however, skills, fitness, mental attitude, flexibility and all the other elements of the sport come down to one question…..how fast can you swim?

What is swimming speed?
Technically it is the velocity that your body moves through the water.

If you ask a little kid to swim as fast as they can, they throw their arms and legs as fast as possible with lots of effort, but without much speed. They grit their teeth, tighten their arms, hold their breath and generally fight the water. They make lots of splash, but not much dash!

There is a difference between effort and speed.

Great swimmers often report that when they experience real speed, it seems to come with little effort.

The great South African breaststroke swimmer Penny Heyns recently broke the world records for 100 and 200 metres. She commented:

“When I touched the wall I thought, maybe a 2:30, and this
felt too easy for that,” Heyns said. “I really don’t know what happened.”

Australia’s own Grant Hackett interviewed after his amazing world record effort over 200 metres freestyle said:

“I certainly hadn’t prepared to break the world record – I was having pillow fights with Ky Hurst and the rest of the team before the race”

And it goes on.

“The swim itself just happened, just like Gennadi (coach) said it would, without really forcing it”. (Michael Klim’s comments after his world record 100 butterfly swim).

When it all comes together, and swimmers feel real speed, it seems to come with little effort.
On other occasions, swimmers have reported feeling heavy, slow and sluggish, busting their guts and giving 100% effort, but have swum slow times.

What is the difference between effort and speed?
Speed and relaxation appear to be somehow linked. It seems weird, but in many sports where excellence is measured in terms of how fast an athlete can move, the champions consistently say that their best performances have come when they were at their most relaxed.

When at his peak, multiple Olympic Gold Medallist sprinter Carl Lewis was an unbeatable athlete who understood speed as much as anyone. When asked about Lewis’ success, his coach remarked, “the faster you want to go, the more relaxed you have to be”.

The question then is can you learn to relax when trying to go fast?

1. Long, easy, even paced, even tempo swimming helps develop a sense of rhythm. Being in a swim rhythm is a comfortable feeling that helps develop relaxation. When arm stroke, kick and breathing are in a co-ordinated rhythm, real relaxation in the water is possible. From there, it is possible over time to learn to stay relaxed at faster speeds. Learning to relax at slow speeds first is the crucial step.
2. Swim techniques and drills have been developed to decrease the resistance your body experiences when swimming. Developing technical excellence means you move through the water with less effort.
3. Work on M.D.S. or D.P.S. (Maximum Distance per Stroke or Distance per Stroke) skills as a priority. The best swimmers in the world are able to maintain long strokes at top speed, when tired and under pressure. It all starts with learning to swim with less strokes in training. In warm up, try counting strokes on the first lap. Then aim to take one stroke less on the next lap and so on.
4. Try the mini-max workout (minimum strokes, maximum speed) used to great effect by Bill Sweetenham. Count your strokes on your first 50 metres. Accurately note your time. Next, add the number of strokes to your time. For example, if you take 50 strokes and swim 45 seconds for the lap, your lap score is 95. Aim to swim a lap score of 94 on the second lap, which means you need to either swim a little faster, or stroke a little longer. Continue the process 6 times. Fewer strokes is good. Faster speed is great. Fewer strokes and faster speed is best.
5. Work on keeping strokes long and strong at training. In every effort ask yourself “Could I do this with fewer strokes?” When doing skills work like drills aim for technical perfection, then technical perfection with the minimum number of strokes and finally technical perfection with a minimum number of strokes at maximum speed.
6. Develop real speed by thinking about swimming fast rather than trying too hard and increasing effort during your speed. Train fast to Race fast.
7. Every turn in training is a race turn, every dive is a race dive. Every finish should be completed on the wall with power and controlled aggression. Train as you would like to race.
8. Drills should be completed with precision and with 100% concentration. Think technique first at all times.
9. Challenge yourself to swim fast when tired. In training challenge yourself to jump up at the end of the session and swim fast. When racing, challenge yourself to swim fast when tired, to swim fast heats in the morning then faster finals at night, to swim as fast on the last day of the meet as you did on the first day etc.
10. Learn to enjoy pressure situations. Being nervous is a sign that something great is about to happen. Your body is getting ready to do something brilliant. Learn to enjoy the pressure of competition.

