Maintaining Fitness Through the Off-Season

By Anita Killmier

Masters swimmers seem to fall into two distinct categories.  Those who are primarily swimming for fitness with little or no emphasis on competition, and those competitive beasts seeking improvements against the clock.

Often there is a cross over from one category to another as interests wax and wane according work schedules and family demands.  Some of them will remain with the sport for the rest of their lives; but even those in the first group are unlikely to maintain interest or enthusiasm to train hard for competition, indefinitely.

What should we do then when the last race of the season is over and we hang up our togs for the last time?  Is it better to swim all year round, or walk away from the pool and take a complete physical and mental break?

The answer is either, or both; but only you can decide.  Before you do however, let's look at the different phases of the season as this might influence your decision.

Each year is divided into 1 or more seasons.  Most Masters will have 2 seasons per year, (Summer Long Course and Winter Short Course) but in some cases, 3 or 4 major meets per year could warrant breaking the annual plan into 3 or 4 smaller seasons.

Once you have decided on the number of seasons, work on the upcoming season (which will culminate in your most important event) and divide it into 5 phases.  The phases are called various names depending on what books you read or the country you come from, and differ in the frequency, duration, volume and intensity of work performed.

• Phase 1 is usually called the Pre season or Build up phase lasting 2 to 4 weeks.  This is when you are either returning from a complete break, or are increasing the number and duration of sessions ready for the next phase.  Typical sets are aerobic with low heart rates, short rest and an emphasis on stroke technique.
• Phase 2 is commonly called the Endurance or Conditioning phase.  It is characterised by a higher volume of work than any other time of the year.  Sets are still relatively easy, but some slightly harder over-distance sets at moderate intensities and short rest intervals (Anaerobic Threshold) are introduced.  Some short speed sets with long rest will also be added.  This phase may last anywhere from 4 to 10 weeks.
• Phase 3 is the Quality or Competition phase lasting 4 to 8 weeks.  This is the most intense time of the season as the volume decreases but intensity of swims increases.  Broken swims over your race distance at, or faster than race pace must be interspersed with long, slow recovery swims to avoid injury and overtraining.  Due to the potential danger of these types of sets they should only be performed by fit swimmers who have had a sufficient lead up, and with your GP's consent.
• Phase 4 is the Taper phase lasting 1 to 4 weeks.  The swimmer is brought to a peak performance by reducing volume and intensity down to at least half, in the final week prior to the main competition.  As the Taper is a complex subject I will go into greater detail in a future article, but for the time being just bear in mind that "You can't taper a toothpick" and some swimmers may not do enough mileage to even justify a taper in the true sense.  A couple of days of easy swimming interspersed with a few underdistance sprints may be all that is required.
• Phase 5 is commonly called the Off Season or Maintenance phase, which can last for as long as you want it to, as long as you give yourself sufficient time to work through all the phases before your next major meet.  I recommend to my competitive swimmers that if they are going to take a complete break from swimming, only take 2 weeks.  After this time they will start to lose any fitness gains that they have made during the previous season.  During this phase, if you want to improve from one season to the next, you really need to capitalise on these gains. This will mean training at least 2 to 3 times a week for at least a half hour at a time, with some of the work being performed in the Anaerobic Threshold range, or 30 to 40 beats per minute below your maximum heart rate. Depending on how much you do in the main part of the season, 1500m to 2000m is all that you should need each session.  Medley work is ideal for overall fitness, as are mixed sets that incorporate pulling and kicking.

The following examples are for a maintenance programme totalling around 2000m in a 25m pool.  It should take a reasonable swimmer about 45 minutes to swim.  If you can't make the time intervals given, time your first swim at the speed that elicits the given heart rate, add 15 seconds and that becomes your time interval for the remainder of the set.  Vary the number of repetitions indicated according to your speed, ability and according to how far or long you want to swim.  I have included Medley work since it adds variety gives you a chance to work on your weaker strokes during the off season; is great for maintaining fitness; and helps reduce the risk of shoulder injury caused by overuse of one set of muscle groups.  However you could substitute according to what you enjoy doing.  They main thing to remember in this phase is to remove pressure off yourself, enjoy your swims and focus on technique as much as possible so when you step up your training again, you are in a better position to do so.

#bbm = beats below your predicted maximum heart rate (220 minus your age) taken over one minute.  For instance a 40 year old would have a predicted max HR of 180.  Swimming at 30-40bbm would mean swimming within the range of 130 - 140 beats per minute.  The most accurate way to do this if you don't have a heart rate monitor is to take your pulse for 15 seconds immediately you cease swimming and multiply it by 4.

Day 1

• 200m mix strokes.
• 10 - 15 x 100m F/S.  Odds-swim on 1.45, evens as 75m pull, 25m kick on 2.00 (aim to have approx. 15 sec rest each 100m).  HR 30 - 40 bbm.
• 1 x 400m Medley as 25m swim, 25m drill easy swim for technique.
• 200m F/S count strokes.  Aim <22 strokes/25m

Day 2

• 200m swim F/S, 200m Pull, 100m Kick.
• 6-8 x (50m Fly-Back, 50m Back- Breast, 50m Breast-F/S) on 1.00. (aim for 10-15 sec rest per 50m)
• 400m F/S 60 secs HR 50-60bbm; 300m F/S 45 secs rest HR 40-50bbm; 200m F/S 30 secs rest HR 30-40 bbm; 100m F/S HR 20-30 bbm 
• 100m easy drill

Day 3

• 4-6 x 75m medleys,  no fly. 10 sec. rest
• 8 x 25m main stroke fast on .40  Aim to hold speed but descend the number of strokes you take on each 25m by one, from the first to the fourth 25m.  Then repeat from the fifth to the eighth 25m. 
• 3 x 400m F/S timed with 1.30 rest.  Number 1- easy for technique HR 50 - 60 bbm;  Number 2 -moderate, HR 30-40 bbm;  Number 3 - fast, HR 20-30 bbm.
• 5 x 50m main stroke kick 20 sec rest.
• 100m loosen up using a different stroke drill each 25m.

If you are a swimmer who doesn't mind if times do not improve from one season to the next, you may like to take a complete break from swimming over the winter months.  Often a complete break is best to maintain your enthusiasm.

Now might be the time to take up other forms of aerobic activity such as brisk walking, circuit training, cycling or jogging.  If you completely cease exercise though, you run the risks of stiffening joints and perhaps an added centimetre or two to the waist line.  The longer your break the greater the de-training effect and the longer your build up phase will have to be in the successive season.

If you want to maximise your training this season make sure you have sketched out your phases.  Remember "failing to plan is planning to fail".

# To calculate your maximum heart rate subtract your age from 220.  This formula is a rough guide for calculating the maximum number of times your heart can beat in a minute whilst performing an all out effort.   It should be noted however that individuals differ and some swimmers will be unable to reach this number, while others may surpass it.  None-the-less it does serve as a guideline for working out training intensities.