Swim Session #3 - Defining Your Optimal SL/SR Balance

By Paul Newsome

• Swim one lap at 4 spm less than your base rate
• Increase the stroke rate by 1 spm each lap, until the stroke is too rushed
• See how far you can go but still maintain stroke length close to normal

This is a great little session to see how well you can maintain your efficiency whilst slowly elevating your stroke rate up until a point where your stroke completely falls apart, i.e. "Break Point". This session could be likened to a ramp test or treadmill test in the laboratory whereby the session gets "harder and harder" up until fatigue. Initially this session requires a very good operational use of your Wetronome, whereby you are comfortable making regular adjustments to the set stroke rate in a minimal amount of time especially when fatigued. Coaches working with a group of athletes and with a plentiful resource of Wetronomes would do well to try this session utilising the use of two Wetronomes per swimmer, whereby one Wetronome would be in use by the swimmer whilst the coach is busily adjusting the second Wetronome ready to hand-over to the swimmer quickly for the second interval.

So here's what to do:

Try a set of either 25 or 50m intervals whereby you start at BR less 4 strokes and each interval increase the stroke rate by 1spm up until a point where you feel like the stroke is completely falling apart and too rushed. I would normally advise you to also be aware of your average stroke count per 25 / 50m and aim to cease this "test" once you are taking more than 3 (25m) or 6 (50m) strokes more than normal to achieve the higher stroke rate. Aim to take ~ 15 seconds rest only between each interval (hence the need to be quick and effective adjusting the Wetronome). See how far you can go, but more importantly, see how much higher you can elevate your stroke rate above BR and still maintain a stroke length close to normal. Over the course of a season, most swimmers should be able to achieve an increase of 5 to 6spm without letting their stroke length drop-off.

The obvious progression to this set would be to try the session over increasing interval distances as you'll find that its quite easy to maintain stroke length whilst stroke rate is progressively increasing over shorter intervals of 25 to 50m, but not so at intervals above 100m. By training systematically like this you will begin to see whether or not your stroke rate goals are realistic over a distance closer / at race distance.

Next: Run Session #1 - Develop Economy at Base Rate»