Part of the process of understanding the difference between effort and speed comes during taper; that period of time when you are freshening up and resting in preparation for a competition. Swimmers will often say that during a taper they feel “light”, that training efforts “felt easy” that they feel like they are swimming “on top of the water”.
This feeling, where speed comes with little effort, is an indication that you are ready to race and that your taper has worked well.

It also comes from listening to your coach and working with him or her in your fast work. If your coach uses the expression “maximum effort”, your swimming response should be “I will do this at maximum speed, while staying relaxed and loose, with minimum strokes, and great skills and technical excellence”.

If it’s speed you need,
You need speed indeed,
And you need some dash,
Without splash or trash,
Just keep your cool,
In the swimming pool,
Stay relaxed and loose,
And you’ll make the news.

Wayne Goldsmith

There are no gold medals or world records for the person who can swim the slowest or swim with the best technique or with the strongest kick or who wears the most expensive swim suit. There are no gold medals for the person who can lift the most weights or who has the best hairdo – winning is all about speed.

Speed’s Seven Golden Rules: (to be read to swimmers at every speed development workout!!!!)

1. Train fast to go fast – train the way you want to race and include speed development training every week – and in all cycles of training.
2. The faster you want to go – the more relaxed you have to be! The only difference between swimming slow and swimming fast is the speed. Speed has nothing to do with gritting your teeth or tensing your muscles or pulling / pushing harder in the water – the faster you want to go, the more relaxed you have to be.
3. Only fast is fast. 90% of your best is not fast. 95% of your best is not fast. Only 100% is fast. You don’t get faster by doing your speed workouts at near to best speed. You get faster by training faster than you ever have before.
4. Think fast to go fast. Get yourself mentally ready for speed training by thinking about speed – focus on words that give speed meaning to you like “explode”, “drive”, “power”, etc.
5. Wall to wall speed. The fastest swimmers in the world usually get to top speed before their opposition. In other words their acceleration is critically important. They also have great finishing speed and often will swim over their opposition in the final few metres. If you are practicing speed, work on it wall to wall – maximum speed starts – maximum speed finishes.
6. Quality not quantity. The aim of speed development workouts is to develop speed. Increasing the number of repeats to achieve an increased in workout volume at the expense of the quality (speed) of the workouts will only develop the ability to swim slowly more often.
7. Maintain Skills / Technique and legality at speed– Going faster does not mean a compromise on skills, technique and legality (i.e. legal dives, starts, turns and finishes).

Here are five speed development workout sets to help your swimmers burn up the lane.

1. Killer Kick Set

Fast swimmers are invariably strong kickers. The ultimate aim of this set is to help a swimmer bring their 50 kick time as close as possible to their 50 swim time.

Killer Kick Set Part 1 – Finding Your Speed Limit.

• Start with the swimmer’s PB swim time for a 50 and add 15 seconds.
• They then aim to kick a 50 in better than that time.
• Now take off 1 second.
• The aim is to kick a 50 in better than that time.
• Now take off 1 second.
• The aim is to kick a 50 in better than that time.
• Keep going until the swimmer is at the point where they can just make the wall in the target time.

This is their kicking speed limit.

Killer Kick Set Part 2 – Practicing at your Speed Limit
8 X 50 kick on 2:00 minutes holding the individual kicking speed limit.

Variations:

• No kick board
• Combine with a swim at target race pace, ie 50 kick, leave the kick board at the end of the pool, then sprint 25 / 30 metres at target race pace.

1. Over / Under Set

Over / under sets are those which target speeds over a best previous speed at distances under a target race distance.

For example, if the swimmer is targeting 100 metres in one minute. An over under set might be:
Warm up.
Stretch.
Three to five minutes break.

