Torpedo Swimtalk Podcast explores pro training secrets from Olympic Gold Medalists and Masters World Champions

Ever wondered how to ace your swimming training like a pro? Buckle up, as we celebrate Torpedo Swimtalk Podcast's third anniversary, by bringing you insights straight from the masters of swimming. Our host Danielle Spurling interacts with Olympic gold medalist Matt Biondi and eight other accomplished swimmers who open up about their favourite drills and training sets.  It's not every day that you get expert advice from the likes of Olympians and Masters World Record holders, so don't miss out on this episode!

Ever thought about how various training styles impact your performance? This episode will have you covered! Swiss Swimmer Markus Marthaler shares his "two left, two right" drill for underwater freestyle training, while Olympian Alia Atkinson spills the beans on her go-to set of 100s with decreasing intervals. Open water swimmer Jay Prchal introduces us to an intense pyramid set using bands and paddles. Plus, you'll hear from Matt Biondi about the crucial role of "roll" in freestyle swimming. 

This episode is a goldmine of tips and tricks that could take your swimming to the next level. So, tune in and let's swim towards excellence together!

You can connect with Torpedo Swimtalk:
Website
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Sign up for our Newsletter

Leave us a review

Torpedo Swimtalk is sponsored by AMANZI SWIMWEAR

#swim #swimmer #swimming #mastersswimmer #mastersswimmers #mastersswimming #openwaterswimmer #openwaterswimmers #openwaterswimming #swimminglover #swimmingpodcast #mastersswimmingpodcast #torpedoswimtalkpodcast #torpedoswimtalk #tstquicksplashpodcast #podcast #podcaster #podcastersofinstagram #swimmersofinstagram #swimlife #swimfit #ageisjustanumber #health #notdoneyet

Transcript

Danielle Spurling: 0:07

Hello Swimmers and welcome to another episode of torpedo swim talk podcast. I'm your host, danielle Spearling, and each week we chat to a master swimmer from around the world about their swimming journey. We've got a really special episode for you today, to mark three years of the podcast. It's really hard to believe that I started this little adventure in 2020 during COVID, when I was not swimming at all. I'm so grateful for those listeners who've been with me from the start, and welcome to all of those who've just discovered the pod along the way. I hope we're bringing you what you like listening to, and I want to take this opportunity to say thanks for all the kind words and support that you've given me. It's always hard to know who is tuning in when the pod gets uploaded, as I sit in a room by myself and speak into a microphone, obviously to guests most of the time, which is really wonderful, but then often to no one when I do the voiceovers or I'm doing the editing. So thanks for being a listener and I encourage you to reach out with any ideas or improvements that you might like to see. Recommended guest as well, if you think you know someone who might be a good fit. Anyway, that's enough from me Today. I've pulled together the training sets and drills from 10 recent guests because that's one part of the podcast that people love and always reach out to tell me they enjoy doing different sets and drills, and it really celebrates our three year anniversary, so I hope you enjoy hearing from them all.

Danielle Spurling: 1:37

In the one place we're going to hear from Matt Biondi, becky Clevenger, marcus Mothila, alia Atkinson, jay Prashel, kylie Fletcher, mike Hodgson, annette Phillipson and Gronya Moss. And before we head over and hear from these superstars, I want to congratulate Matt and Becky for being part of a relay last weekend that broke the world record in the 240 to 279 short course meters freestyle relay, so well done to both of them. Let's hear from all of them now. Up first we have eight time Olympic gold medalist Matt Biondi. So if you were going to create the new Biondi drill, let's make it a freestyle one. What's your favorite freestyle drill that you do in training these days? Because you have a beautiful freestyle.

Matt Biondi: 2:37

I think the biggest thing for me is roll. A lot of swimmers swim like tugboats and their bodies are really plain in the water, pushing a lot of water. And to be able to roll on your side and get your profile more like you're balanced on a rail and not as much just plowing through the water. That is a really a big point for me and mostly the biggest sort of faux pas or crime and swimming are the elbows low elbows. You see it all the time in master swimmers. It partly because of flexibility, you know some of these older gentlemen that were marathon runners or track.

