{"id":252982,"date":"2017-05-04T14:00:15","date_gmt":"2017-05-04T21:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=252982"},"modified":"2017-05-04T14:54:25","modified_gmt":"2017-05-04T21:54:25","slug":"what-is-the-ultimate-swim-training-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/what-is-the-ultimate-swim-training-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Ultimate Swim Training Plan?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kristy Kinzer, Swimming World College Intern.<\/em><\/p>\n

Swim training programs for colleges greatly vary between divisions, conferences, and coaches. Several yield positive results, yet many coaches, new and experienced alike, are left scratching their heads about which methods to incorporate and which to scrap to stay competitive. New studies have spurred innovative training strategies nation-wide that undermine the strong tradition of high volume, yardage-based programs. But which training style is the most effective for athletes to accomplish their lofty goals?<\/p>\n

Traditional Swim Training
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve been involved in competitive swimming for a few years, you may notice a pattern that follows the traditional training approach. Swimmers from these programs are generally extremely physically tough and have endured many high-volume, lengthy aerobic practices. Their physical fitness is higher than the average Joe, and these athletes have the confidence boost of knowing they\u2019ve trained harder than most of their competitors. A typical limiting factor to specific training on these teams is the coach-to-swimmer ratio; thus, high-volume practices are trusty safety-blankets to off-set lack of specificity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have coached many swimmers using the conventional methods of training, which are primarily yardage-based and stroke-technique oriented,” assistant coach for Calvin College and past Division I All-American swimmer\u00a0Chris Sullivan<\/strong>\u00a0comments. “I have had some good success with those methods even in my own training.\u201d<\/div>\n

Progressive Approach<\/strong><\/h2>\n

More recently in the world of swimming, a form of training has caught fire with those edgy coaches willing to change training methods to produce different results. This \u201cless-is-more\u201d training strategy is geared toward highly specific, race-pace workouts designed to train with the same race speed and stroke mechanics that the athlete will need to perform at the highest level. Though coaches all over the world have been using versions of high velocity workouts throughout the decades, more defined and scientifically-sound training methods have emerged. Examples include ultra short-rest race pace training (USRPT) involving maximal efforts with short rest but allows for recovery and technical training, high-intensity training (HIT) using maximum efforts with long rest, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) utilizing maximum effort with short rest. Michael Andrew<\/strong><\/a>, 18-year-old swimming phenom, adopted USRPT training and has broken over 78 National Age Group records.<\/p>\n