Ultra Short Race Pace Training Guide v3.5

USRPT Guide Ultra-Short Race-Pace Training

v3.5 January 2015 Become the master of your

own swim destinyby Coach Cokie Lepinski

2014 USMS Coach Of The Year

USRPT for Masters

Ultra-Short Race-Pace Training (USRPT) OverviewYou are, of course, welcome to jump right past this opening section into The Basics - Getting Started with USRPT. However, to understand this type of training fully, this brief introduction just might help. I encourage you to read on!

• Principle of Individuality - any training program must take into account the specific needs and abilities of the individual for whom it is designed. Hey, it’s all about you!

• Principle of Specificity - sports training should be relevant and appropriate to the sport for which the individual is training in order to produce a training effect. Read more about the principle here. To swim race-pace in competition you need to train race-pace in practice. 1

USRPT is built on the above two principles — it is individually tailored to your needs. It is specific to your swimming goals (whether you compete or not), and it is quite the hot topic in the swimming world these days.

Is it for everyone? No. Can it be applied to almost all swimmers and help them achieve their goals? Yes, it sure can. On my own team, Swymnut Masters, I’m offering to employ USRPT for those on the team that compete or even those that don’t compete but want to get the most “bang for their buck” with this very effective type of training. We help our swimmers decide on what approach to USRPT fits them best. Even for those who aren’t interested, they won’t be tossed to the wind! They will enjoy occasional sets in USRPT but won’t train continuously under it. For the Masters crowd, it is important to continue to offer a wide variety of workouts, stroke instruction, and fun times!

Who’s using USRPT? Believe it or not, all levels of swimmers — competitors and even fitness swimmers. On the competitor side, we’ve got the full range of sprinters to 1500m distance swimmers. We are seeing more and more age group teams, elite swimmers (think Olympians), triathletes and Masters swimmers employing USRPT in their training. Some that follow USRPT are purists, doing only USRPT and doing so under exact parameters. Others are infusing it into their current swim programs, doing 1-3 USRPT workouts a week and supplementing that with other swim workouts. Still others have so tweaked it that it would not qualify as USRPT, but might qualify as HIT or “High Intensity Training” or HIIT - “High Intensity Interval Training”.

Where did it come from? The phrase and the studies behind USRPT are attributed to Professor Emeritus Brent Rushall, from San Diego State University. While “race-pace training” has been around since the late 1960s, the full impact with “ultra-short” race-pace training really came

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/glossary/g/Specificity_def.htm1

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about in 2011. Dr. Rushall has done extensive research and is seen as THE expert in USRPT. You can find his work here. You can also find a great resource on USRPT at: http://usrpt.com. 2

How is USRPT different from traditional training? In traditional training, there is an emphasis on higher yardage volumes to introduce aerobic conditioning at paces slower than race-pace. With traditional training there is emphasis on targeting all the different energy zones. You can read about those energy zones here. Traditional training can and will have sprint sets, but the 3

emphasis is more on yardage than on these individual sets. There are sets that are race pace, but repeat distances are often short. For a more in depth review of the key differences between traditional training and USRPT, see Rushall’s guide #43 (listed at the end of this report).

How does USRPT differ from HIT or HIIT? In HIT, your sets are maximum effort with long rest periods. Something like 50 all out free on 4:00-5:00 intervals. With HIIT you have maximum effort with short rest — think 10 x 25 all out resting :10. In USRPT the sets are race-pace and they are short, never allowing more than 25 seconds rest on any set. This allows the swimmer’s body to maintain a low level of lactate in the blood while keeping a high level of glycogen in the muscles.

USRPT training is similar to HIIT but it provides a slightly longer recovery and this helps avoid fatigue. I’ve been using only USRPT to train with lately and the difference to me is this. In both kinds of high-intensity style training HIT & HIIT, I feel the lactic acid impact me rather quickly. In USRPT I feel winded and definitely fatigued but the muscles don’t get that same level of lactic acid hit. I feel much more focused on my race mechanics and splits. Important to my aging body is that I just don’t seem to hurt as much after practice! Tired, oh yes! Pain, not as much so.

What is so “ultra short” about USRPT? The shortest distance in a set would be 12.5 yards or meters! The longest set would contain 100s (for someone training for longer swims like an 800 or 1500).

Practices are high quality, high intensity and generally lower on yardage than traditional workouts. In fact, in USRPT there is zero emphasis on total yardage. That is why you won’t see any type of yardage total. If you employ USRPT you are going to be doing more yardage at race-pace than you would find in your traditional workouts. Simply put, you just don’t need the yardage, so let go. There is something quite freeing about that! Quality not quantity. If you want to know the science behind this claim about yardage not being the measurement stick we need, dive in and read Dr. Rushall’s many research papers on the subject.