Matt Biondi: 3:24

I mean, their ankles just don't flex. It's a 90 degree angle the whole time and when they kick they go backwards because they so. Flexibility in masters is a big thing and it makes it hard to get the elbows up, but I really encourage rolling and a more efficient pull because it makes swimming more enjoyable. It shouldn't be a struggle. At times you should be able to just to be able to relax and, like you're walking with a friend down the street and talking at the same time, you're not worried about what your legs are doing. You're not worried about being out of breath.

Matt Biondi: 3:59

You're just enjoying company and the sunshine and the fresh air and swimming can be like that. But you know, beginning to moderate level swimmers swim one length and they get to the other end Right, and it's just because they need to be more efficient.

Danielle Spurling: 4:16

What about your favourite training set that you do for freestyle?

Matt Biondi: 4:22

I'll tell you what my from my younger days my high school coach, Stu Khan, called it breakthroughs, and every Wednesday we did starting off with 10, 100s for time on four minutes from a dive, and all the times are recorded and he had a bar chart that he kept up on the pool deck with all of our times. And so the next week we would do nine and then eight, and then we would come down and so the idea is that your overall average would also come down as far as time.

Matt Biondi: 4:59

And it was such an intense set, because with four minutes apart, there's waves every minute going off of eight guys and the pool just and you're over there. You know it's like, oh man, two more minutes. And so your whole week, literally your whole week, was based around Wednesday Wednesday's coming, it's Monday, here come two, two, tomorrow's Wednesday and then, ah, practice and then it was over. Thursday is the greatest amount of time between now and Wednesday, but it was a mentally challenging set and obviously physically really great for training. So that was the most intense set I remember as a high school kid and I did it with my high school kids and they'll say the same thing. The whole week revolved around Wednesday.

Matt Biondi: 5:47

Now a set that I'm quite fond of, that's challenging, is alternating. So we do a 50 easy and then a 150 fast, and then a 50 easy and then 250 fast and then a 50 easy, 350s, a 50 easy, 450 fast, like at 200 pace for each of the 50s. So we're sprinting on short rest for the fast ones and then we get a long easy swim in between and then we come down four, three, two, one on the fast ones and it takes about 30 minutes and by the end we did this set I think on Monday and I had to sit in my car for a few minutes just to drink some water and just kind of like, okay, I gotta drive home now. I mean it was intense, yeah. Yeah, you know master swimmers is funny because to most master swimmers a hard workout is how far you went, how many yards did you go? But those are the easiest practices for me because I just get in that loop, loop, loop mode and you know it's.

Matt Biondi: 6:55

The hard workouts are when you're on your horse going hard and your lungs are burning and your legs are seasoned up, and you know that's really. And a lot of master swimmers don't like that because they don't know how to swim at different degrees. Right, they don't have that intensity from their experience. So everything is sort of the same. But if they can learn to swim easy and long at times. But then you know, let's go get it on, let's show me what you got.

Danielle Spurling: 7:29

Let's hear from master's world record holder, Becky Cleavenger, with her favorite drill and set. And how about your favorite freestyle training drill?

Becky Cleavenger: 7:37

I do a lot of like. I'll do 15 yards or meters of schooling and then 10 yards or meters, depending on which pool we're in, of fingertip, fingertip catch up drill and it's all about feel for the water. So a lot of schooling out front and then just take that feel and that like hold on the water and turn it into fingertip drag catch up drill.

Danielle Spurling: 8:00

Nice, I like those, I like all those drills.

Becky Cleavenger: 8:03

Yeah, yeah, it's really good for a rotation catch. Feel for the water, yeah.

Danielle Spurling: 8:08

Yeah, nice. And how about your favorite main training set?

Becky Cleavenger: 8:14

You know we have so much variety it's not like we repeat, except for that 1650 set I mentioned. We do repeat that. But I like things. I don't like things like 10, 100s. I just really find that mind numbing. So I like things that are a little bit more mixed up, so like maybe 425s drilling, 350s, fly back back breast, breast free and then to 100 IMs fast and then repeat however many times, yeah, so like things that might not make you think and they also like you have something to look forward to and something not to look forward to. Like those two 100 IMs faster, like okay, but after that you get the 425s drilling so you can kind of recover a little bit. Yeah.