• 2 x 25 metres at 15 seconds
• 2 x 30 metres at 18 seconds
• 100 easy swim and stretch
• 2 x 40 metres at 24 seconds
• 2 x 50 metres (feet on the wall) at 30 seconds
• 200 easy swim and stretch
• 2 x 55 metres (tumble plus five metres) at 33 seconds
• 2 x 60 metres (tumble plus ten metres) at 36 seconds
• 300 easy swim and stretch
• 1-2 x 70 metres (tumble plus 20 metres) at 42 seconds
• 1-2 x 80 metres (tumble plus 30 metres) at 48 seconds

1. Swim Down
2. Stretch

The key to the set is the flexible rest interval. Unlike most sets where the aim is to hold a cycle, e.g. 10 x 100 on a cycle time of 2 minutes, in speed development sets, the swimmer takes as much rest as they need to achieve the target time. Repeating mediocrity only achieves mediocrity!

Variations:

• Shorter distances – more repeats
• Longer distances – fewer repeats
• Decrease rests between repeats ONLY if quality can be maintained
• Start mid way down the pool do that the distances / times include a turn at target speed
• Add stroke count targets

1. 8-10-12-14-16

You can use any numbers you like – the principle is what matters. For example:

1. Warm up
2. Stretch
3. Break for three – five minutes

• 8 strokes at maximum speed (no breathing on free or fly)
• Easy swim to the end of the pool / one minute rest
• 10 strokes at maximum speed
• Easy swim to the end of the pool / one minute rest
• 12 strokes at maximum speed
• Easy swim to the end of the pool / one minute rest
• 14 strokes at maximum speed
• Easy swim to the end of the pool / one minute rest
• 16 strokes at maximum speed
• Easy swim to the end of the pool / 200 easy swim
• Repeat the above 2-4 times.

1. Swim down
2. Stretch

Variations:

1. • Add a dive
   • Use paddles (take care with young / inexperienced swimmers)
   • Control breathing patterns
   • With young swimmers, these numbers will work fine. With senior swimmers their additional distance per stroke and distance off the wall underwater will mean using numbers like 6-7-8-9-10.
   • Start at various points in the pool to include more turns at target race speed

1. Dive Cones

This is a fun speed workout for all swimmers.

Organize swimmers into pairs with similar swimming speeds.
Ask one swimmer in each pair to swim as fast as they can for ten seconds. The other swimmer walks along the side of the pool and places a cone (one of those brightly colored plastic cones used by gym teachers and other coaches to mark out training activities) to mark the distance their partner has achieved.

The set could be:

• 5 x 10 seconds at maximum speed – aiming to go a little further each repeat
• 4 x 15 seconds at maximum speed – aiming to go a little further each repeat
• 3 x 20 seconds at maximum speed – aiming to go a little further each repeat
• 2 x 25 seconds at maximum speed – aiming to go a little further each repeat
• 1 x 30 seconds at maximum speed

Why does this work?

• It taps into the competitive nature of swimmers.
• It provides immediate, clear, visual feedback after each repeat
• It gives each swimmer a clear, immediate, tangible, measurable goal
• It provides an opportunity to develop stronger team bonds with each swimmer encouraging and urging their partner to achieve improved results over the set

Variations:

• Control breathing
• Set stroke count goals
• Have “world championships” where the winning swimmer is the one who improves their distance swum the most over the set

1. SUPER SIXTIES

Sixty metres sprints are a great distance to train over. They are long enough to teach a swimmer how to sustain maximum speed but short enough to train at developing real speed qualities.

For example:

1. Warm up
2. Stretch
3. 3- 5 minute break

6 x 60 metres at target race speed with an easy swim and stretch between each. Cycle time is dependent on the swimmer’s ability to maintain the quality of the set.

