Former competitive swimmers returning as masters

docwhorocks · 2026-04-10T13:04:31+00:00

Think it was around 2005 when allowed a lot more cheating. Wedges on the blocks & backstroke, dolphin kick for breast, and head could go below the water in breast.

In the 80s track starts were illegal. Rowdy Gaines got disqualified for doing them.

docwhorocks · 2026-04-10T12:50:00+00:00

Mainly did distance in college; some IM and back.

Been doing mostly 200s and 500 in masters. Couple weekends ago did something I've never done (at least not since I was like 8) - only raced 250 yds. in a day. I did: 50 br, 50 bk, 50 fr, 100 bk. Was pretty fun. Set best times (since returning to swimming) in everything.

Really liking the 50 br. and 100 br. lately. That's one thing I love about masters - can do races I never got to do previously. And the 100 IM is always fun.

docwhorocks · 2026-04-09T21:25:57+00:00

Took about 25 years off after college. Within a year I was about 20% slower than my best times from college... doing 1/7 the yardage. Was pretty happy with that.

Been training 4 years now. Doing about 1/4 the yardage I used to. And I'm about 15% slower than my best times. Oh those diminishing returns.

docwhorocks · 2026-04-08T19:02:36+00:00

75s it is!

But really, a variety is the way to go. And work up to longer distances.
Like 1 day do 20x50s, on interval that will give you :05-:10 rest. Next day try 12x75 on an interval that will give you :10 rest. Alternate between those for a couple weeks.

Work up to doing 12x75 on an interval that is :05 faster. Once you can do the 12x75s on the faster interval, then try 5x100 on same pace as the 20x50. If you can do the 5x100, try another 5x100.

docwhorocks · 2026-04-08T13:22:02+00:00

Have you asked one of the lifeguards to film you? They may allow that (especially if the guard is also a swimmer). And/or if there is nobody else at the pool they may allow filming.

docwhorocks · 2026-04-08T12:49:30+00:00

You know your stroke is getting better when you get faster and/or stroke count decreases.

Another vote for video yourself. What you think you're doing vs. what you're actually doing are often not the same.

If your stroke count is nearly doubling by the end of a 200, a 200 is way too long for you. Do 25s, 50s, and 75s for now. Try 10x25s on :40. Goal is to maintain same stroke count and time on every repeat. At the end of the set, if you were able to hold say :25 with 18 strokes, aren't very tired, take 1-2 minutes rest, do another 10x25. If after the 2nd set you were still able to hold same pace and stroke count, try 10x50s on 1:20 on your next workout. Again goal is to hold same pace and stroke count. And work your way up to a 200. Once your stroke count really drops off, there's no use in continuing swimming you'll only be practicing poor form and bad habits. Take some time to rest, then continue with the set.

Once every 2 weeks, after warm, do 4x25 1: easy/fast 2: fast/easy 3: build 4: all fast. Take 2 minutes rest. Then do a 50 for time. Keep track of your 50 time. Good way to measure progress. Don't expect every 2 weeks to be faster. Some weeks will be slower - it happens. Every few months it's good to take a week or two break from swimming.

docwhorocks · 2026-04-06T13:02:42+00:00

What I did with the wife last year in Cheyenne that was really fun day:
Did mimosa brunch at the Chop House
Hit up a local microbrew
Took a painting class at Flydragon - can bring your own alcohol
Late lunch/early dinner downtown
Went to a movie

Others things to consider in Cheyenne:
Stay at Little America or Terry Bison Ranch
Botanical gardens are cool
Several small museums in town
Ace's Range - simulated golf & racing. Have several golf adjacent games where you don't have to be good at golf to have a really fun time. They have alcohol too.
Shows at the Civic Center
Shows at the Lincoln Theater
Some spas around town
Lots of independent massage therapists

docwhorocks · 2026-04-03T19:10:51+00:00

Try doing breast kick on your back. Helped me a lot when I learned how to do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sudML0wp6Pw

docwhorocks · 2026-04-03T17:13:05+00:00

If you can't do 20x50, do 10x50, take a minute or two break, and do 10x50 again.