Danielle Spurling: 9:08

Last week we chatted to Swiss swimmer and Iron man, Markus Marthaler, and he shared his best drill and favorite set with us. Let's recap that what about your favorite freestyle training drill?

Speaker 2: 9:19

So favorite training drill will be two left, two right Equally. So two left, two right, but we've always paused. Equal to the underwater freestyler.

Danielle Spurling: 9:30

Yes, okay, nice, and now tell me your favorite training set.

Speaker 2: 9:35

Okay, my favorite training set will be 20 times 100 meter. Go every 120.

Danielle Spurling: 9:41

Nice. How much rest are you getting on that?

Speaker 2: 9:43

Not really that much, but I swim, would swim between 104 and 105 until you get about 15 seconds in. It's a challenge because once you get up and you get a bit tired, and if you get too tired you can't catch up anymore, and once you pass the 110 mark it's very hard to keep, just to stay there.

Danielle Spurling: 10:09

Former Olympian Alia Atkinson loves her breaststroke and tells us some of her favorite drills and sets in that form stroke and what's your favorite breaststroke drill?

Speaker 8: 10:20

I do like to up to under, so that's two strokes above the water and then you submerge yourself and then two strokes under. I like that one because you feel the difference between above the water and your normal stroke and then feel the resistance underneath and trying to emulate a long distance stroke underneath the water as well. So, yeah, I think that probably would be my best, my favorite.

Danielle Spurling: 10:44

And looking back over your career, what was your favorite go-to training set that you always did?

Speaker 8: 10:51

Sadly, there are two. There's one that we did in college and we transitioned that into my professional life at the beginning, and it's the hundred free and you can switch it to stroke as well, but you start off at like 140 and then you keep on going, and the next one is 139, then 138, then 137 and you keep on going until you miss the interval. I did not like it, but also I felt so accomplished when I finished because I'm a stubborn athlete, I'm very competitive. So if I know I'm swimming beside somebody and it looks like they're not going to make it, I'm like, okay, but I'm going to make it.

Speaker 8: 11:32

So I'm a little faster to make sure I made that 110 and then you have to turn and make the next one on 109. So it's like now you're sprinting a 200 on 219.

Danielle Spurling: 11:43

And so what was the lowest you ever got it to? To repeat 107. 107, well done.

Speaker 8: 11:48

Right and I was with the distances, so it was all. The distances were still left Everybody else. When they finish and you miss it, you have to sit on on the side, so you're breathing and you're seeing everybody and you're like oh and they're like, oh, but you're, you're the joker because you're still swimming when I know what I'm still going. So I was with all the distances. It's like, oh, this means something I can go?

Danielle Spurling: 12:11

What was the other set that you said you had to?

Speaker 8: 12:13

So the other one is a 50 sets and my coach loves to do it. In the latter part we trained with a Japanese team in Mexico for a training camp. They just happened to be there at the same time and the Japanese team was I can't believe they go that fast, like it was. It made me feel like what am I doing in training? Like I'm not training, I'm like I can't go any faster. So it was six, fifties and then, yeah, it was 650s pace on whatever, and then 250s going one all out one easy, and then 450s pace and then one all out one easy.

Speaker 8: 12:52

And I was here, I was holding pace, but I was also gearing up for the 50 pass. But I was going like 36 is for 50 breasts. I was like, okay, I can do 200 pace ish. And the other simpers were going 34s. I was like what is happening? Oh, it was. It was amazing. But it was interesting just to show the dynamics of how other people train. Some people train really fast and some people they they're pushing it, but it's just not happening. Because when I rested in taper I actually got to meet that same girl again in a competition and we're pretty close together.

Speaker 8: 13:30

So I was like oh, so you're. 34 is weren't an indicator of, yes, I could go a little faster, but I wasn't going to hold 34s, and it was. It was probably on like 45 seconds or 50 seconds. I think it was on 50 seconds, so it's not that much rest the whole six.

Danielle Spurling: 13:51

Open water swimmer, Jay Prashel shared with us a great pyramid to try. It's a tough one, but listen, listen into how he describes it. How about your favorite freestyle training set?

