View RSS Feed

The FAF AFAP Digest

Ouch! Thursday, Jan. 7

Rate this Entry
22 Comments
by
USMS MemberThe Fortress
, January 7th, 2010 at 04:51 PM (6521 Views)
AM Drylands:

push ups w/push up stand 3 x 15*
ab roll outs w/power wheel, 3 x 15
jump rope, 2 x 75
prone scapular scrunches, 3 x 25
3 position arm extensions, 3 x 3 x 15

* The push up stand seems to make the exercise harder to me. Perhaps it's the increased range of motion. The stands are definitely easier on the wrists.

P90X Ab Killer DVD (15 minutes):

[ame="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7tcpx_p90x-ab-ripper-x-part-1_school"]Dailymotion - P90X Ab Ripper X Part 1 - a College video@@AMEPARAM@@http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x7tcpx@@AMEPARAM@@x7tcpx[/ame]

Commentary:

I knew after my first few jumps with the rope that this would be a hard day. My legs were still totally dead from my brutal double on Tuesday. The word "cramp" was never far from my mind and, indeed, that is, unhappily, what ensued ...


Noon Swim w/Speedo @ Oak Marr:

Warm up:

750 variety

6 x 25 shooters

Transition set:

10 x 50 @ 1:00
odds = swim
evens = kick

(I missed one of these.)

50 EZ

Main Set:

Speedo and I had decided to do Geek's lactate set (w/modifications) from several days ago. He was likewise weary from a hard practice yesterday. But, there really is no sense putting off lactate work, so we gamely had at it. I certainly plan to do more of it now that I've got some aerobic work under my belt.

1 x 200 w/fins @ 8:00

I swam 5 1/2 lengths and quit. I got a calf cramp the instant I pushed off to begin swimming. It didn't hurt as much when I dolphin kicked, but the minute I transitioned, it tightened even worse. It was so painful, I stopped. I'm a quitter. I was out in a :57. My stroke didn't feel very good (not like last week), so I was surprised to even go out that fast. The legs felt positively leaden.

150 EZ

1 x 100 w/fins @ whatevah

I did fly. Went a :59. Very unspectacular; I've gone faster. But at least it was a cramp free swim.

150 EZ

2 x (50 AFAP w/fins @ whatevah + 100 EZ)

1st 50 = fly, went :24
2nd 50 = back. went :23.5 ish even though I slipped on the wall

These were faster than I expected and certainly better efforts than my 200 and 100. Good to know I haven't lost all my speed. Speedo's underwater SDKs and streamlining have really improved!

2 x (25 AFAP w/fins + 25 EZ @ whatevah)
(one free, one belly shooter)

100 EZ

Evil Drill set:

5 x (3 x 50), RI = :20-25

#1 = breast kick (trying to keep knees close)
#2 = PLD (pull, lunge, dolphin) breast drill
#3 = Chris' breast drill where you alternate PLD with regular breaststroke each stroke. I really liked this drill and will continue to do it.

50 EZ

Total: 3350

10 minutes in hottub.

Commentary:

That was a nice kick in the pants and welcome back to the world of lactate pain. This would be a good set to repeat. The only problem with it from a sprinter perspective is that it's very hard to recover from that first 200. It takes a toll on the subsequent 100. I guess you could reverse the order of the set as well.

Definitely time to increase the race pace work!

I wish someone would come stand over me an make me stretch tonight. I really need it. I have no idea why I have a lapse of motivation in this area ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Streamlining:

Pete and I discussed streamlining some and, in particular, 2 recent USMS tips. One is Chris Colburn's "hanging streamline drill" discussed here: https://www.usms.org/articles/articledisplay.php?a=238. Another is a tech tip drill Pete read about where you simply practice streamlining by pushing off and seeing how far you go. Keep repeating and hopefully see improvement. I'll definitely try these drills.

F Gluten!

I think I might have made it through my first gluten free day without accidentally glutening myself. Have been doing some reading. It also seems that muscle cramping and abdominal cramps can also be symptoms of gluten intolerance. http://www.celiac.com/articles/1106/...oms/Page1.html. In addition to my usual calf cramps, I've had some wicked abdominal cramps. Perhaps this will improve if I can successfully alter my diet.