USRPT is a very technique-oriented system. It is “velocity-specific” forcing your mind and body to work together to analyze what it takes to become even faster. A coach can tell you how to fix something in your stroke, but it is only when you swim at speed repeatedly and are forced to find the adjustments that make you faster, that it really clicks. USRPT provides the race-pace setting that triggers the competitive side of ourselves to push beyond what we think we are capable of doing. It provides both the conditioning and the psychology needed to perform at your best. I’m thoroughly enjoying the return of the “fire within” to not only my practices, but my performance in competition. The training I’m doing in the pool is intense, physically and mentally

http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/swim/usrpt/table.htm2

http://onewiththewater.org/downloads/energy-zones-in-swimming.pdf3

written by Coach Cokie Lepinski USMS 2014 Coach of the Year [email protected]

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challenging but also incredibly rewarding. Swimmers employing USRPT on Swymnuts are seeing gains weekly and sometimes even daily.

What about the health benefits? Quite honestly, we don’t really know at this young stage of USRPT. There just has not been enough of a base of swimmers to test, especially Masters swimmers. However, you do need to prepare yourself for USRPT. Like any workout where you are asking yourself to push your body, you will need to have a good base of training behind you before you attempt USRPT. Get conditioned! I can tell you this. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), which USRPT is similar to, has been shown to have significant benefits over continuous endurance training (think traditional training in the swimming world). To ready a study on this, check out HIIT vs. Continuous Endurance Training: Battle of the Aerobic Titans on the web. 4

The Basics - Getting Started with USRPT

On our team, Swymnut Masters, we concentrate on sets ranging from 25 yards to 100 yards and primarily work with 30 x 25 sets and 20 x 50 sets as those work well for 50s, 100s and 200s. We may occasionally try some 75 sets and 100 sets, but less frequently. Since we work out in a yard pool everything I refer to here will be in yards not meters. USRPT can be used to train for any length of race, but Rushall is a proponent for conducting the bulk of your training in a short course yards pool, no matter what course you are gearing to race in.

To prep yourself for your first foray into USRPT, follow these four steps which are described in detail below:

1. Pick your stroke and your event2. Choose your USRPT set3. Define your target splits and rest intervals4. Embrace Failure!

PICK YOUR STROKE AND YOUR EVENTThe first order of business is to decide what events you want to target for improved performance in competition. USRPT is not going to be something you do for a week and declare success. It may take as much as six months of training to really see the impact (for some it may come in a few months). Target races you want to do well in about 4-6 months from now. Then decide your goal time for those races. That might be a time you’ve never achieved or it might be a time you haven’t achieved in a while. Doesn’t matter — you set the goals! Once you’ve got your goal time, you just need to figure out the set and the splits that go with the set (next page).

Pick just a few races, maybe 2-4 events max. One or two of those should be your highest priority with all others as secondary events. Your highest priority events are the ones you should spend the most time on with USRPT. Let’s say you really love 100 and 200 Free and that’s where you really want to shine. However, you like 50 and 100 breaststroke as well and hope to continue to improve there. Your primary focus should be those freestyle events and your secondary focus the breaststroke events. If you spread your training too thin (over too

http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/HIITvsCardio.html4

written by Coach Cokie Lepinski USMS 2014 Coach of the Year [email protected]

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many events relative to the amount of total training time) you cannot expect great results.  Rushall is found of saying “limited training produces limited results”!

For swimmers with shoulder injuries (and for swimmers who have a weak kick), it is possible to do USRPT kick sets.  You can try 25s on :35-:40 or even 15 second vertical kicking sets where you count your kicks and then take :15 seconds rest.  Both are extremely effective at improving your kicking.  

CHOOSE YOUR USRPT SETUsing recommendations from Dr. Rushall in his papers (primarily Bulletins 47 and 49), I’ve created this chart which helps you apply the proper sets for your goal race events. For example, let’s say you are training for a 200 race. Your primary set to train with can either be a 30 x 50 set or a 20 x 50 set. If you are first starting out, I’d recommend the 20 x 50 set first then move into the 30 x 50 set after you can make it through the other one without failing. From the chart we can see that for a 100, your primary set is 30 x 25s.

DEFINE YOUR TARGET SPLITS & REST INTERVALSIn USRPT everything you do is done on an interval and using a target split. A “target split” is what you set as a goal to hold within the set. Let’s say you are going to swim 30 x 25 freestyle and you have a future goal to break 1:00 in 100 yard free. Your ideal split to achieve this is 15 seconds. How’d I get that? Simple, take 60 seconds and divide it by 4 (laps) and that equals :15. Luckily someone has done some pace charts for us on more complex race times and you can just glance at a chart to see your ideal target split for whatever race you want to focus on. You can use www.www.ottrloggr.com (and select Tools) to access an online

written by Coach Cokie Lepinski USMS 2014 Coach of the Year [email protected]

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pace calculator. Or, for those on Swymnuts, look for some Pace charts we have stored in our team Dropbox folder of workouts — they start with USRPT. If you aren’t with our team, drop me a note and I’ll send you these pace charts.

Now I keep using the word “ideal”. When you first start out with USRPT you will undoubtedly find it quite humbling to reach the ideal split. You are encouraged to soften the split to find some success in the sets. For example, on the above goal to break 1:00 in 100 yard free, you might start with a 15.5 a 16.0 or even higher and see how you do in the set. As you train more and more under USRPT, the goal is to narrow the gap between the split you begin with and the ideal target split for your desired race. Reach it? Then reset your race goal!