Speaker 6: 14:02

Oh, I think at the moment I'm really enjoying some of the slower, longer distance Swimming sets, so like I just did one this morning where it was a guess a pyramid set of a thousand eight hundred six hundred four hundred two hundred, but at slightly different heart rate zones. So I'm enjoying that. But I'm going to be a bit of a glutton for punishment. And there was one that I did the other day that I really really loved and for all the wrong reasons we were using bands and I hate using bands. Terrible, like pull only. Like with a pullboy I'm good, but with bands on terrible, my feet and bum just sink and it's all over.

Speaker 6: 14:45

But for whatever reason, this particular set I really gelled with and I loved it and it was a set of 60, 50s. We did 24 with bands only, so just bands around the ankles we did, and that was on 55 seconds. We did 20 with a pullboy and bands and that was on 50 seconds. That was a little bit better. And then we did 16 of those with paddles, bands and a pullboy and I thought it was going to be really really tough but I enjoyed it. I don't know, maybe it was a good day, who knows, but I quite enjoyed that particular one.

Danielle Spurling: 15:23

World Masters medalist Kylie Fletcher shares with us her best drill and set and it obviously worked because she meddled in Fukaoka this year. And how about your favourite freestyle drill?

Speaker 10: 15:35

Oh, favourite freestyle drill I'm going to say kind of like fingertip drag drill, but where more of your hand is under the water so you're really getting that push through, so sort of like a midway yeah, midway. It's not even a little bit higher.

Danielle Spurling: 15:56

How about your favourite training set?

Speaker 10: 16:04

I'm going to say I do love when we're doing sprints, so we might do dive 25s, dive 12.5s, just dive in three strokes. I do really love that. I love that. That's number one. And then number two, any set that uses poolworm paddles.

Danielle Spurling: 16:23

That's good you don't find it hurts your shoulders.

Speaker 10: 16:26

No, it's, I used to years ago, but even after even after this shoulder, I think I reckon, I think I probably have better technique while I'm using it, Because you know, you know those yellow paddles that don't have the bands across and so if you don't, if you're not holding them properly, you'll lose, and you drop your, drop your elbow, you'll lose them. So, yeah, I wonder whether I have better technique doing that. And the pool boy just holds me up that little bit higher, so I'm on top of the water, so yeah, it's good.

Speaker 10: 16:58

And I've got one of the old school pool boys, those gold, you know, the old white white pool boys that they just don't make anymore. So yes, that's the gold pool boy.

Danielle Spurling: 17:10

Oh, I lost mine and I loved it so much.

Speaker 10: 17:13

No one will ever understand. That's not a you know around our era, or probably even even for the 10 or 20 years later understand what it's like to be when you say I lost my pool boy and how devastating that is I know.

Danielle Spurling: 17:28

I know I changed coaches and when I changed coaches they used to put their equipment in this big cage and leave it at the pool, and it just disappeared into the ether of the cage.

Speaker 10: 17:40

I don't know where it went but they used to yeah, because someone saw it and they liked it.

Danielle Spurling: 17:44

I know, I know, but it was moulded to my body. I really liked it.

Speaker 10: 17:49

I love my pool boy. I love my white pool boy.

Danielle Spurling: 17:51

Yes, and it's got no mould on it or anything.

Speaker 10: 17:54

No, mine's pretty good, actually Good I think because it's been used just so often, all the time, and you know, if it had a sat in a cupboard for a year or so, I think it would have, but no, it's still in pristine condition. Good, I'd like a photo, please. Yeah, yeah, for sure.

Danielle Spurling: 18:18

Recently crowned world champion Mike Hodgson from Great Britain enjoys the following drill and said give it a go because he was an absolute star at the recent world championships in Japan. What's?

Speaker 7: 18:30

your favourite training drill. I love putting my fins and snorkel on, so that would be the first thing I would do. I think on freestyle I quite like I don't know what other people call it it's like a rewind drill. So you're kicking on your side, you've got one arm out in front, one arm by your side, and then you bring your arm over, you touch the water and then bring it back in, reverse, back to your hip over the water, just keeping body posture, and then switch sides into it with the other side, so you keep a nice body line and body posture through the water while controlling your arms slowly coming forwards and backwards. So, yeah, I do like that one for freestyle Breaststroke. I really like doing kick on my back. Yeah, I find it just gets the angle of my hips and my knees and legs, everything all in right shape. So when I flip over on front, everything's in order.

