Reply To: Just like I thought…
Doc,
I have been trying some of your sets over the past month and like them a lot. I started doing freestyle nx25 at 60 and nx50 at 2:00. I really liked these sets so I decided to try the other strokes. I’ve done all four strokes of 25’s at 60 and nx50 at 2 br/fly/fr and back 50 of 100 IM br/fr. I feel like the 50’s at back half simulate the real race better than the Rushall sets. I was worried about being dead the next day after a 50 set but I’ve been able to improve day to day doing these sets. A few step backs here and there with built up fatigue but no more than when I was doing more of the Rushall sets. There is more lactate for sure but it’s not a problem. I also got to say hello to my old friend 200 beats per minutes but that was early on. It kind shocked my body at first but it’s adjusted now. If the 50’s simulate the real race better and I can hit race pace day after day, I may as well do the 50’s.
I have been progressing nicely, especially in fly. On the 50’s at 2 minutes I started with my current best back 50- 31.13 converted to meters plus one for the tempo trainer push off delay = 35.52. My sets went like this- made 7 on the first then 7 again, and 8. Last night I decided to move the pace down one second to 34.52 (or 30.2 yard pace). I made 6 on the first try! And a lot of them were fast too. My times were about 32.5,32.5,33,33.5,33.5,34. I completely fell apart on 7 though and pulled up at 35 because my arms started catching the surface on recovery. But I feel like I have improved my power already. I have gotten in 5 fly’s nx25’s at 60 with 15.00 on the tempo trainer. The best I have done so far is 11. I think I’m almost ready to move the pace down on that. I’m going to try to make at least 12 next time.
