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Outline
This is the general outline for your Tempo Practice:
- Tune-Up (a.k.a. warm-up) – your choice
- Main Set 1
- Main Set 2
- Review (a.k.a. cool-down, or wrap-up) – your choice
The distance and complexity of these tempo sets are designed according to the cycle. You will find those sets listed for each practice on this page below.
Instructions
To begin you will need to experiment (if you don’t already know) to find a ‘cruising’ tempo that feels quite natural to you already. This would be a tempo that is comfortable to hold for as long as you can swim right now. We will call this TC (for Tempo – Comfortable).
You may find these articles helpful:
How Do I Find My Comfortable Tempo?
How Do I Choose An Appropriate Tempo?
Purpose
- To increase precision of movements during breathing.
- To improve the consistent timed rhythm of those movements.
Distance
There may be one or two main sets. Distances will be appropriate to the distance of the event, with gradual increase in challenge.
Skill Projects
Continue to work with the Skill Projects assigned in the Attention Practice.
Location
These practices may be done in the pool or in the open water. You will use either the assigned repeat distances in the pool, or use stroke count intervals in open water.
Metrics
In these practices you will use measurements of Tempo and Rate of Perceived Effort (RPE). You may monitor stroke counts, if you have a fixed distance to swim between.
Intensity
You will work around RPE 3 to 4, with the expectation that as you move to a slightly faster tempo, your effort level will go up to RPE 4 at first. As you adapt to the tempo the effort level will go down to RPE 3. That is the signal that adaptation is progressing, that one dimension of your speed capability is growing.
Complexity
The challenge level (the neurological complexity) is determined by the focal points you choose and the standard for quality you set for each of those focal points, and the tempo at which you try to maintain control over those Focal Points.
For Level 1 swimmers you may follow the progressive tempo assignments for the entire course, or at any time, you may hold at a certain tempo if you feel you need more time to adapt to it.
For Level 2 swimmers I will recommend gradual tempo increases during each cycle. The tempo will increase in certain increments, no more than -0.03 steps at a time. I will give those recommendations, but again, you will need to adjust a little more or a little less to suit your individual needs.
Success Is…
Your quantity objective is to hold the assigned tempos for each set. Your quality objective is to successfully achieve your focal point goal 60-90% of the drill or interval at 2 or 3 Star performance.
If you are able to achieve the result you are aiming for more than 90% of the time you should consider increasing the complexity of that task to keep the system optimally challenged.
Failure Points
The main failure points to look for are:
- Your attention is wandering away from the chosen focal point
- You cannot maintain the precision over movements that you expect
When you notice yourself failing to achieve your objective for the task that is the signal for you to find the possible cause so you can make adjustments in your focal point or adjustment in your task complexity. If you are failing to meet your standard for more than 50% of the time you may add more rest, or lower the tempo slightly (by 0.01 to 0.03 seconds). You may be stepping ahead in tempo before your body has fully adapted to the previous tempo.
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