REST INTERVALS• Sets with 25s done as freestyle or backstroke — the rest is 15 seconds. No more!• Sets with 25s done as breaststroke and fly you can go up to 20 second rest intervals. If you

can make your target split at :15 rest intervals then definitely go for it!• Sets with 50s, 75s or 100s for free and back the rest is 20 seconds. No more!• Sets with 50s, 75s or 100s for breast or fly the rest interval can be between :20-:25. But if

you can make your target split at :20 go for it!

EMBRACE FAILURE!Welcome to failure! Failure is embraced in USRPT. While “fail” seems opposite of what you strive for, it is actually a great tool in this type of training. Failure is good because it creates a training effect. To make your entire USRPT set without missing your target split is not the goal. Why? It indicates your target split is too soft (too easy) and you need to drop that goal split downward. The idea is to set a tough goal and work toward it, over several practices. So here is how “failure” works under USRPT.

Basically you have two ways to fail a set. The first is failing two times in a row on any particular set. The second is three total fails spread out over the set. In our 30 x 25 freestyle set example we had an interval of :30 with a target split of :15. Let’s say you make 1-9 under :15 but on #10 you hit a 15.5. You mark that as a fail, sit out one rest interval and go back at it. On #11 you still miss, hitting a 15.3. Your set is done and you move into cool down.

However, using the above scenario let’s stick with the fail on #10. After resting one interval you successfully complete #11 through #17 but fail on #18. No problem, you aren’t out of the set yet, but you do sit out one more rest interval. You complete #19 through #22 all under :15, but on #23 you hit the wall at 15.8. That is your third fail and you are now done with the set.

The goal is to move the failures farther along as you progress through doing the same set over several practices. On our one scenario you failed at 10, 18, 23. What you’d like to see is completing more swims before that first failure point or getting even farther beyond in the set (23 in this case). Fail later, fail deeper. If you make a set all the way through (30 x 25, 20 x 50, etc.) and did not achieve your 3 fails, then it is time to work on lowering the target split or possibly lowering the interval (if you gave yourself that extra :05 on breast or fly).

USRPT SETS PER WORKOUTFor an hour workout you can generally fit in two USRPT sets. If you have a 90-minute workout you can push in a third. I’ve not tried three and the Masters swimmers I know doing

written by Coach Cokie Lepinski USMS 2014 Coach of the Year [email protected]

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USRPT are generally sticking to two sets in a workout (and sometimes just one if they only have a short amount of time). Just know that the second set in your workout will be more challenging with your target splits more difficult to achieve than if that was your first set. Do the set anyway, but note that it was a second set and possibly even inch up your target split slightly.

NO MIXING WORKOUTS!If you are going to do a USRPT workout don’t combine it with anything else. A light warm up, a USRPT set, cool down, USRPT set, cool down and pop out of the pool. Might look like this:

- Warm up 400-600 yards (do what works for you!)- USRPT Set #1 — let’s say this is a 30 x 25 set- Cool down of 300-400 or so- USRPT Set #2 — let’s say this one is a 20 x 50 set- Final cool down set of 200-300

Remember, yardage is NOT important. Let go of this. You are training more race-pace yards than you have ever done. You will be perfectly fine with these lower yardage workouts. Let’s move on to some of the things that might help you in your workouts.

Tools of the Trade

For some of us using USRPT, we’ve discovered a few items that we label as essential as they have made our training much easier to measure and record. We suggest four tools:

TEMPO TRAINER PRO (YELLOW MODEL SHOWN HERE)Use the TTP to set your exact interval. It is a lot easier to respond to the triple beep of the TTP stuck under your cap than to figure out odd intervals like :32 or :59 seconds on those darn pool clocks (LED or analog)! Use Mode 2 on the Tempo Trainer to set your intervals. The TTP is about $34 on Amazon or use our team 30% discount code at Finis. However, if you don’t have a Tempo Trainer Pro (or don’t like the beep), you can use a regular pool pace clock, but you may need to round up or down. On the above :32 interval you might round up to :35 or down to :30. On the :59 interval round up to 1:00. Some people have wrist watches with a countdown repeating timer. That, too, allows you to capture exact intervals. And, unlike the TTP, you can glance at your watch to see how much rest remains (which can be helpful to the psyche).

SPORTCOUNT FINGER STOPWATCH (YELLOW MODEL)This is the best way to get accurate splits! Wristwatches do work (you’re welcome to use one) but there is that little delay in reaching across to start and stop the watch. Besides, you might be tempted to touch one handed on breast or fly and we can’t have that!

The SportCount Finger stopwatch rests on your index finder and can be activated and stopped with your thumb. Start it when your feet leave the wall and stop it when your fingers touch. We recommend the yellow one (the lowest cost model

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at about $29) because all you need is to capture a split and then quickly clear it. Other models offer more features but take longer to clear the split which can cause problems keeping you on your interval. If you swim when the sun is not out, and it is too dark to see your watch, an easy fix is to put an inexpensive small flashlight at the end of your lane (both ends of the pool if doing 25s).

