GlennGruber

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Viewing 13 posts - 16 through 28 (of 28 total)
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  • in reply to: USRPT with resistance training #1785
    GlennGruber
    Participant

    Tucker is right. If you are going to do USRPT the “correct” way, there is no need to use toys or do drills. The only thing that is important is race pace swimming and only race pace swimming.

    As Doc always says “mixed swimming gives mixed results”. He is referring to what you have suggested, i.e. aerobic odd days and anerobic even days.

    That tyype of training is not necessary, again only race pace.

    It’s my experience that people are trying to make USRPT complicated, it isn’t complicated at all! Determine your goal time, figure out the time you need to go per 50 and per 25 and start doing the sets to failure each and every time.

    in reply to: Colleges and usrpt #1768
    GlennGruber
    Participant

    I believe Texas Women’s University in Denton, Texas has a coach that uses USRPT.

    in reply to: Variance… #1754
    GlennGruber
    Participant

    Are you a coach or a swimmer? As a swimmer doing USRPT on my own, I never find it mundane. Why? because every day the challenge is to push the first failure further down the road! I’m not always successful, but the challenge is there each and every day.

    I am not sure why people think there needs to be a vast variety. By doing 50s and 25s I can do many combinations, e.g., one set of 50s and the second set of 25s. Two sets of 25s or 2 sets of 50s. Or do the 25s first and the second set is 50s.

    Also and more importantly, by doing similar sets I can see my progress in my log book very easily.

    When swimmers see their progress and times at meets, they will be pleased. I think coaches want variety more than swimmers. My 2 cents.

    in reply to: Location and USRPT Status #1718
    GlennGruber
    Participant

    Cokie,

    I would be more than happy to correspond with you on USRPT. Have been in contact with Dr. Rushall several times and he has clarified several things for me.

    He actually came to see me at a meet this past weekend in Carlsbad, CA near where he lives in the San Diego area. It was great to meet him. He was also able to give me some technique tips that I am working on.

    PM me at sca17@pacbell.net

    Glenn

    in reply to: Training LCM, 200 Pace struggles? #1702
    GlennGruber
    Participant

    I wouldn’t change the rest time from 20 seconds. I would change the target time.

    I don’t know if you have been doing USRPT for an extended time or not, but I believe that if you make the target time a bit easier, the swimmers can get some confidence making the target time. Once they do that, then have them work at actual 200 RP.

    You might try starting out at 2 seconds above their target time, then once they can make 20 of them, bring it down another second.

    in reply to: When to abandon a set #1698
    GlennGruber
    Participant

    Couple of thoughts here.

    1. It might be good to make your target time a little slower. That gives you the opportunity to get used to how the set should go. If you are just starting USRPT I do not suggest using your ultimate target time from the get go. When I started USRPT ten months ago my target time (I am training for the 400 SCM) was :32 per 50y. However, I started with a target time of :35. I was able to do 20 at that speed so I moved down to :34. I was also able to do close to 20 at :34 so moved down to :33. I spent about two months at :33 before I moved to :32. I spent 4 months at :32 and when I could do 20 in a row and 27 with three failures, I moved to :31. I’ve been at :31 for about two months and I can occasionally do 10 in a row before my first failure.

    Had I started doing USRPT trying to do my :32 target time, I might have gotten frustrated and quit. But easing into it proved to be a very good strategy.

    2. When you are alternating between make one fail one, make one fail one, you are not doing USRPT anymore. Now you are doing a traditional set with a minute rest between each repeat!

    3. USRPT is NOT about finishing the set as is the case with traditional training. Instead it is about doing as many repeats at RACE PACE as possible. When you can no longer do that you are then not practicing at race speed – and there is no point to practicing at anything but race speed.

    If you are counting yardage per workout, stop doing that. It is not important. If you are dead set on working out for 90 minutes, stop that, it is not important. The only thing that is important is doing as many repeats as possible at your race pace. Every thing else is a waste of your time.

