Swim coach Andrew Sheaff presents three simple strategies that will kick-start some real swim improvement\u2026 <\/p>
If you\u2019re an athlete, you\u2019re probably not satisfied with your progress. It can never be too fast, and that\u2019s certainly true of triathletes. If you\u2019re in a bit of a rut, and you\u2019re looking for ways to start improving again, check out these three simple strategies to kick-start your progress.<\/strong><\/p>\n Too many triathletes perform all of their swim workouts at the same speed. Switch it up. Start using workouts where you force yourself to swim faster over short repetitions. Perform some workouts where you swim at more moderate speeds over medium distances.<\/p>\n And perform some workouts where you swim more patiently.\u00a0 You\u2019re going to find that swimming faster or slower than your normal pace is uncomfortable. That\u2019s what you want to improve, as it\u2019s just the stimulus for getting you to change what you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n It also makes sense from a racing perspective. Most races are performed at a variety of speeds. To race effectively, you not only need to be able to swim at different speeds, you\u2019ll need to be able to do so within one swim!<\/p>\n That\u2019s going to be a very tall task unless you\u2019re able to swim at different speeds and effort levels in practice. Once you can, then you can start practising at different speeds within the same set (see below).<\/p>\n Swimming with different training aids such as fins<\/strong><\/a>, paddles<\/strong><\/a>, or a pull buoy<\/strong><\/a> will feel different from how you normally swim, and they\u2019ll force you to swim differently. If you\u2019ve been doing the same old thing, it can be just what you need. Just start simple.<\/p>\n Perform part of your warm-up with a different training aid. Or perform one of your sets with a different type of gear. Just doing something different can be enough to spark the change you\u2019re looking for. For more on how to use different training aids, you can check out my series on YouTube<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> Let\u2019s say you\u2019ve decided to swim at different speeds in your training, and you\u2019re committed to using different training aids. How do you take it to the next level? Introduce a lot of contrast to your training. Instead of performing different workouts or different sets at different speeds, start changing it up within each workout or set.<\/p>\nSwitch up your speed<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Use training aids<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
Introduce contrast into your training\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n