WRITING SLATE (UNDERWATER) optional but many of us love it!Used by Scuba folks, this slate is super handy for recording your data when you are at the pool. Trust me, you’ll forget all of your USRPT set 1 information as soon as you move to set 2. And set 2 is out the window by the time you hit the showers! Pre-workout I might jot down the stroke, set, target split and interval. During the set I’ll write down my fail numbers. On sets of 50s or 100s you have the time to write down each split if you desire and just simply circle the ones you fail. When I get home I enter the data into my training log. You don’t need a big slate — get one of the smaller ones around 4 x 6 or 5 x 7. They run about $7-$11. You can keep it sparkling white by cleaning it with a “Mr. Clean Magic Eraser” (cut those sponges up to last a long time and store them in a ziplock bag).

TRAINING LOGIn order to know how you are doing from one practice to the next, it helps to maintain a log to see that progress unfold. Consider including the following information in such a log:1. Date of the workout2. Stroke - Fly, back, breast or free3. Race you are training for — e.g. 200 SCY; 100 SCY (short course yards)4. Goal Time - your future race goal time as if you were going to be competing at a meet5. USRPT Set such as 30 x 25; 20 x 50; 24 x 756. Ideal target split — based off a Pace Chart7. Your actual target split you tried in the workout (especially if different than the ideal split)8. Your fail #s on the set — e.g. 10, 14, 179. Your interval - e.g. :32, :5710. Miscellaneous Comments. This might include if it were the second set or first set, specific

fail splits, how you felt, or suggestions for the next time out.

written by Coach Cokie Lepinski USMS 2014 Coach of the Year [email protected]

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MEASURING SUCCESSI really encourage you to keep a log in order to chart your progress. Remember, with USRPT success is not measured by saying you did a complete set (30 x 25, 20 x 50, etc.) Instead, success is measured by seeing where you fail in a set across several workouts. Your goal is

to see if you can fail deeper into the set and extend the set a little further than the time before. Dr. Rushall says that it may take about 6 evolutions through a specific set before you “master it” and find you need to reset your target split (or interval especially if you aren’t fitting the :15 and :20 parameters). The chart shown above is from Dr. Rushall (Bulletin 47) and shows one method of measuring success in your training under USRPT.

We’re discovering that success is also achieved if you can move your actual target split in practice closer and closer to the “ideal split” (narrow the gap). When you first start out, your actual splits are probably going to be rather, ahem, humbling. Remember, you are setting a baseline that first time out. You might even think, “Wow, I can’t do this.” But trust that your body will adapt. You will improve!

It is easy to want to throw in the towel if you are a by-the-book person religiously sticking to the ideal splits listed on the pace charts. Additionally, with the :05 extra rest you can take on your sets of breaststroke and fly, your goal might be to try to get to the point where you do them with the normal :15 and :20 rest interval parameters that you use for freestyle and backstroke.

written by Coach Cokie Lepinski USMS 2014 Coach of the Year [email protected]

USRPT for Swymnut Masters �10

When you first start out with USRPT, instead of studying those pace charts for the ideal split, I’d recommend a different approach. Just take your first 5 swims in your first USRPT set in that stroke to establish a target split. If you make all swims in the entire set without a fail, that target split is too soft. If you fail right out the gate (say on 6 and 7) then you need to soften the target split. We’ve all got to start somewhere and this is about making the training useful and purposeful for you. Don’t make it impossible, but do make it a challenge. You don’t climb Mt. Everest in a day and you don’t conquer USRPT. It is always a work in progress. After you’ve done a USRPT set in your workout, then glance at the Pace Charts (or OttrLoggr) and note what it is going to take for you to reach your goal. Continue to narrow the gap between your working target split and the ideal split.

Fine Tuning Your Training

After all this reading, you’ve decided you want to employ USRPT in your own training. Basically you have two options to go with. Purist USRPT which is where all your workouts are USRPT. There is no drilling, kicking and no equipment in the purist approach. Or, Hybrid where you do a couple USRPT workouts a week and the other workouts are composed of anything else. Quite honestly, we don’t know if there is any value in the Hybrid approach. But if you are doing more race-pace training than you did before, then you’ll probably see some gains. Just might leave you wondering what more you could get if you went only with the purist approach!

If you compete and train purely USRPT, you will need to occasionally practice starts, turns, transitions, etc. Unless you are super efficient and display top notch form in your swimming, I believe that you should do some work in stroke technique. I recommend just such a workout once a week or every other week that focuses on those segments. You might find it helps to take a mental break from the intensity of those USRPT workouts with one of these other swims. And, let’s face it. There are the days where you will come to the pool, start a USRPT set and find you are way off your usual marks. As Dr. Rushall says, “Don't flog a dead horse”. Reset yourself, work on some starts, turns, etc., and call it a day. Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.

Those of us doing USRPT were pleasantly surprised to discover that we have not been bored with the “restrictions” of seeing the same type of workout day-to-day. Just hasn't happened! What we have found is that the mental side of our training has responded positively. For many of us, our mental toughness in practice was rusty and weak bordering on non-existent. Two weeks into USRPT was all most of us needed to dust off those cob webs and find the moxie required to push beyond. There are times when you think to yourself “dig deep” because you just want to hang on for one or two more swims in the set before failing. The physical side responds quite well to this increased mental toughness!

