How Come I'm Not Getting Faster? |
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One of the most common questions I get as a masters coach is, "how come I'm not getting any faster?" Everybody is different, so there is no standard answer. That said, for most masters swimmers, there are three factors that impact us the most.
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Age: It may not be what anybody wants to hear, but it’s true, the older you get, the more you slow down. While some people continue getting faster longer than others their age, eventually, their bodies slow down too. It’s a natural process, don’t fight it, embrace it. This is where technique serves us well.
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Kick: Most masters swimmers pull heavy, probably because the kick is the most strenuous part of the stroke. But your legs are your engine, and if you want to go fast, you have to kick.
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Poor streamline: A topic I’ll dive into head first today, but really, something that we know all too well, and yet often take for granted.
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Say Goodbye to Lazy Streamlines
It’s easy to let something like your streamline position fall on the back burner and allow it to be an opportunity to relax in the water. But if you think about how frequently we touch the wall, you may be surprised how much improvement you would see with a concentrated effort on your streamline.
Lazy streamlines are characterized by relaxed feet, eyes peeking up over outstretched arms, relaxed, semi bent elbows, and hands somewhere between head and shoulder width apart. Anybody here fall into that category?
A good streamline is tight and a leap of faith. In a good streamline you can’t see where you are going because your eyes are pointed 90 degrees down from your direction of travel. A good streamline is characterized by pointed toes, a neutral head position with eyes pointed down at the bottom of the pool, elbows tight and straight right behind your ears, and hands overlapping with fingers extended like the point of a spear.
If you have trouble with flexibility, I encourage you to cross train with yoga. As most of you know Asphalt Green has top quality yoga classes. Give it a try, it’ll help your streamlines! In truth, the streamline is a place where you can get faster. All of you.
For those of you who remain skeptical about the importance of good streamlines, watch this video. While I’m shifting gears, and taking the concept to the road, the aerodynamics remain the same.
To give you some context, the cyclists in the video are pedaling downhill on a mountain road coming into a rolling plain. One of them adopts a modified streamline position and watch what happens. Streamlines matter, good ones make you faster and lazy ones slow you down.
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Swimming Trip Discussion Recap
Thank you to all who joined me for a virtual cocktail last Sunday. I was glad to see everyone healthy and happy. For those who missed it, we had an engaged conversation about a potential AGUA Masters training and race trip in May for El Cruce.
We will provide more details and chat again in the coming weeks at the next cocktails with coaches. If you have not already had a look at the race video, check out here. Pl ease contact me directly for more information.
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Virtual Cocktails With Coaches:
Sunday, February 20
We will be having a Zoom Cocktail with Coaches Sunday, February 20 at 5pm. If you lose the link below, not to worry, a Zoom meeting invitation will be emailed to all AGUA Masters. Hope you can make it.
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When: Sunday, February 20 at 5pm
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Where: Zoom
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Meeting ID: 989 9054 1954
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Passcode: 209274
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Reminder: Per City mandate, Asphalt Green visitors ages 5+ are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to visit our facilities. Masks are required for all visitors in all common areas at Asphalt Green, including lobbies, stairways, elevators, and locker rooms. Please continue to practice social distancing and stay home if you are feeling sick. Thank you for your cooperation.
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Lane and Practice Etiquette
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Full capacity and no reservations: We ask for patience and cooperation in maintaining proper spacing at practice, especially now that we are operating at full capacity. Please note that you might not always be in the same lane each practice.
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Welcome new swimmers: Please be welcoming and courteous to all new Masters swimmers.
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Workouts: Please participate in the assigned workouts during practice.
COVID-19 Policies and Procedures
As we monitor the Omicron variant, Asphalt Green has updated some of our policies to help keep our community safe which we shared with you in an email earlier today. You can view our updated COVID-19 policies here.
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Masks are required throughout Asphalt Green's facilities including the fitness center, locker rooms and the pool deck. Face coverings may only be removed when a swimmer is entering the water. Swimmers are responsible for bringing their own bag to store their face covering in designated areas on the pool deck.
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If you are feeling unwell, please stay home. Visitors experiencing symptoms must obtain a negative COVID-19 test and be completely symptom free for at least 72 hours before returning to Asphalt Green.
- After illness or exposure to COVID-19, a negative rapid or PCR test must be obtained no sooner than three days after exposure. At-home tests will not be accepted.
- If you or someone you’ve had contact with tests positive for COVID-19, you must report it by emailing notify@asphaltgreen.org.
Team Unify Account Access – If you are having trouble accessing your TeamUnify account, please reach out to Coach John directly at jbeck@asphaltgreen.org.
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Asphalt Green has helped thousands of children stay active through free programs in schoolyards, gymnasiums, and pools across New York City. Today, the organization is focused on providing a critical mental and physical outlet for kids in a socially distant world.
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