    4.I don’t buy the “I’m a slower workout swimmer” stuff. Do as I have suppested in #1 above regarding your target time, be patient and determined and you will get there.

    5. I’m 65 years old and yesterday I swam my fastest 100 free LCM since 2004 (1:03.01), that’s ten years ago! And we old folks are supposed to be getting slower as we age.

    Glenn Gruber

    in reply to: warm up at the meet with usrpt? #1684
    GlennGruber
    Participant

    Check out the blocks, check out the walls/turns, check out the markings on the bottom of the pool etc.

    Swim 400 or less warm-up.

    Do a few (up to 5) race pace 50s on a generous interval.

    That’s it.

    in reply to: When to abandon a set #1661
    GlennGruber
    Participant

    Many people seem to “adjust” USRPT sets. You shouldn’t be adjusting them. Total rest for 50s and above is 20 seconds, except of course if you miss a target time. However if you miss a target time then rest till the next sendoff, you are getting almost a minute rest. If you keep doing this i.e. make one, fail one, make one, fail one, you are not really doing a USRPT set anymore. Now you are doing a set with 1:00 rest between repeats! That is defeating the purpose of USRPT. You are not getting the training effect.

    If your target time is challenging (as it should be) when you start to fail you are nearly done anyway – or should be.

    How many are you able to do in the set before your first failure?

    Glenn Gruber

    in reply to: Total Yards at RP #1343
    GlennGruber
    Participant

    The real question is, if you were doing “traditional” training, how much race pace yardage would you be doing per day? I’m guessing very little. USRPT is only race pace training/yardage, therefore if the swimmers are doing 500 or 1000 a day at race pace, that is so much more quality yardage then the mindless yardage of “traditional” training.

    in reply to: Bob Bowman on USRPT #1341
    GlennGruber
    Participant

    Drpaul is correct. The latest paper by Dr Rushall #49, explains this in a little more detail.
    http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/swim/bullets/49DEFINED.pdf

    in reply to: Bob Bowman on USRPT #1333
    GlennGruber
    Participant

    I don’t think Bowman understands USRPT the way Rushall presents it. Dr. Rushall has always said that the USRPT concept has been around a long time. He has shown us the scientific basis of it. Also, Dr. Rushall believes very strongly that the USRPT sets are only one part (i.e. 1/3) of the training. Bowman is correct on this point. But Dr. Rushall emphasizes the technique aspect that must accompany the sets as well as the psychological component of, e.g. building your specific race strategy.

    Bowman does not understand that there is variety in USRPT and the biggest motivator of all, the idea of pushing that first failure of the set farther and farther down the road. That is the daily challenge and for this Masters swimmer, the most exciting part of the set each and every day.

    in reply to: When to abandon a set #1332
    GlennGruber
    Participant

    To reply to Rick. The failure concept is not either/or. If the swimmer has done e.g. 12 at the target time without a failure and then misses the target time on # 13, that is a failure. If after the required “skip if missed”, the swimmer fails again (i.e. 2 failures in a row), the set is over, done, stop!

    If however in this same set, the swimmer fails at # 13, takes the required next repeat off and then makes the next one, the swimmer continues. If then the swimmer gets to #17 and misses again, that is failure # 2. So again the swimmer sits out the next repeat. If on the next send-off the swimmer makes the target time, they continue, but if they miss the target time that is two failures in a row and it is also (in this case) the third failure of the set, so the set is stopped.

    Regarding the first 6 not counting as a failure, I believe Dr. Rushall suggests the first 5 not counting any failures.

    in reply to: How Long Until Results? #1331
    GlennGruber
    Participant

    New to this forum, but a Masters swimmer who has used USRPT exclusively for the last 9 months.

    It took me 6 months of 5 Xs a week of USRPT before I could say absolutely that USRPT was the reason for my improvement. So, 1. you need to execute the sets as proposed by Dr. Rushall and 2. you need to be patient.

Viewing 13 posts - 16 through 28 (of 28 total)