Warm Down
Stretch

Variations:
Move the start / finish after each repeat. For example:

• 1st repeat – dive, swim 50, tumble and swim ten metres
• 2nd repeat – start at ten metres, swim 40, tumble and swim 20 metres
• 3rd repeat – start at 20 metres, swim 30, tumble and swim 30 metres
• 4th repeat – start at 30 metres, swim 20, tumble and swim 40 metres
• 5th repeat – start at 40 metres, swim 10, tumble and swim 50 metres (with a race finish)
• 6th repeat – dive start, swim 50, tumble and swim ten metres

So if it is speed you need, these sets will develop speed indeed!!!

Wayne Goldsmith

Let’s see how you rate your last swim on our exclusive “Perfect Performance Quiz”.

How did you prepare the night before your last race?

A: Partied all night

B: Entered a chocolate eating competition (and won)

C: Had a light healthy low fat meal of complex carbohydrates, read a book and went to bed early.

What did you have for breakfast on the morning of your last swim meet?

A: Eggs and Bacon and Coffee

B: Cocoa Pops and Chocolate Milk

C: Toast, fruit, low fat yogurt and juice.

What did you do for a warm up at your last swim meet?

A: Swung my arms around in a circle a few times

B: Watched T.V. and got to the pool late

C: A good stretch, a team talk, some light swimming, practiced a few turns and starts, another stretch, talked with my coach and kept warm.

Sitting in the stands waiting for my race I:

A: Ate lollies, sang Spice Girls songs with my friends and drank soft drink

B: Told myself how I was going to lose the race

C: Rested. Got up and stretched from time to time. Sipped on a bottle of water and relaxed.

When I was called for my race I:

A: Ran screaming from the building

B: Went back to sleep

C: Got up and started moving to get my body and mind ready to race.

In the marshalling area I:

A: Listened to everyone telling me how fast they were and how much training they do and got freaked out

B: Chewed on my goggles

C: Talked quietly with a teammate, stretched lightly and controlled my breathing

What did you do behind the blocks?

A: Waved to mum and dad in the stands

B: Danced the Macarena

C: Controlled my breathing, thought about swimming my own race and focussing on my own lane.

When I got up on the blocks I:

A: Faced the wrong way

B: Wished I was somewhere else

C: Thought about exploding off the blocks and the first three strokes

What did you do when you hit the water after your dive?

A: Sank to the bottom

B: Swam really great breaststroke (but it was freestyle race)

C: Concentrated on holding a great streamline, kicked powerfully into my first stroke and exploded to the surface at maximum speed.

During the race I:

A: Checked out the costume design of the other swimmers

B: Looked across the lanes to see who was in front

C: Swam my own race, controlled my breathing and pace, kept my strokes long and attacked the turn aggressively.

When I came to the turn I:

A: Hit my head on the wall and knocked myself out

B: Breathed on every stroke inside the flags

C: Attacked the wall, got as tight as possible during the turn, kicked powerfully out of the turn, streamlined and exploded to the surface.

What did you do when it started to hurt during the second lap?

A: Slowed down

B: Slowed down a lot

C: Focused on keeping my strokes long and strong and smooth.

In the final ten metres I:

A: Faked a cramp

B: Breathed on every stroke then forgot to touch the wall

C: Swum powerfully, not breathing on my last six strokes and kept pumping my legs until my hands touched the wall.

What did you when you finished?

A: Kicked the winner under the water

B: Did another lap because I lost count

C: Congratulated a teammate who had done a PB.

When I got out of the water I:

A: Made mum and dad buy me a chocolate because I tried so hard

B: Went home and played computer games

C: Spoke with my coach about the race, wrote the coach’s comments in my training diary, did a swim down, ate a small piece of fruit, drank some water, stretched then rested.

How to Score This Quiz:

Award yourself:

1 Points for every “A” score

2 Points for every “B” score

3 Points for every “C” score

How did you go?

15-18 Points: Take up cricket! Take up ballet! Take up origami! And be careful getting into the bath: you might drown!

19- 22 Points: Not bad. You might get a job as a surf lifesaver (in the desert).