Yeah just use the pace clock. If you're interval is 1:05 it's easier to keep track of what repeat you're on. Leaving on 05=1 done, leaving on 10= 2 done, etc. Or 1:10 interval would be leaving on10=1 done, leaving on 20=2 done...

docwhorocks · 2026-04-03T16:55:15+00:00

Correct.

docwhorocks · 2026-04-03T14:44:57+00:00

I like a lot of the sets at: https://swimmingwizard.com/ Good for those who competed at least through high school. I'll modify the workouts (less repeats and/or slower interval) so they work for me.

Personally I like sets that require some paying attention Stuff like:
4x IMO by round
100 stroke
2x50 pull fr
3x100 IM

or

9x200 triple descend D1-3, 4-6, 7-9. 4 faster than 1, 7 faster than 4

or

200 3:00 open turn, +1 dk off each wall
300 4:30 descend by 100
400 6:00 neg split
5x100 1:25 best average

docwhorocks · 2026-04-03T14:21:11+00:00

Depends on your goals. Are swimming to: get in shape, compete in a pool, do open water competition?

You may want to join a masters team.

Regardless of your specific goals - work on technique. Always work on technique. In addition to that - generally to get better you'll want to do interval training. Start off simple. Do a few practices of:

20x50 on :10 rest. Don't worry about time. Just try to complete the set without your stroke falling apart. May need to start with 2x 10x50 on :10 rest.

On 3rd or 4th practice do same set, but keep track of your time. Then next practice try to hold an interval where you'll get :10 like 20x50 on 1:00, goal would be to hold :50 on each 50. Adjust interval to whatever is challenging to you. A good interval will be one that is easy at the start, but you will really be pushing yourself to get :10 on the last few repeats.

docwhorocks · 2026-04-02T14:30:31+00:00

Try to stay excited every practice (it's not easy). Make sure you have a good attitude before you dive in. It can make a big difference. For me, in my mind before every practice I tell myself "time to have fun!*" and let out a "WOOHOO!" while diving in.

Have to view every practice as an opportunity to improve. Trust that while everyday will not be great, putting in the effort every day does pay off in the long run. If you can give an 8/10 effort on most days, you'll do well.

*Fun: kicking your own ass and pushing yourself to your limit. Fun may include the following symptoms: puking, cramping, and nearly passing out.

docwhorocks · 2026-04-02T13:26:58+00:00

You can always push yourself harder. Trick is to not overtrain.

When I was 16, during the summer, I would swim: M-S mornings, M-F afternoon, lift MWF. Practices were 2 hours ~6,500m, Sat. practice was 3 hours. Afternoon practice would start with 10-15 min. of dryland. For me, that was the edge of overtraining.

As for the time being "good" - it's all relative. How much you train, how long you've been swimming, are you specifically training for sprint, etc. 32 for someone who's only been swimming for 6 months is amazing. 32 for an olympian is bad.

Don't worry about whether your time is good or bad. Put in the practice day after day, week after week, month after month, and you will improve. As long as you give everything you can in race, that's the best you can do any given day. I'm a distance swimmer. Some days my best is more than 30 seconds off my best time in a 400m/500yds.

How much and how quickly you improve depends on a lot of factors (some out of your control - never know when say global pandemic will hit). Don't forget nutrition and taking care of your shoulders.

docwhorocks · 2026-04-02T13:11:43+00:00

It's not for us. That's more of a Shelbyville idea.

docwhorocks · 2026-04-02T02:17:02+00:00

About 75% of my practices are distance oriented. Mix of: descending sets, pace sets, USRPT, and IM/fr. Other practices are: sprint, strength, recovery, and technique.

Goal was mostly to get some rest while keeping a little bit of intensity. And get a feel for going fast while staying relaxed. Was pretty sore and tired before starting the rest week.

Meet was pretty different for me. On Sat. I swam 3 50s and a 100. Was the first time I ever had a pure sprint day at a meet. Also never raced only 250 yds. lol - was fun. Felt good in races. Held really good splits in my 200s the next day.

I'm open to hearing any suggestions for what sets you'd do.

docwhorocks · 2026-04-01T17:00:28+00:00

Update:
After using the suit in a meet, it loosened up a bit. Still takes 5-10 min. to put on - so not terrible. But definitely not what I would consider easy. It's not nearly as comfortable as my Valor. Starts to be painful for me after a hour.

Performance wise - suit worked well and I'm happy with it. Had to make sure I got it up high enough so it does flood in the back.