Submit "Ouch! Thursday, Jan. 7" to Digg Submit "Ouch! Thursday, Jan. 7" to del.icio.us Submit "Ouch! Thursday, Jan. 7" to StumbleUpon Submit "Ouch! Thursday, Jan. 7" to Google

Updated January 7th, 2010 at 07:37 PM by The Fortress

Categories
Swim Workouts , Strength Training and Dryland Workouts , Test Sets

Comments

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
  1. Speedo's Avatar
    btw- The streamlining tech tip where you just measure the distance of your glide was written by Ozzie Quevedo in the Oct 09 issue of Swimmer.
    Updated January 7th, 2010 at 05:30 PM by Speedo
  2. qbrain's Avatar
    I'm a quitter.
    And a fraud.
  3. Speedo's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by qbrain
    And a fraud.
    And out of shape. Pathetic.
  4. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Speedo
    And out of shape. Pathetic.
    And a crybaby. Geek will be even more ashamed of me now.
  5. aztimm's Avatar
    Paul and Laura Smith are both big believers in the glide thing too. In the handful of times I've swam with them in Mesa, they've done glide drills almost every time. They're not so much big believers in the dolphin kicks off the wall, but Laura was amazed when she saw me do so many.
  6. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by aztimm
    Paul and Laura Smith are both big believers in the glide thing too. In the handful of times I've swam with them in Mesa, they've done glide drills almost every time. They're not so much big believers in the dolphin kicks off the wall, but Laura was amazed when she saw me do so many.
    I'm definitely going to do more glide drills!

    I think Paul at least believes that SDKs may often be slower than swimming. This is true if your SDKs aren't very effective. But there's only one way to make them effective: do 'em. I know many people who have improved in this area to their racing advantage. I guess core strength doesn't hurt either!
  7. aztimm's Avatar
    Was trying to figure out why your legs would be cramping, and the jump rope is new, isn't it? You'd think we all your box jumps that it wouldn't be a shock to your legs, but could still be a factor.

    Are you drinking as much? While I'm on the fence as far as energy drinks (I see people drinking way too much regular Gatorade) they could help in this case. And with your extreme cold there, it could be very dry too. You may want to make sure you're getting enough fluids--especially just plain water. When we have very dry spells here, I'll have a few humidifiers running in the house.

    Did you try your inhaler for your cramps? I'll try mine at the first sign, and 95% of the time it does the trick, at least to get me through my current workout.
  8. psyncw's Avatar
    I learned a new breaststroke drill a few nights ago. It's probably not new, but new to me. I can't remember the name of it, but it was helpful to get the feel out front. It's just swimming breaststroke (both hands and feet) with VERY fast turnover, head out of the water, just maybe letting your chin touch the water surface. Also keeping your hands always out in front of your body. My teammate's breaststroke never looked better doing that drill. It takes alot out of your arms though.
  9. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by aztimm
    Was trying to figure out why your legs would be cramping, and the jump rope is new, isn't it? You'd think we all your box jumps that it wouldn't be a shock to your legs, but could still be a factor.

    Are you drinking as much? While I'm on the fence as far as energy drinks (I see people drinking way too much regular Gatorade) they could help in this case. And with your extreme cold there, it could be very dry too. You may want to make sure you're getting enough fluids--especially just plain water. When we have very dry spells here, I'll have a few humidifiers running in the house.

    Did you try your inhaler for your cramps? I'll try mine at the first sign, and 95% of the time it does the trick, at least to get me through my current workout.
    You know, I've been mulling this over, Tim. I just modified my blog. The cramps (and the abdominal cramps I've been getting) may be another symptom of my gluten intolerance. Sigh.

    I have completely eliminated all brands of energy drinks b/c most seem to contain whey or some offensive additive. I'm not sure about Gatorade. I try to drink a lot of water, but could probably drink even more.