You can mix and match your sets from workout to workout. You might do an entire workout as freestyle, picking a 30 x 25 set and a 20 x 50 set. You might do non free, doing one stroke as 30 x 25 and a second stroke with another 30 x 25 set. Or go wild and crazy and take a day and work 200s doing two 20 x 50 sets. You can work toward 100 splits one day and 200 or 400 splits another day. If you swim a wide variety of races and strokes, the mix and match is good. If you are targeting one specific race (or even two races), then you need to make those your primary focus as you decide upon your sets. And, by the way, if you are an IM’er you need to work sets

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in all four strokes regularly as well as the specific 200/400 IM training shown in the chart on page 5.

With USRPT your workouts are about finding efficiency under race-pace. Once you have been doing USRPT a few weeks and have the hang of it, then take your sets to the next level. Tighten up your race mechanics and race psychology. For example, on a freestyle set, how many streamline dolphin kicks do you take off that push off start? How many breaths? Is that the same number throughout the set? If not, make it so! Consistency and discipline are key. On 50s or above, are you attacking those turns? What is your stroke count for each lap? It should also remain consistent. How is your finish? Are you fully extended, head down and stretching into a great line for that touch?

On fly can you maintain the same stroke count? Set the breathing pattern the same for all? Start with the same amount of dolphin kicks on each? Execute a clean finish off a full extension (know your stroke count)? With up to 20 seconds rest on a 25 swim and 25 seconds rest on a 50 swim, your body has time to recover pretty well, so concentrate on holding the best form you can as you progress through the set. When you do fail, take note on what might have caused the fail. Too few dolphin kicks? One extra stroke?

On backstroke, be diligent about an exact number of streamline dolphin kicks off the start (and turn where applicable) and be incredibly consistent with your stroke count. Dive to the wall as if finishing a race, do not glide in. When you fail, was this because of poor underwater execution at the beginning, a sloppy finish, an extra stroke?

On breaststroke, also try to maintain a consistent stroke count. This is a great opportunity to refine your pulldown mechanics and time your finish. Fully extend into a complete streamline each stroke slipping just under the surface of the water. Keep the neck in line with the spine and eyes at 45 degrees. Hit the wall at full extension but without a long glide in to the touch.

Dr. Rushall says it may take about 6 months to get your body trained to the rigors of USRPT. Allow for that. Push hard, do not slack off, but also listen to your body and rest it as needed. Know that the second set is more challenging than the first set and it may have slower times. In your log you might make note if something is “1st set” or “2nd set” to see the time differences. Again, as you get stronger and better conditioned under USRPT you may see that gap diminish between your first set numbers and second set numbers.

There is much to keep your mind busy with and the workouts fly by. Both body and brain will be tired but in a very satisfying way. What’s not to like about this USRPT stuff anyway?! Try it out, be patient with yourself, and watch your practice times continue to drop. You’ll love it! Before you know it, you’ll command your own destiny with your swim goals.

Let’s next look at how to handle meet warm ups and whether tapering is needed under USRPT.

written by Coach Cokie Lepinski USMS 2014 Coach of the Year [email protected]

USRPT for Swymnut Masters �12

Meet Warm Ups and USRPT

MEET WARM UPSWhat to do at meets for a meet warm up (vs. a Pre-Event warm up covered next)? Get yourself nice and warm on deck to raise your body temp. Check out the flags, lines, walls, blocks, turns, etc. Glenn Gruber a Master’s swimmer who has been using USRPT since September 2013 and credits his purist approach to USRPT with breaking the World Record for 400m free, has a warm up he favors. Do a 400 warm up (any way you would like) and then do a small series of race-pace swims on a generous interval (maybe four to five 50s or six to eight 25s). As a coach I used to write a scripted warm up for the team. Over time, I’ve learned that this is a very individual thing. Find what works for you.

PRE EVENT WARM UPSI reached out to Dr. Rushall for the answer on dealing with pre event warm ups. You can also read his latest bulletin (#51) from 10-14-14 on Warm Ups under USPRT: http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/swim/bullets/51%20WARM-UP.pdf

“Essentially, warm-ups require the central temperature of the body to be raised by ~2 degrees. That is best done out of the water because water is a very effective coolant even when it is 80 degrees. Also, limited flexibility work should be done which also can be accommodated on the deck with dynamic stretching. Swimmers should be warm (light sweat on forehead, upper lip, and back of hands) before getting into the water. The most done in the water should be a 200m IM with butterfly done at 85% effort level, backstroke at 90%, breaststroke at 95% and freestyle 100%. Inordinate amounts of swimming as “warm-ups” are a classic waste of time.”

Follow Rushall’s advice and get yourself nice and warm on deck to raise your body temp. If 200m seems too short to you, do what feels right. Whenever possible, do your pre-event warm up about 15-20 minutes before your swim. Any further outside your event and it may go to waste. Work to warm the body and elevate the heart rate. That’s all you need!

Taper and USRPT

Many of you who compete are familiar with the concept of tapering. In USRPT you don’t need to taper at all. What?!?! Sprint my a&# off day in and day out and don’t taper? I sense a collective groan from all of you!