23- 26 Points: You’re like a dead fish, (a bit smelly and easy to catch).

27 – 30 Points: Keep trying. You can improve.

31 – 34 Points: You’re learning. Big things are ahead for you.

35 – 38 Points: Potential superstar. Keep working on the little things.

39 – 42 Points: Doing most things right. Anything is possible for you.

43 – 45 Points:Look out Sam and Susie. Look out Michael Klim and watch out Ian Thorpe. You are Olympic material!

Wayne Goldsmith

Over the past ten years however, working with triathletes of all ages and levels, I have found that there are certain mistakes commonly made by many triathletes in their first year or two of training and competition.

These mistakes are often made purely because the triathlete is so enthusiastic and determined to do well in the sport, that they often take short cuts or make poor training decisions based on anecdote rather than on intelligence and logic.

Fore-warned is fore-armed, so here are the ten most common mistakes made by triathletes so you can avoid making them!

1. Increasing training volume too quickly

When many triathletes take up the sport, early improvements in performance come from improvements in aerobic fitness associated with increased physical activity. This is particularly true of senior age group triathletes who may have not exercised regularly for some time. The danger is that often a “some training is good, therefore more is better” attitude develops and before you know it you have an overuse injury. Try to limit increases in training loads to 2-3% per week and every four weeks have a week of rest and recovery.

2. Ignoring stretching and injury prevention

When your triathlon training and racing is going well, you can be confused into thinking you are invincible. Talk with triathletes who have been involved in the sport for some time and they will tell you how tough it is to be injured. Take time to develop flexibility around key joints. Develop a strong core of abdominal and lower back strength. See a qualified and experienced sports physiotherapist and ask for a musculo skeletal screen.

The Musculo Skeletal Screen is a simple physical examination conducted by a skilled sports physiotherapist, which measures your flexibility and stability in key muscles and joints like your back, hips, ankles and shoulders. The physio can then give you some ideas on injury prevention and performance enhancement through the right stretching and strengthening program. We call it a CD-rom program, which stands for Core Development, Range of Motion.

3. Relying on technology instead of technique and skills

Triathletes are among the most committed, hard working athletes I have come across. Many are in a great hurry to increase training volume (how much you do) rather than taking time to develop technical excellence first then increasing the training kilometres. When commencing a triathlon training program, take a few months to get some coaching in all three areas. See a swim coach for some technique work and stroke development. Work with a cycle coach on bike set up, cornering, gear selection, pedalling, bunch riding, (AND not forgetting bike maintenance). Consult a running coach on speed development, running with correct technique, etc. Be wary of gimmicks with promises of fast improvements. The short cuts you take this year, you will pay for next year.

4. Spending too much time on your strongest leg

An old coaching friend once told me, “work on your weaknesses, your strengths can take care of themselves”. Triathletes from a running background find long slow distance running work easy, so if given the choice they will often run rather than swim or cycle. Every training session is an opportunity to gain a competitive edge and to improve an aspect of performance. Take advantage of every opportunity to improve weaknesses whilst maintaining the edge you have in your strongest leg.

5. Avoiding speed work

There is no doubt that triathlon is an endurance based sport. However there are times when speed is important and being able to move really fast on demand is a deadly competitive skill. Speed is a tool that allows you to race and compete rather than just finish. It is also a fundamental aspect of successful endurance performance.

The physiological concept of “speed reserve” suggests that endurance athletes need to develop speed, so that their endurance training and racing can be done at faster speeds. If your best time for one hundred metres is 30 seconds (five-minute kilometre pace) it is unlikely you can run 50 minutes for 10 k’s since no one can operate at 100% for very long. Speed is a vital component of successful endurance performance.

6. Using training hard as an excuse to eat and drink whatever you like

What you eat today, swims, cycles and runs tomorrow. Training hard is not an excuse for eating junk. You don’t put low-grade fuel or unleaded petrol in a high performance engine or Formula I car. Triathletes are Formula I athletes. Training for a tough demanding activity demands high performance fuel. And remember it’s Carbo Load not Garbo Load.

