Open Water Training
As part of our Masters program, we also offer coached, Open Water Training. What is the difference between doing Open Water Training and just simply doing Open Water swims? There is a BIG difference! Open Water swims are just that; swims in the Open Water. Open Water Training actually TRAINS you in all aspects of an Open Water race. We make sure that you have ALL the skills needed for a successful Open Water swim. For instance, we teach you buoy turns, how to do crossovers, turtling, and pinch-outs. We teach you about, and prepare you for the different types of starts you may encounter such as beach starts, standing water starts, pier starts, and in the water rope starts. We discuss various strategies and which one may be right for YOU. And finally, we actually train you so that YOU can control your race instead of simply surviving the swim and having everyone else dictate your race.
For most triathletes, the swim portion of their triathlon is the "necessary evil". Since the swim is the weakest part of their race, they will end up doing just enough to simply survive the swim. They spend their time training on their strengths. Would it not make more sense to train on their weakness? Which way do you think that they will have the most improvement? Also, did you know that swimming is the ONLY one of the three disciplines that has training effects on all three disciplines? Getting better swimming will also help you get better in both the bike and the run!
Let's look at some numbers. The average biker or runner is only 25% efficient while the elite biker or runner is only 27% efficient. That means the average biker or runner only has a potential of increasing their efficiency by about an 8% margin. The average swimmer, however, is only about 3% efficient while the elite swimmers is about 9% efficient. That means that the average swimmer has a potential of increasing their efficiency by around 300%! Now that's improvement!!!
Does this sound like you? The triathlon season is getting ready to start, and your first triathlon is in a month. This is when you decide that you had better get back in the water to start to get in condition for your swim leg. You plan your swims so that you build up to the distance that you will be swimming in the race. Your whole goal is to make sure that you can make the swim. Your swims are simply swimming back and forth at a steady pace until you reach your target distance. Once you have accomplished swimming that distance a few times, you deem yourself ready for the swim portion. Meanwhile, you focus most of your training on the bike and the run. You do intervals, track workouts, sprints as well as longer bikes and runs. You do some hard rides and runs, and you have some recovery day rides and runs. You train your different energy systems so you can attack the race on the bike and run portions of the race. Did that sound like you? You just did all that training on the bike and running for a potential 8% improvement in that leg of the race. Would you not rather have the potential for a 300% improvement?!?
Swimming in the Open Water is VERY different than swimming in the pool. You don't have a black line to follow. You don't have walls on which to rest on, and most of the time you don't have a bottom on which you can stand and rest. You won't have a nice lane all to yourself, instead you will be getting jostled around in a pack of other swimmers, hitting hands, arms, feet, etc. You may have waves to deal with. Currents. Glaring sun. Wildlife. Most of the time, you will not have the crystal clear water with abundant visibility, and many times, your visibility will only be a couple of feet. You also will be subject to varying temperatures of water. Many swimmers who have only trained in the pool find themselves very surprised at just how different swimming in a lake, river, or ocean can be.
Are you prepared for all the variables that swimming in the Open Water can bring? Would you like to be? WET Masters offers comprehensive training for the Open Water. Coupled with our pool workouts, you get in depth stroke analysis and feedback over time so that you can continue to improve your efficiency. We also teach you the skills needed for Open Waters swimming. Buoy turns. The crossover. Turtling. Pinch-outs. Drafting. Getting away from someone drafting you. Strategies. Don't know what some of those skills just mentioned are? Don't you think you should?
Go to our Masters page for more information and schedule.
For most triathletes, the swim portion of their triathlon is the "necessary evil". Since the swim is the weakest part of their race, they will end up doing just enough to simply survive the swim. They spend their time training on their strengths. Would it not make more sense to train on their weakness? Which way do you think that they will have the most improvement? Also, did you know that swimming is the ONLY one of the three disciplines that has training effects on all three disciplines? Getting better swimming will also help you get better in both the bike and the run!
Let's look at some numbers. The average biker or runner is only 25% efficient while the elite biker or runner is only 27% efficient. That means the average biker or runner only has a potential of increasing their efficiency by about an 8% margin. The average swimmer, however, is only about 3% efficient while the elite swimmers is about 9% efficient. That means that the average swimmer has a potential of increasing their efficiency by around 300%! Now that's improvement!!!
Does this sound like you? The triathlon season is getting ready to start, and your first triathlon is in a month. This is when you decide that you had better get back in the water to start to get in condition for your swim leg. You plan your swims so that you build up to the distance that you will be swimming in the race. Your whole goal is to make sure that you can make the swim. Your swims are simply swimming back and forth at a steady pace until you reach your target distance. Once you have accomplished swimming that distance a few times, you deem yourself ready for the swim portion. Meanwhile, you focus most of your training on the bike and the run. You do intervals, track workouts, sprints as well as longer bikes and runs. You do some hard rides and runs, and you have some recovery day rides and runs. You train your different energy systems so you can attack the race on the bike and run portions of the race. Did that sound like you? You just did all that training on the bike and running for a potential 8% improvement in that leg of the race. Would you not rather have the potential for a 300% improvement?!?
Swimming in the Open Water is VERY different than swimming in the pool. You don't have a black line to follow. You don't have walls on which to rest on, and most of the time you don't have a bottom on which you can stand and rest. You won't have a nice lane all to yourself, instead you will be getting jostled around in a pack of other swimmers, hitting hands, arms, feet, etc. You may have waves to deal with. Currents. Glaring sun. Wildlife. Most of the time, you will not have the crystal clear water with abundant visibility, and many times, your visibility will only be a couple of feet. You also will be subject to varying temperatures of water. Many swimmers who have only trained in the pool find themselves very surprised at just how different swimming in a lake, river, or ocean can be.
Are you prepared for all the variables that swimming in the Open Water can bring? Would you like to be? WET Masters offers comprehensive training for the Open Water. Coupled with our pool workouts, you get in depth stroke analysis and feedback over time so that you can continue to improve your efficiency. We also teach you the skills needed for Open Waters swimming. Buoy turns. The crossover. Turtling. Pinch-outs. Drafting. Getting away from someone drafting you. Strategies. Don't know what some of those skills just mentioned are? Don't you think you should?
Go to our Masters page for more information and schedule.
