Coach Kevin's Top Training Tips

1. Do you know your resting and maximum heart rate (HR)? Nearly all of our training is based around BBM (Beats below maximum). If you don't know your maximum you are not training properly. Do you know yours?
2. Do you know your stroke count 25 for each stroke? Almost every set we swim has stroke count and you are asked to lengthen (number decreases) or shorten (number increases) your stroke rate. Again, if you aren't aware of these simple gauges how can you improve? The perfect race has the perfect stroke count and length and rate for that individual swimmer. If it isn't practiced in training will it ever be right?
3. All of your PB's? We use PB + a % (from 70% through to 100%). If you don't know your own PB how can you achieve the desired workload? Swim training is exact and it is very easy to work too hard or not hard enough. Why leave it to chance? (yes, I did say too hard!)
4. Swimmers need to know their pace 10's/20's and 25's for 100's and 200's. If you are distance swimmers you also need to know your 400/800/1500's. In order to improve speed, we work on the following formulas in training at every session:-

   100 pb-5 seconds divided by 4 for 25 swims/ 5 for 20 metre swims and 10 for 10 metre swims.

   200pb-10 seconds divided by 4 for 50 metre swims/ 8 for 25 metre swims.

5. These times should be accurate and at the moment the majority of swimmers are leaving it to chance they do not know their times! This is the kind of information that should be kept in logbooks. If you constantly train your fast twitch fibres (sprint fibres) slower than they want to race, they will become proficient at racing slower than they want to race.
6. Remember those little details that make the difference:
   Streamline / dolphin kicks / power zoning / maintaining stroke integrity throughout training.