7. Not taking time to rest and recover

Rest, recovery, regeneration, relaxation are all words to describe the process of allowing your body to adapt to hard training. Getting enough sleep, having a spa, getting a massage, doing some exercise for fun instead of training, eating well and stretching are all part of effective recovery. . Effective recovery has many benefits. Effective recovery techniques increase the rate at which your body recovers from training stresses.

This has two main benefits:

1. You can train harder (quality)
2. You can do more training (quantity)

Training stimulates your body to adapt and improve. Everyone gets a little tired and fatigued from training. Being tired is NOT a BAD thing. Being tired after training is all part of the process of improving and achieving your best. But, being over tired, and carrying tiredness from one session to the next can cause real problems. Recovery is the process of monitoring fatigue and doing things to overcome it.

Sleep is a key recovery technique. Everyone needs sleep; some triathletes need more than others. Get to know how much sleep you need to make you feel rested and recovered.

8. Training at too high an intensity

Many age group triathletes, particularly those from team sport backgrounds, often train too hard. The intensity of their training sessions is a little too high, resulting in excessive body stress and residual fatigue carrying over from one session to the next.

Aerobic training is training which helps triathletes develop their endurance – their “staying power”. It is usually done early in the season and prepares triathletes for the hard work and hard racing to come later in the season. Coaches sometimes refer to this as “ the aerobic base”.

Aerobic training is done at low intensity, with rhythm and relaxation. It gives your body the physiological characteristics to handle fast work, to recover quickly from hard efforts at training and between races and to burn fat for fuel more efficiently.

Intensity is a measure of how hard your body is working. You can measure intensity by training at a specific pace, timing your efforts, taking your heart rate, training to a scale (ie. 1 out of 10 is easy, 9 out of ten is really hard). How hard you are working AND NOT just how far you go is the key to training effectively.

9. Not planning an integrated, balanced training program

It is important that you find time to develop a training program for triathlon, not swim, bike and run. It sounds weird but there is a difference between training for the individual legs and for the overall sport.

Recently a friend rang me. He was very frustrated with his training program. He had a specialist swim coach coaching him in the pool, a top cycling coach working with him on the road and a track and field distance coach for his run sessions. However, because the three coaches didn’t share training session information, he ended doing three hard lactate type sessions in the one day!

There are times to work on the specific skills and techniques of the individual legs and times to integrate and balance a training plan incorporating all three. It is difficult to make significant improvements in all legs at once. Stress is stress. A hard ride places a tough demand on the body just as a hard run or hard swim.

10. Copying the “secrets” of champions

Much of what we know about athletic performance we have learned from observing, monitoring and testing great athletes. The challenge is that the factors that lead to these athletes becoming great are not always reproducible or even measurable. Listen to the great ones. Learn from their successes and avoid reproducing their mistakes. Above all, take from the champions what is appropriate and applicable to you at your level of competition and suitable to your training background.

Summary

T – Triathlon is a great sport.
R – Rest, Recover, Regenerate and remember to take it easy from time to time
I – Ignore injury prevention and correct stretching exercises at your peril
A – Avoid, tricks, cons, gimmicks and fads. Success has few short cuts and fewer rules
T- Train as you would race, that is with a balanced program developing skills and excellence in areas of weakness and maintaining a competitive advantage in your strengths.
H – Hard work is rarely without reward. Train hard then rest hard.
L – Learn from the successful techniques of the great triathletes then improve on them. Do what the successful triathletes of 2008 will be doing, but do it now.
O – One thing is certain. Develop your training program on a philosophy of staying healthy, uninjured and with a commitment to sensible balanced training with adequate time for effective recovery and you will do well.
N – Now – get out there and do it!

Remember to be a Try-athlete. Try to develop a sensible training program that works for you that is based on sound principles and solid logic.

Wayne Goldsmith