You can read more about why you don’t need to taper training under USRPT in Rushall’s USRPT and The Non-Taper and also here in Rushall’s Peaking For Competition. In simplistic 5 6

terms, because you are not doing loads of excess garbage, you do not need to taper down from that yardage. You are a lean, mean, fighting machine!

http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/swim/bullets/45d%20NON-TAPER.pdf5

http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/swim/bullets/45d%20PEAKING.pdf6

written by Coach Cokie Lepinski USMS 2014 Coach of the Year [email protected]

USRPT for Swymnut Masters �13

Ok so maybe your next your question is, “What to do before standard meets or swim events?” Continue normal workouts up to the meet. The day before either rest or do a half workout with at most one USRPT set on a target split that allows for a set completion, or do just a few swims at race-pace. Any swimming that is done should be race quality! For your big meets (Champs or Nationals), two weeks out, suspend other non-swimming activities and really work on your focus for race strategy and executing all elements with excellence in your practices.

For a more in-depth look at why you peak, not taper, here is what I found from Dr. Rushall who obtained this from a forum posting by moderator Cameron Yick on http://usrpt.com.

“Taper is a term associated with traditional periodization/training. Traditional periodization concepts do not apply to USRPT as its models assume that non-race-pace work is useful training content and structure highly fatiguing/recovery blocks of non-race-pace work. In short, tapering is not really something that happens in USRPT. Its expectation is that swimmers should always be within a few days of swimming a personal best. This is very possible if the athlete is purely performing race-relevant content in practice (namely USRPT).

USRPT is special because not only is it specific and race-relevant, but it is also auto regulating in terms of swimmer response. An athlete performs as much race-relevant content as possible every day. That is determined by how much of each USRPT set is completed before failure. If a set is completed, future sets will need to be adjusted in difficulty (in terms of speed and/or rest interval length).”

And from Dr. Rushall himself on the same forum discussion:

“If USRPT is followed and training items are terminated when performance criteria no longer can be maintained, excessive debilitating training is avoided. USRPT swimmers should never be "thrashed" as is the want of many traditional coaches. It even accommodates other life stresses, such as when exams or study periods occur.

In one sense, competition preparation is probably at most one day away with a sleep-in morning and a workout of abbreviated sets which the swimmers should be able to complete totally (no failures).... The competition state should not be that much different to how a USRPT swimmer feels after a Saturday afternoon and Sunday off.

There is no need to "taper" because there is no debilitating fatigued state from which to"recover". The USRPT athlete recovers between sessions, ready to get faster and sustain their existing speed for longer every practice session.

For this to be possible, irrelevant activities have to be dispensed with in order to maximize energy available for race-relevant activities. Hence, "Hybrid" training (a mix of traditional and USRPT activities) is discouraged because USRPT adaptability and capacity will be compromised by irrelevant training activities.”

At this point you are good to go! Now there is always more to learn about USRPT and for those who love all the science behind it, continue reading. If not, well then get crackin’ NUTS

written by Coach Cokie Lepinski USMS 2014 Coach of the Year [email protected]

USRPT for Swymnut Masters �14

For Coaches: USRPT in Group Settings or Masters Practices

It can be challenging to run USRPT in group settings. Note I said challenging, but not impossible! Dr. Rushall does cover conducting USRPT in group settings in Bulletin 47 “Step by Step USRPT Planning…” which is referenced at the end of this USRPT guide. Here I provide you with some tips that we’ve used and that other Masters teams have used. It is important to stress that everything that you read about in previous sections of this guide still applies, so be sure and understand the concepts of USRPT before setting forth with USPRT in your team practices.

Your primary challenge will be swimmers on different intervals and failing at different places in the set. Your first order of business is to sort the swimmers into lanes of those doing 25s and perhaps lanes of those doing 50s. Most Masters swimmers are probably not going to be doing USRPT sets involving 75s or 100s, but I do cover that below. Quite honestly, if you have 4-6 lanes, I would recommend running only 25s or only 50s in your USRPT practice. Or, you could do two rounds in your workout with round one as 50s and round two as 25s (or vice versa).

Next, you need to determine intervals and do your best to group swimmers on the same interval. The stroke they are swimming is not really critical. A fast butterfly swimmer can swim 25s with a fast freestyler provided they have the same interval. But, note that fly and breaststroke swimmers under USRPT can take up to :05 more than back and free swimmers if needed and most Masters do want and need this extra time. For that reason, you might want to add one more component when sorting your swimmers - free and back swimmers on similar intervals, breast and fly swimmers on similar intervals. Remember, that :20 interval for fly and breast is only “if needed” and can reduced to :15, especially for those experienced USRPT swimmers meeting their target times.

Unlike USRPT done individually, where they can set very specific intervals down to finite times like :32 or :59 (with a tempo trainer), with groups, you’ll want to round up or down your intervals to times easy to read on a clock (:30, :35, :40, 1:10, etc). Someone who normally does 30 x 25 free on :32 with a target time of :17 may be in a lane where the interval is now :35 (or even :30). They’ll get a little extra rest or a little less rest depending on how you set it up.

