2 shorter swims better than a long one?

So yesterday I managed to get into the pool 30min before and 30min after work.
Morning - kind of like 7 * 200s with every second with paddles
Evening - 3x500

My topic for discussion is 2 shorter sessions better than one longer session?

I know from running - that 2 a days seem to be good after you have built your base fitneess

Increase Recovery due to

Increase in blood flow twice per day.

Increase in recovery hormones like human growth hormone.

Change muscle tension and take body through extended range of motion more often, decreasing stiffness and soreness.

Any thoughts?

Comments

  • wendyv34wendyv34 Vashon, WASenior Member
    I like 2-a-days when I'm trying to boost my yardage. It's sooo much easier to tackle 2 x 4000 yard workouts than 8000 all at once, when I haven't been doing it regularly. For all of the reasons you stated and the opportunity to eat in between.
    JonML

    It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.

  • swimmer25kswimmer25k Charter Member
    Here's how I've always dealt with an extra water workout. Assuming I got in what my original goal for the day was, I would often hit the pool on the way home for work for about a 30 minute power set. Usually shorter sets on close intervals. Second workout was pure bonus time.

    However, say your daily yardage goal was 10,000. I had better success stacking as much yardage into one workout instead of doing two at 5000 each. For example, I would see a greater benefit of splitting it 7000/3000. It allows you to train at a different level that you would have been if you got out after 5K. Don't be afraid to let your body heal.

    I also believe that it is very easy to overtrain for a marathon. I found out (the hard way) that swimming 120,000 a week during the summer of 1995 only wore me out and led to a shoulder surgery. Same thing with open water workouts. I seldom went over 4 hours and when I was swimming alone on the weekends at Ft Lauderdale beach, I swam my 10K course and got out.
  • mpfmarkmpfmark Teesside England Charter Member
    I think some of this yardage stuff can be misleading especially to newcomers.

    In years gone by I used to fret if I was short of the weekly requirements or least the planned yardage and therefore occasionally found myself attending the pool twice a day. A few years on I now much prefer quality to quantity, not least because my body (neck and shoulders specifically) cannot cope with the same totals as suggested by or regularly swam by individuals who have been club swimmers their whole lives. To mere mortals like me it is far too much to expect to hit 40/50k a week for any length of time. My sets now reflect this with the average session being 90 mins (this is long enough for me to have a max effort interval set with plenty of rest) maybe 4 times per week. On the rare occasion a longer set is required like the festive 100x100 I allow my body time to fully recover.

    I try to save the longer distances for open water once the weather breaks around April in the northern hemisphere.

    So 2 or 1 ?? Listen to your body but don't let the pool cheat you.
    There is a blog post on that somewhere !

  • andissandiss Senior Member
    Thanks for the insights!
Sign In or Register to comment.