sprints and butterfly

rosebarnalice

So I know that it's good cardio training to do some sprints, but I just don't like it. I don't like my chest pounding and gasping for breath. I can crank out distance like a little Evinrude forever as long as I don't have to kick it into high gear.

I butterfly very badly, and one length of the pool pretty much wears me out, and the chest pounding and breath gasping is even worse than a whole lap of sprint.

So, how many of ya'll incorporate sprinting or flying into your workouts and how?

stephenrhinton

I also don't like them, and when I first started one length just about finished my swim. Like you said, as long as I am swimming at my 'endurance' pace I can swim all day long. But, I also figure if your workout doesn't keep getting harder then you get diminishing returns from it.

So I do changing interval sets. 8 endurance lengths, 1 sprint, 7 endurance, 1 sprint, ...1 endurance, 1 sprint, 1 sprint, 1 endurance, 1 sprint, 2 endurance, 1 sprint ...back up to 8.

I've finally started seeing some increased distances and faster swims as a result of this.

But I've been doing this for about 6 weeks and I'm looking to change it up. I can now do the sprints with some recovery. But the hard part is the middle where there are 2 sprint lengths back to back.

So the plan is to do fixed interval sets. 4 endurance pace, 2 sprint lengths. Should increase the number of sprint lengths in the hour. Should force me to improve my cardio fitness.

If that gets easier I can increase to 3 and 3, etc.

gentlygently

I do butterfly badly - in the past the full thing (can just make 25m on a good day), but currently legs only (or with breaststroke arms). For variety, but also cos it is a sure way if pushing up the heart rate.... I usually do around 4 x50m. (The full fly sure as heck is as much work as a crawl sprint, but i have another swim lesson due in which we were going to review my fly - and no doubt that will make it easier, and so less good for me! )

I also incorparate some sprints into my usual routines. Not much. Hate sprinting too. But it is only 56 seconds of hell (my 'sprint' is another person's endurance speed....) and it is good for your heart, and overall pace. A typical swim has 4 of these.

i don't like being out of breath, Most of my swimming or cycling or whatever I do at a level that does not push this too much. But I do want a healthy heart, so I do make myself do sprints, cycle a bit harder.... If you want a healthy heart you have to get out of breath, even if it is just for a short time,

I was looking up an old post of mine about fitness goals (before I got sick, so 2 years old) in which I was just setting myself resting heart rate and 3 minute step test fitness goals (I was 60 and 'good'- so fit enough for a doctor to be happy). I need to measure again, and see where I am now!

And sprinting really does help bring up the endurance speed... I think it helps your brain realises what the body can do...

girlwithcurls2

There is nothing I hate more than being out of breath and having to put my face in the water. That said, I do try to do some sprints just to make sure I can. I'm still young enough to think I can do things that end with a question mark ("I wonder if I can sprint 50y?") However, this is why I LOVE my cardio swim class. We do all kinds of things that work flexibility, core strength, and lots and lots of HIIT. I'm not good at doing it on my own when I run (I trail run, and the last thing I need to do is barrel around in the forest and trip on a tree root...) So class takes care of that. Best of all, it's offered 6 days a week, the instructors are awesome (no volleyball here), so lots of opportunities for laps and then class, or vice versa

And as for the fly... I never learned it. That would take some lessons. I am also too old to learn things the wrong way and have to re-learn them.

gentlygently

No you are not! (Too old to relearn....)

60sPanda

Girlswithcurls - I only learnt how to fly last year at age 46. I still hate doing it for all the reasons that everyone else has posted, but am getting less out of breath now (just have to rest for 30 seconds instead of a minute after a length!!). I had some lessons to improve my crawl and the instructor also taught me fly. I was so pleased to manage this and must book a refresher lesson to get some tips on how to improve.

stephenrhinton

I have thought of trying to learn butterfly just so i could say i was 'pretty fly for a white guy'

rosebarnalice

stephenrhinton wrote: »

I have thought of trying to learn butterfly just so i could say i was 'pretty fly for a white guy'

:-)

mpeters1965

stephenrhinton wrote: »

I have thought of trying to learn butterfly just so i could say i was 'pretty fly for a white guy'

Heh heh. I have been known to say "that was pretty fly" after swimming butterfly.

I've given it up though and stick to sprint freestyle sets instead. I didn't learn butterfly until a few years ago, don't do it well and worry about injury.

rosebarnalice

mpeters1965 wrote: »

stephenrhinton wrote: »

I have thought of trying to learn butterfly just so i could say i was 'pretty fly for a white guy'

Heh heh. I have been known to say "that was pretty fly" after swimming butterfly.

My thoughts usually go more to "The Pelican Has Landed!"

htimpaired

I just started adding in 100 IMs to my routine because 25 of fly is about all I can handle. I'd like to work my way back to being able to do 50s without feeling like I'm drowning. I was never very good at fly when I was swimming competitively. If my coach put me in the 100 fly, I was pretty sure she was mad at me.
I do sprints-right now I've been doing 50s on the minute free. I'd like to start speeding up, but I am still getting back in the swing of things.

rosebarnalice

htimpaired wrote: »

I just started adding in 100 IMs to my routine because 25 of fly is about all I can handle. I'd like to work my way back to being able to do 50s without feeling like I'm drowning.

I like medleys--and about 10 years ago I built up to 10x 25 fly, back, breast, free sets. Now I can do about one and when I come around to the fly again I can only make it about 1/3 of the way down the pool. A good goal to set for myself, though!