Reply To: Practice Volumes
Matt’s question as I read it was: “offering” 60% of total volume at RP” which can be done. But “making 60% of what is offered at RP” is a whole different ball game. I’ll use one of my workouts as an example. TVW is 4k for the workout and of that 4k, 2000 is “offered” at RP might be 14 x 50, then 10 x 100 and finish with 12 x 25 that is 2k “offered” at RP or 50%. So using “making” 60% is 1,250 of that 2k as a goal is “going to get interesting”. Because the chart I posted just shows that’s not easy to do and shows what real live “plug and chug” swimmers are achieving.
“Too much at pace” question: No. Every athlete has what we now believe is 3 ceilings; Technical, Physiological and Psychological. What we have seen is the technical and psychological ceilings break before they reach the physiological. It’s not that they become injured or the like, it’s just that they start to struggle with the technical skills to reach that next speed and mentally for whatever reasons don’t believe they can. Hope that makes sense.
The rates of improvement that I have posted on other threads are based off theses same kids. I think coaches are somehow led to believe that you have to be achieving near 100% of the 20-30 x 25s, 30-40 x 50s and x number of 75s in order to perform and that’s simply not true. The chart shows that and these are kids that know no other way to swim but at RP in practice. True the more the swimmer can show “mastery” i.e. higher numbers made. The more consistent they will be with regards to performance. But those in that 30-40% range swim just as fast. Example just had a boy go 1:59.52, 200IM this weekend and in not one of his protocol sets is he over 41% made. Last year at this time he was 2:06.33. I had 7 swimmers in that same meet that did roughly the same thing with regards to % and performance.
On average at this stage of the season I’ll offer between 15,000 to 16,000 yds per week. Which at 50% would be 7,500 to 8,000yds “made” as the chart shows it’s really more like 30-40% and the numbers at RP look more like 3,450 to 4,500.
I just did one in Fargo ND, in May.
Hope this helps.
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