If you do have enough Tempo Trainers (or swimmers have wristwatches with countdown timers), you can still use them to set the interval, just keep everyone in the lane on the same interval. It is a great way to have people consistently leaving on time. If you are not equipped with a sufficient supply, use a digital clock (ideally) or an analog clock. Instruct the swimmers to ready themselves and begin their take off one second before their scheduled departure. For example, if someone is leaving every :30 they should begin their movement to leave the wall as soon as they see the :29 and the :59. Why? Because it takes a second to get off that wall! We want their feet to leave the wall the moment that clock strikes the interval.

Finger stop watches or even wrist watches are recommended to obtain their split, but if you don’t have them, then your swimmers will need to touch and immediately glance at the clock for their time. My problem with that approach is this. If someone is supposed to be holding :17 seconds and touches on the :18 could that have been a 17 something if they left early or all the way up to an 18.9? That is a fairly wide variance. What some kids teams do is have one group

written by Coach Cokie Lepinski USMS 2014 Coach of the Year [email protected]

USRPT for Swymnut Masters �15

of swimmers do a USRPT set while a second set of swimmers times and records each of their splits. Not many of us have that luxury in our Masters programs, but hey, maybe you do!

If you have pool space to set aside one lane, do so. This will be where your swimmers go when they fail out of a set (or in their final cool down before the other swimmers in their lane finish their USRPT set). If you do not have extra lane space, there is a work around covered below.

It is very important to remind swimmers to have quality wall push offs, turns and finishes - all as if they were executing a race. With groups of swimmers it is easy to get sloppy and coaches should keep an eye on this when running USRPT sets. Swimmers should always finish and then immediately move to the corner of the lane (their left when swimming into the wall) to get out of the way of oncoming swimmers.

Coaches should be aware of the psychological tug swimmers have to “make them all”. The natural born competitiveness in many of us is tough to overcome, especially in a group setting. Stress to your swimmers that USRPT is very individualized and everyone should be failing somewhere in the set. If not, swimmers are either not working hard enough (and may need to lower their target time) or may need to shorten the interval (if taking the extra :05 on fly and breast sets).

USRPT sets with 25s:1. Send swimmers off :05 seconds apart, from fastest in the lane to slowest. 2. When a swimmer fails to hit their target time, they should sit out two 25s so that everyone in

the lane is always headed in the same direction. The swimmer should rejoin the line of swimmers in the same position they were before they failed.

3. When someone has failed completely out of the set, if possible, have a lane for them to go do some easy swimming while waiting for the second round of USRPT (or cooling down if at the end of the workout).

4. If a cool down lane is not available, simply instruct the swimmer to do easy swims at the end of the line of swimmers in their lane and stay out of their way!

USRPT sets with 50s or 100s:1. Send swimmers off :05 seconds apart, from fastest in the lane to slowest. 2. When a swimmer fails, have them sit out one full swim (one 50 or one 100 if doing 100s)

and rejoin the line in their usual position. Remain out of the way of the other swimmers!3. Apply #3 and 4 from above for the cool down instructions.

USRPT sets with 75s:1. Send swimmers off :05 seconds apart, from fastest in the lane to slowest. 2. When a swimmer fails, you have two options. Waiting through 2 x 75 to rejoin their group

simply allows far too much rest. Try one of these options. a. Have them sit out the first 50. Join the group and swim easy the last 25 of their 75.b. Have them swim an easy 25 when the other swimmers start their 75. Rest on the wall for

their final 50.3. Apply #3 and 4 from the instructions on 25s for cool down.

Many teams across the world are utilizing USRPT in their practices with great success. It can be done, but it does require a little planning and coordination. It may take awhile to smooth things out, so be patient with yourself and your swimmers.

written by Coach Cokie Lepinski USMS 2014 Coach of the Year [email protected]

The Nitty Gritty Details

The charts on this page and the next indicate what happens to our body under USRPT with a set of 24 x 25 on :30 with a target split of 14 seconds.

USRPT for Swymnut Masters �17

According to Dr. Rushall (Bulletin 47), “In all the sets, it takes your body 1.25 to 2.0 minutes to respond and adapt to a training stimulus. Consider the first 4-6 in your set as “no fails” even if you don’t make your target split on one of them. A reverse action takes place if you rest too long — greater than 60 seconds. Your body has to work to re-adapt to the training task. That is why the longest rest period in any set is 20 seconds. If you fail a set, you sit out one interval’s worth of time.”

Why just :20 seconds rest in a USRPT set? Again from Dr. Rushall (Bulletin 47), “During 20 seconds rest, the aerobic system continues maximally and restores almost completely the stored oxygen and phosphate energy sources used in the repetition. The next repetition starts before the aerobic system has waned in any manner. Consequently, the brief rest period does allow some recovery of the energy resources within the swimmer but it's highly taxed oxidative/aerobic capacity continues. When the next repetition swim is initiated, a swimmer's oxidative system is already functioning near maximum and does not require any time to get used to working in the swimming performance. The short-work — short-rest ultra-short training format prevents accumulations of time spent in readapting to the work, which is actually "wasted" time because it yields very little benefits for a swimmer.”

written by Coach Cokie Lepinski USMS 2014 Coach of the Year [email protected]

USRPT for Swymnut Masters �18

To Learn More

This report on USRPT really is just the tip of the iceberg. I hope I have inspired you to give USRPT a try and to seek more information about it. I have no doubt that there will be much more information on the development and deployment of USRPT which is currently in its infancy here in the US and especially in Masters swimming.