    I have tried the inhaler before a practice or two and still get cramps. I forgot it today though.
  10. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by psyncw
    I learned a new breaststroke drill a few nights ago. It's probably not new, but new to me. I can't remember the name of it, but it was helpful to get the feel out front. It's just swimming breaststroke (both hands and feet) with VERY fast turnover, head out of the water, just maybe letting your chin touch the water surface. Also keeping your hands always out in front of your body. My teammate's breaststroke never looked better doing that drill. It takes alot out of your arms though.
    Thanks Neill. This sounds like a fun drill, and I will definitely give that a try! We need a name for it ...

    The one thing I have been able to fix somewhat in my usually pathetic breaststroke is the pull. Keeping the hands out front seems to be a key for me; much less drag resistance that way.
  11. pwb's Avatar
    I thought calf cramps were just part & parcel of being a swimmer? Doesn't everyone get them?
  12. aquageek's Avatar
    Nice work. I've got another lactate set on Saturday (the most hated of all Masters sets). I never get leg cramps but I do ofter have buckling knees pushing off the wall if I'm dead dog tired.
  13. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by pwbrundage
    I thought calf cramps were just part & parcel of being a swimmer? Doesn't everyone get them?
    I've always thought they were part & parcel of being a swimmer. And I always thought I was more prone to them as I go crazy with the leg work and fin work. They clearly can be a result of vigorous activity and muscle fatigue. But, I dunno, I get them a lot, as well as the ab cramps, so I'm somewhat inclined to think it's a gluten related phenomenon in part. (I was also told I had a gastric ulcer last summer, and tests showed I didn't. Gastric ulcer mimic-ing and anemia are other fun symptoms of gluten intolerance.) Low calcium can contribute to cramping as well.

    Someone also told me recently that they thought cramps were a function of being out of shape, and that their cramps subsided upon getting in better shape. That, however, has never been the case for me.

    I'm blaming everything on gluten. And hormones.
    Updated January 7th, 2010 at 09:24 PM by The Fortress
  14. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by aquageek
    Nice work. I've got another lactate set on Saturday (the most hated of all Masters sets). I never get leg cramps but I do ofter have buckling knees pushing off the wall if I'm dead dog tired.
    How often does your team do lactate sets?

    At least you have your fun brunch after!
    Updated January 7th, 2010 at 10:01 PM by The Fortress
  15. SwimStud's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by psyncw
    I learned a new breaststroke drill a few nights ago. It's probably not new, but new to me. I can't remember the name of it, but it was helpful to get the feel out front. It's just swimming breaststroke (both hands and feet) with VERY fast turnover, head out of the water, just maybe letting your chin touch the water surface. Also keeping your hands always out in front of your body. My teammate's breaststroke never looked better doing that drill. It takes alot out of your arms though.
    Quote Originally Posted by The Fortress
    Thanks Neill. This sounds like a fun drill, and I will definitely give that a try! We need a name for it ...
    Old Lady Drill
    You said it was head up right?
  16. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by SwimStud
    Old Lady Drill
    You said it was head up right?
    You're just full of mirth and witticisms the last couple days! Knee pain apparently agrees with you.
  17. psyncw's Avatar
    Our name for the drill is the jitterbug your arms and legs are moving very fast!
  18. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by psyncw
    Our name for the drill is the jitterbug your arms and legs are moving very fast!
    Excellent, lol!

    For some reason, I think breaststroke lends itself to drilling more than the other strokes. Maybe b/c it's so damn complicated.

    Any tips for working on the evil kick?
  19. psyncw's Avatar
    what helps me the most with the kick is vertical kicking. It's the quickest way to really feel the pressure on the inside of your legs, plus you can't really kick that wide when you are kicking vertically (or you'll sink) so you practicea narrow kick too.
  20. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by psyncw
    what helps me the most with the kick is vertical kicking. It's the quickest way to really feel the pressure on the inside of your legs, plus you can't really kick that wide when you are kicking vertically (or you'll sink) so you practicea narrow kick too.
    Thanks! I love that advice, as I love vertical kicking. At GMU, when we do vertical kicking, Coach Cheryl tells us not to do breaststroke kick as that is "cheating." I guess one can just do it longer. It sounds way better than kicking with a board, which I dislike for breast.
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast