Shameless Self-Promotion
After two months of low heart-rate training, and with the IMAZ countdown clock under 100 days, yesterday I made my first real step change in this season's training.
At the outset of the season, I dropped hypoxic sets, bumped myself down a lane, limited my exertion, and worked form. Yesterday I returned to swimming hypoxic sets hypoxically, promoted myself to lane leader (staying in lane 3 for now), increased my exertion, and simply tried to hold form.
I buy the arguments in the literature that hypoxic sets deliver minimal training benefit for freestyle swimmers. However, I also buy the usefulness for technique and importance of desensitization.
At the outset of the season, I dropped hypoxic sets, bumped myself down a lane, limited my exertion, and worked form. Yesterday I returned to swimming hypoxic sets hypoxically, promoted myself to lane leader (staying in lane 3 for now), increased my exertion, and simply tried to hold form.
I buy the arguments in the literature that hypoxic sets deliver minimal training benefit for freestyle swimmers. However, I also buy the usefulness for technique and importance of desensitization.
posted by Brent Buckner at 1/09/2007 07:48:00 am
3 Comments:
Good going!
Like anything else, there are degrees of hypoxic training.
Hypoxic training as developed by Doc Counsilman was designed to simulate training at altitude and develop aerobic adaptation. Studies universally conclude that this is not an effect of hypoxic training.
Terry Laughlin is absolutely correct when he points out that there are dangers to hypoxic training particularly for the older swimmer. I’m not completely sure what he means by breathing every 7, 5 and 3 armstrokes. (Maybe I need more coffee!) If he means complete stroke cycles, that is hypoxic. If he means 3 as bilateral breathing, I’m not necessarily on board. It also depends on the percentage effort used in the set.
I think one of the biggest issues for the swimmer who comes to competition later in life is breathing. One of the most common difficulties happens when breathing in and out as the head is turned, or out just before the head turns, instead of a controlled exhale while swimming and breathing in when the head is turned.
Essentially a swimmer can hyperventilate and swim hypoxically while breathing every two. So I’d suggest that one of the biggest potential gains in hypoxic sets is proper breathing technique – getting the air into the lungs properly rather than shallowly, so delivering more oxygen to the body.
But what do I know?
Hey, if you can't self-promote on your own blog, where else CAN you do it?!
how about buying the notion that I still haven't swam yet?
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