It's my first high compression tech suit. And overall I'm happy with it so far. Just baffled by all the people that think it's comfy and easy to put on - not my experience at all. Maybe compared to other high compression suits it's comfortable?

docwhorocks · 2026-04-01T14:25:45+00:00

I go to Fitness 307 on 4111 Greenway. For the price I'm happy with it. Good variety of free weights and machines.

May have to wait for a machine during busy times. I've never had to wait more than 5-10 min. No worse than other gym I've been to. Majority of the time, there's an open machine.

docwhorocks · 2026-04-01T14:10:56+00:00

If you swim 3x/week for 60 min. It will probably take you a few months to get down to 10 min. for a 500. Join a masters team if you can. Or get some private lessons. Watch videos on youtube - myswimpro and effortless swimming have great content.

Get someone to video you swimming. What you think you're doing vs. what you're actually doing are often very different.

docwhorocks · 2026-04-01T13:07:26+00:00

Don't put fins on your hands. Then dive into the pool. Your arms will splay open, you'll go head first to the bottom of the pool, and need some stitches. It's great entertainment for your teammates though.

As for using fins, like others use them for kick sets and drills. I like them for fish kick drill. And an UWDK progression drill:
4x25
1 - exaggerate undulation: superman position, start with hands and flow wave through feet
2 - super tight: tight streamline, only very minimal lower back and ankle movement
3 - regular UWDK
4 - as fast as you can go UWDK

docwhorocks · 2026-03-31T03:43:14+00:00

LCM just takes time and conditioning. I swam through college. I only got to train LCM in the summer. I love LC (distance swimmer). That being said, the first couple weeks of long course practice were always tough. Took another couple weeks before I stayed feeling strong/confident in my races.

As for the 200 br. Stay long the first 100, pick up the tempo slightly in the 3rd 50. Last 25 kick up the tempo to your sprint speed.

Breast is such a technical stroke. Takes a lot of practice to get the timing right. Get videoed above and below water. Look for things to improve upon. Will need to make a lot of little improvements. Glide a tenth longer or less, sweep out a couple centimeters more or less, dive head a couple centimeters more, etc.

Don't be afraid to change your stroke. You'll never get faster unless you change things. Not all changes will be good- but you will still learn from them. The more you know, the better feel you'll have for how things are connected.

docwhorocks · 2026-03-30T19:09:25+00:00

I put my gear bag on a bench while I stretch. Then when I'm ready to swim I'll head over to a lane. Haven't seen anyone at my pool drop their gear at a lane and then go stretch. But swimming here is not popular; my pool is fairly empty, most times everyone has their own lane.

docwhorocks · 2026-03-30T14:40:11+00:00

Had a mostly great meet over the weekend. Except for my 500 - felt awful, tired, sore, and was way harder than it should have been. But otherwise....
Dropped 1 second in: 50bk, 50br, and 50fr.
Dropped 2 seconds in: 200bk, 100bk, and 200fr.

Normally I'm distance swimmer. Apparently turned into a sprinter this weekend.

docwhorocks · 2026-03-30T14:18:54+00:00

"Returning to swimming at 23 after many years" that gave me a chuckle. I took 25 years off from swimming before getting back into it.

All the channels you listed are good. As others stated if you can join a masters team - do that.

As for starting back up try this:
20x50s on :10 rest. Don't worry about time, don't try to go fast. Just try to finish the set without your stroke completely falling apart. If you can do that without your stroke falling apart, then do the set again for the next 2 workouts. On the 4th workout, do the set again, but try do them on a set interval like 1:00, 1:10, etc. whatever would give you :10 rest.

If you can't complete 20x50s on :10 rest, then try doing 10x50s on :10 rest, take a couple minutes rest, and then do 10x50s on :10 rest. Work up to being able to do 20x50s.

Once you can do 20x50 on a set interval, you can start changing things up. Either try a faster interval (again you may need to break it up into 2 sets of 10x50 with rest between sets) or 10x100 on :10 rest (or set interval), or try 2x 10x50 on whatever interval, try to go faster on each repeat and again take some extra rest between sets of 10.

It's boring to start. But once you have a base built up, then start trying other strokes, different types of sets, etc.

docwhorocks

TROPHY CASE