Danielle Spurling: 19:22

How about a butterfly and a backstroke one?

Speaker 7: 19:24

Butterfly, I like doing the ones where you do two right arm, two full stroke, two left arm, two full stroke. For sure, like that Again, I can have my fins on. That's better Backstroke, single arm.

Danielle Spurling: 19:41

Yeah, very nice. And what about your favorite training set?

Speaker 7: 19:44

I think I like the 100 race pace type stuff where we maybe do some 15s from a dive two, 25s from a dive, 35, then a 50 max. I really like 200 pace stuff. I quite like the I think it's a bob-bar mindset. It's like 40, 50s where you go for 16 or three easy one max Sorry, three easy one at 200 race pace and then the next 12 or two easy one at 200 race pace and then one easy one fast and then four fast at the end. Trying to hold 200 race pace on that is quite tough. I quite like that one when we're doing 200 race pace type one.

Danielle Spurling: 20:27

And what kind of rest interval would you take for that?

Speaker 7: 20:32

I think we start on about 55 for the first 16, and then it goes up maybe five to 10 seconds, I think, probably ending up on like a 110, 115.

Danielle Spurling: 20:46

The Vicious Swedish Masters World Champion and Jewel Olympian, Annette Philipsson, hones her fast freestyle with the following drill and main set favorites what about your favorite freestyle training drill?

Speaker 5: 21:02

Oh, what is the underwater? I don't know how to explain it in English. You go to get the grip in the water. You don't do the arm above the water, you go back under the water.

Danielle Spurling: 21:22

I think we call that long dog. Yeah, under the water Exactly.

Speaker 5: 21:26

So focus on the grip, yeah.

Danielle Spurling: 21:29

What's your favorite Masters training set?

Speaker 5: 21:33

We do new sets all the time. I will say but we did 12 times 25, and then you should lower your speed with one second for six 25 meters and then we started all over again and then you should lower once again with one second. So you should have a goal time, which was really hard, and then you should lower. That's a very good set and you could also do it with. You should lower with two seconds and do just three times four 25s and you lower two seconds each 25.

Danielle Spurling: 22:14

How much rest did you take in between each 25? Start about 40.

Speaker 5: 22:19

Yeah, so not a lot of rest really Every 40 seconds. No, it's a tough set. No high heart rate, so you had a high pulse.

Danielle Spurling: 22:35

And finally, we hear from Triple Crown Swimmer Gronja Moss for our Heartbuster main set. Give it a go. It's a tough one but obviously works for her in the open water. And what's your favorite freestyle training set that you do in the pool?

Speaker 9: 22:49

I like a good Hungarian rep. So you do maybe 10, 100s, 5, 200s, then two or three, two, 50s and then the 500, and then you come back down the kind of triangle. So it's our pyramid. We call them Hungarian reps, but some people might call them the pyramid. But yeah, I like a good pyramid. So yeah, yeah.

Danielle Spurling: 23:11

And what's your rest interval on those? How much rest are you getting in between each repeat?

Speaker 9: 23:16

Yeah, I mean on the 100 is probably not a lot. It's about a steady, relatively fast piece but keeping it up. So 10, well, probably about 15 seconds on 100, and then a bit more, maybe 20, 25 on the 200s, and yeah, just yeah.

Danielle Spurling: 23:33

Yeah, and the pace was sort of like 80, 85% or a little bit yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, 80, 80, 85%, yeah, perfect.

Danielle Spurling: 23:41

Yeah, that's a good set to keep you going. I hope you enjoyed this little walk down memory lane and have some time to try out these drills and main sets from our superstar guests. Remember to send us an email at torpedoswimtalk at gmailcom if you have any ideas, improvements or recommendations for future guests. We have some great guests heading into the holiday period, so keep a lookout for the next episode dropping on a Wednesday. Until next time, happy swimming and bye for now.