Beede Center January 2021 Newsletter

January 2021 Volume 4 Issue 1

JANUARY NEWS

FRIDAY FAMILY FUN NIGHT

We value family time so much, we set aside a few Fridays for loved ones to gather, splash and play in our pools. A lively way to manage the winter blues. Each family that registers gets either a Shallow End, Therapy Pool Section, Children’s Play Pool or Dive Well Lane to themselves for the duration. The Shallow Ends and Therapy Pool are each 4 feet deep. Each pool option provides plenty of space for enjoyment. We provide the toys. You provide the family. Registration is required. There is no cost for members of the Beede Center. Nonmembers pay $25 per family. January 29th is next!

DATES TO REMEMBER

January 4 - Winter programming starts
January 6 - FREE Aston Kinetic Class-Online
January 15 - Fitness Challenge ends
January 18 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - normal hours - open 5:30am-9:00pm
January 29 - Friday Family Fun Night
February 10 - White Pond 2021 Membership Registration

DRIVING AWAY HUNGER

We are exceptionally grateful to the scores of members who participated in our Food Drive on December 12 and 13. We received hundreds of nonperishable foods including nutritious cereals, cooking oils, and the largest cans of tuna fish you ever saw. All of this food, a small sampling of which is pictured here, is already lining the shelves at OpenTable, which assists food-insecure families in Concord and Maynard.

While the holidays have always been a hard time for our friends in need, this year is especially challenging. The need for food is year round, so if you missed our drive, you are welcome to donate money and/or food directly to OpenTable.

SWIMMERS CROSS-TRAIN

CCHS Junior and Swim Team member Ben Sprague cross trains on the rowing machine.

Swimmers know that doing laps is great exercise; yet it’s only one ingredient necessary for a complete workout. That’s why you’ll see swimmers, especially competitive swimmers, in fitness rooms.

Cross training helps strengthen muscles, allowing for more powerful and explosive physical output in the water. It also helps prevent injuries while improving overall fitness. These benefits are experienced across all swim and fitness levels.

Personal Trainer Jeff Cobb shares tips for swimmers. Like all new routines, he recommends that you start small and build slowly.

Pairing Strength Room

Cross training is one of the most important aspects of developing a good athlete of any age. Some of the benefits of strength training for swimmers include: increased muscular power (speed), better form, and injury prevention.

It can be very difficult to build muscle in a swimming pool due to the anti-gravity nature of water. Weightlifting and “dryland” strength work can help swimmers build strength that they can take into the water. On land, when you incorporate weights, dumbbells and kettlebells into your routine, your bones and your muscles will become stronger because you are pushing against the weight and gravity at the same time. Building core strength will help your body stay in the proper position while swimming. Typically dry land workouts target these core exercises: flutter kicks, crunches and hip bridges. The stronger your core, the better your form will be. Swimming is a repetitive movement, which over time can lead to over-use issues. Strengthening the connections in your body (joints) can help prevent injury!

So swimmers, if you find yourself locked out of a swim lane at your preferred time, reserve space in a fitness room. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results.

MAKE EVERY MINUTE COUNT

We swimmers tend to be creatures of habit with the same lane, same pool, same time of day, and same workout routine. One of the ripples of this pandemic is that pool times are limited in number and length. While we are exceedingly grateful just for the opportunity to swim, and indeed our mental health is bolstered by the water, we still struggle with the disruption to our usual.

There are many reasons to swim, with physical and mental fitness being high on the list alongside triathlon, swim race and endurance event. No matter what, you are likely swimming at a different time, place and duration than you would like. Keeping this in mind, why not make the most of the minutes you do have in the pool?

Solution #1: Swim really fast the entire time. This can feel really good some days. Warm down!

Solution #2: Do a structured set with some Variable Paces and heart rates which will keep you interested and build your cardiovascular fitness. This makes sense if you are considering increasing your baseline speed…you would be able to fit in more yardage on the days when Solution #1 is the plan, for example...

Variable Paces while using perceived exertion as your guide. Are you swimming at an all-day pace (50-60%) or one that you could maintain for a minute (90%) / ten minutes (75%) / an hour (60%)?

Here is a 55 minute swim idea which uses perceived exertion and the pace clock (but your actual swimming speed does not matter). Any stroke can be used, as exertion is the main variable. Do a warm-up then repeat Set 1 a few times then swim Set 2 once. Or any mixture of the two! When you first start adding intensity you might need to add rest, but as you get more used to the type of workout you can keep the rest short as written. Never leave the water right after a 90% exertion…make sure your heart rate has recovered with a warm down before finishing.

Swim 10-12 minutes with a smooth stroke. If you know multiple strokes, consider repeating a pattern of three lengths (75 yards) freestyle + one length (25 yards) other stroke.

Set 1

Swim 50 yards at 70% exertion, rest 5 seconds (use the clock)

Swim 50 yards at 80% rest 7 seconds

Swim 50 yards at 90% rest 10 seconds

Swim 100 yards easy…just move through the water any way you’d like as an active rest, letting your heart rate recover as you swim. Rest 20 seconds then repeat the pattern.

Set 2

Rest 5-10 seconds between each 100

Swim 100 yards smooth at maybe 70%

Swim 100 yards with JUST the 1st 25 at 90% and the rest at 70%

Swim 100 yards with JUST the 2nd 25 at 90%

Swim 100 yards with JUST the 3rd 25 at 90%

Swim 100 yards with JUST the 4th 25 at 90%

Swim 100 yards easy letting your heart rate recover while you move through the water

NEW @ MYREC

Member input is much appreciated. As of January 4th all reservations are listed as "High Demand". This function will allow a reservation to stay in a cart for 15 minutes, after that time has expired the unprocessed reservation will be removed from the cart.

Also, if you are unsure about your reservation, double check your emailed receipt AND/OR click on the calendar icon on your concordrec.myrec.com homepage. This highlights past, present and upcoming reservations.

Please let us know ASAP about changes and cancellations. If an unneeded reservation lands on your schedule kindly call or email us. We will remove it, allowing another member to reserve the slot.

You may reach us by email poolreception@concordma.gov or phone 978-287-1000.

We are happy to help.

PATRIOT SWIMMERS

Patriotic Team Spirit - Last Patriots Day, CCHS Coaches and Captains drove a caravan to every Swim Team member’s home to wish them well through the Pandemic. Co-Captain Cathie Petersen said the caravan drove 75 miles in 6 hours through Concord and Carlisle. Later that week team captains visited Patriot Swimmers who live in Boston and the Divers.

Wonderful news! The CCHS Swim & Team is a go! Like everything else, modifications were made to make this season possible. Meets are virtual and spectator free. The team practices every Monday - Friday from 3:00pm - 4:55pm, and Sunday from 7:00am - 8:25am through February.

Coaches enter through the main door in the upper level, and athletes will enter and leave through the doors on the pool. Athletes will use restrooms, but not the lobby or locker rooms. Being the champions they are, coaches and swimmers rose to the challenge. Head Coach Matt Goldberg researched Ultra Short Race-Paced Training workouts to maximize practice times. Practices are devoted solely to race paces or faster with no time for drills or partial swimming. Practice time is as essential as competition time. Assistant Coach Cathie Petersen said the kids and staff are excited to represent CCHS this year. The team is so tightknit, she said, and also some students need official times and scores for college recruiters. Cathie expects successful season for the swimmers and divers; “I’m really impressed with how hard they’re working”.