Best swim training options

[lévrier]

Hi Everybody,
reading this forum and differents things about your training, i understand that options and choices are very individual, depending on each athlete and body type.
I'm not convinced i use the good tools in my swimming workouts. Actually doing 10kms/week.
I'm not a good swimmer, i don't have a swimming background. My height is 1m82, weight 68kg. My particularity is i have long legs (measure for the bike 90cms) without a good float, short torso, long arms. So i tend to have a low cadence swimming. I don't have a good specific strenght.
My question is , is it usefull to swim a lot with pull paddles. (i saw pictures of your team with two pull buoys and bands !!!) What could be the cadence to focus on ? Which size of Tyr catalyst paddles ?
Thanks a lot

[doc]

we like to pull if your long 2 pull bouys are fine
paddles depends on your stroke mechanics , so can't make judgements here
but there is a need for more klms

[lévrier]

thanks for your answer doc . I'm going to do more kms 
About my stroke mecanics : i'm not very flexible, cadence around 115/120 stroke/mn,i'm a little bit one sided, i mean the left arm has a good catch but don't pull enough, and the right arm is the opposite, hand enter too deep without catching well, but good pull at the end.
In general, i have not a great strenght to catch and pull.

[Matthieu O’Halloran - "M@"]

Hey lévrier having a 1 sided stroke is not a bad thing.
Many good swimmers have it and use it to their advantage.
In a 1-2 rythym type of motion.

To help with micromanagement.
Breath towards on the SAME SIDE of the pool.
Kinda like what Ian Thorpe use to do.

So by the end of your swim session.
You have swam 50% of you workout breathing right.
The other 50% breathing left.

That type of repetition can help to "iron out" both sides.
In finding a nice in between - all the while building fitness
Its bilateral breathing that lets you take in plenty of oxygen and maintain a good rythym!

[lévrier]

very good idea, thanks a lot !

[StephenBayliss]

Hi Levrier,

Your sound similar to me in body length and leg length and your swim stroke issues sound similar to mine too.

The big pull bouy is a good start.  Lots of work with the paddles too.

I used to think my arm/shoulder flexibility was a problem, it is no better now than it was but I swim much faster.  This is due to many hard kms in the pool with the pull bouy, paddles and quite a bit of band too;)

Your stroke doesn't need to be symetrical,  many good swimmers, paricularly in open water, don't have symetrical strokes.

All the best with your training.
Stephen

[lévrier]

thanks a lot for all your advises guys ! just need to work now 

[endoverend]

Hi Levrier,

Your sound similar to me in body length and leg length and your swim stroke issues sound similar to mine too.

The big pull bouy is a good start.  Lots of work with the paddles too.

I used to think my arm/shoulder flexibility was a problem, it is no better now than it was but I swim much faster.  This is due to many hard kms in the pool with the pull bouy, paddles and quite a bit of band too;)

Your stroke doesn't need to be symetrical,  many good swimmers, paricularly in open water, don't have symetrical strokes.

All the best with your training.
Stephen

Hi Stephen, any alternatives to paddles? Typically - being in the UK - paddles are banned in all my local pools, even when the I'm the only one swimming! Being a fellow Brit, you may not be too surprised! :-(

Tried those neoprene mitts, feel awful and tend to slow down my recovery phase due to their weight.

Any way around this?
Cheers,

Dave

[StephenBayliss]

Hi Dave,

Bella and I have had many problems with not being able to use paddles in the UK.  Bella's trick is to put them on and then keep swimming, even when they try to stop you, Bella just ignores them.  It usualy lets her get in 500m.

I think it is important to use the paddles.  You can always use them in open water swim sessions.

I have found that pools at private gyms don't seem to care if we wear paddles. 

Also some pools in the same borough that have different rules, so make sure you call around.

Good luck
Stephen

[lévrier]

one last question :
i suppose that kind of training options with big pulls and paddles essentially provide improvements in our swimming in wetsuit in open water ? ( i admit it represent 100% of the competitions for me).
this is a full oriented "wetsuite/triathlon open water training" ? right ?
thanks

[StephenBayliss]

Not necessarily. 

Your right with the wetsuit on it is much like having a big pull bouy.

But using the paddles and big pull bouy will help you get more out of your swim training. 

I do all my swimming with the pull bouy but I have no problems when it comes to non wetsuit swims.

[lévrier]

ok great ! thanks again

[blew]

What's the theory on a big pull bouy over the average run of the mill type?

[doc]

helps you float ,
and gives you a wet suit feel
keiran perkins used to have a pull bout that big it didn't fit in his swim bag ,
we used to make jokes he should stop feeding it .
hayley lewis , used to sleep with her one I'm sure because when she was 10 thru 14  when i used to watch her , i never saw her swim in training with out it .
didn't harm her on the way to a world championship is the 200 free

[dexter_ding]

Hi doc,

saw for a non wetsuit race, ordinary run-off-the-mill pull buoy would do? what are the other benefits doc?

dex