Swimming News / Swimming Video Interview courtesy of Team Andrew Indie Swimming, a SwimSwam partner. This interview was captured at the 2014 ASCA World Clinic.
Watch 5-time Olympic Medalist, Josh Davis, breakdown your swimming career, and why USRPT works for the majority of swimmers.
Watch Josh Davis’ analysis of Michael Andrew and Coach Peter Andrew:
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Michael Andrew during warm up (photo: Mike Lewis, Ola Vista Photography)
Ever wonder why young swimmers are taught to swim long distances at slow speeds when they are preparing for a 50/100/200/400 meter race? Or why so many great athletes get injured during practice and never reach their full potential? Or why so many gifted swimmers simply quit because they have burned out at practice? If so, you might want to learn more about the scientific research behind the new swimming training method that is impacting racers worldwide.
USRPT worked for me as an All-American Masters Swimmer, even in the distance events! My swimming pedigree is as an Olympic Trials Qualifier in the 800 meter free and an NCAA All-American in the 1650 in my younger days. In those days I slogged through 10-20K at day with doubles and never less than 5-8K in one workout.
Even in my 30-40’s I bought into distance training as a Masters swimmer and I had good results earning me many Masters Nationals titles. Then a shoulder injury when I turned 50 kept me out of the water for 3 years. I knew I could not return to my old “distance” training routine so I bought the USRPT videos and decided… Read more »
Yet all of the cynics will continue to say that there is an N of 1.
It’s true that it is just more anecdotal evidence but it seems like stories like this should be enough that people wouldn’t automatically dismiss USRPT anymore without looking into it.
Got an email from one “Mark B.” Mark writes, “Can ESITM help with um, other kids of performances (if you know what I mean?). Just curious.”
Sorry Mark, ESITM is designed to enhance swimming performance only. Sorry we can’t help you there. But maybe if you relaxed a bit and got a sense of humor, that might help with your “other performances.” Anyway, thanks for the email. Best wishes.
If USRPT gives you hair like Josh Davis at 42, it’s pure gold!
For all the “discussion” about training methods, it is UNBELIEVABLY hard to actually get a write-up of anyone’s practice sets.
Idea for a great segment: Publish practices from top swimmers. See what they are actually doing day-to-day.
I would love to see what Katie Ledecky is doing this week in practice. What sets does Phelps swim (and how are they different from the sets he was doing a decade ago)? What does SwimMAC do in practice besides a rope climb? What workouts does Katinka Hosszu do besides swimming 800 races a year?
I know some would treat it as Intellectual Property, but pros would benefit from the exposure, and everyone would learn what works for who.
I remember one… Read more »
Statements:
1. Once you’re a proficient swimmer, it makes sense to gear your workout toward race goals.
2. I like the idea of getting a good workout in 30 minutes, rather than 120 minutes.
3. Like a lot of people, I get turned off by a guy who sounds like a snake oil salesman trying to “brand” common sense training techniques.
4. It seems like the opposite of Cross-Fit, which is all about muscle confusion (the idea being to tone your muscles for a wide variety of movements).
Question 1: I coach some 7-12 year olds. USRPT doesn’t make sense for them, does it? They need to be working on basic stroke mechanics, right?
Question 2:… Read more »
Seems naive to assume that one program, whatever it may be, is best suited to all athletes.
I am very curious about individualization in the high yardage/tradition training programs.
I think USRPT actually works, and yes you’d need technique. The way I think of it right now is it is like crossfit, warm up, strength/technique work, then the workout which is usually about 20-30 min of hard work, but it shouldn’t be the only type of workout you do. you’ll need good technique to not fall apart when your getting tired and so you don’t sustain any injuries. I don’t know if a full on 100% USRPT regimen is the best way to go, but I do think it adds a lot more than countless yards.
high five josh davis. go you
I swam for randy Reese at univ of Florida back in the day and was brought up in old school training. So my thought is this –I don’t understand why a new training technique would garner so much attention. If it works for some folks than it works…I do believe that someone like Josh Davis who has years of swimming under his belt and massive amounts of muscle memory could do his training this way very effectively. Especially if he has kids, job, etc…the training is to the point. Every athlete is different and every athlete responds differently to all types of training–some athletes need that larger amount of yardage, etc because mentally and emotionally they feel it will make… Read more »