6 Ways to Thrive During Winter Training

underwater ocean
Photo Courtesy: Delaney Lanker

By Emma Foster, Swimming World College Intern

Winter training. Two words that can send even the toughest of swimmers into bouts of nervousness and fear. Winter training is the boot camp of the swimming world. As tough as preseason workouts tend to be, they pale in comparison to what is demanded during winter training. 100x100s? Guaranteed. 4,000 IM for time? Sounds like fun. Throw some long course training in there just because? Why not.

As crazy as the training that occurs during the winter break can be, there is also something special about it. No other time during the year does a college swimmer have the luxury of focusing entirely on swimming. With classes over, and much of campus already having left for home, swimmers have the chance to pour all their efforts into their training.

Winter training also often means training trips. There is nothing better than getting to escape your college campus for a few days to train in a different, hopefully warmer, area. Training trips are some of the most exhausting, fun, things you can do as a college athlete. While you probably won’t have the energy to do more than nap on the beach, getting to travel with your team provides chances to bond, and enjoy the training you are faced with.

Whether or not you are traveling for winter training this year, there are some things to keep in mind to make the work you are doing the most effective, and hopefully enjoyable it can be. Here are 6 tips to help you thrive during winter training.

1. Have A Good Attitude

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Photo Courtesy: Devon Christopher Adams

Probably the best thing you can bring into winter training it a good attitude. Yes, it is going to be hard. There is no getting around that. But focusing on that to the point of psyching yourself out is completely ineffective. Embrace the hard work. You have a chance to get better during this period, and that is something to be appreciated. So when the set on the board seems impossible, or your body is telling you “no” take a moment and look around. As a college swimmer you have opportunities that many of your classmates don’t. Not many students have the chance to travel somewhere warm and sunny for a week during the winter break, or an opportunity to chase a goal with a team of support at your back. Appreciate what you have, and commit to getting everything you can out of it.

2. Be Prepared

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Photo Courtesy:

Preparation is key during winter training. Have a lingering injury that may crop up once you get into the heavy training and doubles every day? Take care of it before you start. Your coach is going to be much more appreciative if you are communicating with them about what is going on, and taking steps to make sure you can be in the water instead of showing up on the first day of winter training complaining of an ache they haven’t heard about.

The same goes for being rested and healthy. With school out of session, there is no reason you shouldn’t be getting plenty of sleep and staying as healthy as possible. Make sure you are taking care of your body so that you can come into every session ready to give it your best effort.

3. Bond with Teammates

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Photo Credit: Sophie Browne

One of the most undersold parts about winter training is the chance it gives you to bond with teammates. With other students off campus, or your team in a remote location, now is your chance to really develop relationships with everyone on the team. It’s also a great opportunity to break out of the cliques that naturally develop on teams. Instead of spending every second with the same people you usually talk to on the team, take the chance to room with someone you don’t know as well, to take a freshman out to breakfast, or to ask a senior to share of some of their wisdom after surviving four years of winter training.

You’ll find that after winter training comes to an end, not only your body is stronger. Teams come together through the shared experience of being broken down and built back up during training periods, and winter training represents a time of bonding that you will remember long after the pain of the work you have been doing fades.

4. Focus on the Details

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Photo Courtesy: Annie Grevers

An important thing to remember during winter training is that just because you are grinding out massive yards, details should not be forgotten. You will be tired coming into practices, and this is a great opportunity to replicate how you will respond to fatigue during a race. Don’t take the easy path and mindlessly swim. The muscle memory you put into these crucial weeks may mean the difference between achieving your goals or falling short come the end of the season.

5. Eat…and Eat Well

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Photo Courtesy: Jonas Weckshmied

This shouldn’t seem too difficult for hungry swimmers. Hearing that they should be making sure to eat during this training period is every endless garbage pit’s, excuse me, swimmer’s* dream.

However, besides ensuring that you are consuming enough calories to compensate for the ones you are burning daily, try to make sure that most of those calories are healthy nutrients for your body. Sitting the endless chips down and picking up something that will provide good fuel during your practices is what will set you up for success. Likewise, ensuring that you eat at times that will give you energy for practice without making you sick is an important component to getting the most out of each practice.

6. Make It Work For You

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Photo Courtesy: Kelley Baylis

When it comes down to it, winter training is yours to make of it as you will. Swimmers who decide to simply survive it will most likely be able to do that, but they will come to the end of the period without gaining much from the experience. Ensuring that you bring a positive attitude and willingness to devote your time to what you are doing will allow you to not only survive, but thrive within winter training, and could very well be the keystone to achieving your goals this season.

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