For now, there are a few key places I can refer you to if you want to further educate yourself. While you can always Google USRPT, I caution you that there is a lot of garbage information out there. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, so make sure your source knows what he or she is talking about.

• This first source is to turn directly to the expert himself, Dr. Brent Rushall. You can find his work here. 7

• Dr. Rushall and Denaj Seymour have created a terrific forum for USRPT with background on USRPT, tools, charts and discussion groups. You’ll find that here: http://usrpt.com. Denaj Seymour also has a YouTube channel you can subscribe to. Look for “SwimUSRPT”.

• Cameron Yick has been building a website with some great tools and USRPT sets here: www.ottrloggr.com.

• Lastly, as members of USMS you can create a log in account on the USMS website and check out the forums which include one on USRPT (which has been running since July 2013). That is located here. While much of it is anecdotal and can be skimmed and 8

forgotten, there has been terrific discussion with great pearls of knowledge to be gleamed from several Masters swimmers including Glenn Gruber (more about him below).

A Huge Thanks To…

I’d like to acknowledge and thank the following individuals who, whether they know it or not, were instrumental in awakening my interest in USRPT and finding out more:

Dr. Brent Rushall for his research, writings and phenomenal knowledge of USRPT. If we ever have a certification course for Coaching USRPT, count me in! While I found myself having to re-read his numerous articles several times to truly grasp them, I am confident that I found the best source to understand the science behind USRPT and the application to swim teams. I have shared this guide with Dr. Rushall and he has been wonderful in offering more information and helping me revise this report.

http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/swim/usrpt/table.htm7

http://forums.usms.org/showthread.php?22783-Ultra-Short-Training-At-Race-8

Pace&highlight=USRPT

written by Coach Cokie Lepinski USMS 2014 Coach of the Year [email protected]

USRPT for Swymnut Masters �19

Denaj Seymour and his website http://usrpt.com and Cameron Yick and his website www.ottrloggr.com. These are my go to sites to keep up with all that is happening in the world of USRPT. The USRPT.com site has forums with great information. The OttrLoggr site has a few USRPT tools including a tool to establish your splits to use in the sets. Masters Swimmer Alan Bernard, Tamalpais Masters, for first mentioning USRPT to me at a swim meet, then introducing me to my first USRPT workout and, finally, answering at least 100 questions of mine when I visited with him at his home. We continue to touch bases on USRPT as we discover things or seek answers to questions we have. He was instrumental in reviewing and editing this report. Masters Swimmer Glenn Gruber, Ventura County Masters who has been training with USRPT since September 2013. He credits USRPT for breaking the world record in 400m free! His postings on the various forums led me to seek him out and he has been incredibly helpful in answering questions on how best to apply this to my own training and, subsequently, how I might apply it to our team. He is another one I plan to stay in touch with about all things USRPT.

References

Rushall, B.S. (2014). Swimming Energy Training in The 21st Century: The Justification for Radical Changes (second Edition). Swimming Science Bulletin, 39. [http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/swim/bullets/energy39.pdf]

Rushall, B.S. (2014). USRPT & Traditional Training Compared. Swimming Science Bulletin, 43. [http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/swim/bullets/Comparison43.pdf]

Rushall, B. S. (2013a). Levels of Fatigue in Swimming. Swimming Science Bulletin, 46b. [http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/ swim/bullets/46bLEVELS.pdf]

Rushall, B.S. (2013). USRPT and The Non-Taper. Swimming Science Bulletin, 45d. [http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/swim/bullets/45d%20NON-TAPER.pdf]

Rushall, B.S. (2014). Peaking for Competitions in Ultra-Short Race-Pace Training. Swimming Science Bulletin, 45d. [http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/swim/bullets/45d%20PEAKING.pdf]

Rushall, B.S. (2014). Step-by-Step USRPT Planning and Decision-Making Processes. Swimming Science Bulletin, 47. [http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/swim/bullets/47GUIDE.pdf]

Rushall, B.S. (2014). USRPT Defined: After Two Years USRPT Comes of Age (Version 1.1). Swimming Science Bulletin, 49. [http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/swim/bullets/49DEFINED.pdf]

Rushall, B.S. (2014). USRPT - Commonly Asked Questions and Answers (Version 1.0). Swimming Science Bulletin, 50. [http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/swim/bullets/50%20QandA.pdf]

Rushall, B.S. (2014). Warming Up in USRPT. Swimming Science Bulletin, 51. [http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/swim/bullets/51%20WARM-UP.pdf]

Thompson, Daniel O. Revolution in Swimming: Ultra-Short Race-Pace Training (Version 2.0). Swimming Science Bulletin, 40a. [http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/swim/bullets/ultra40a.pdf]

written by Coach Cokie Lepinski USMS 2014 Coach of the Year [email protected]