OWS vs pool (Page 2)

Honestly? Get a couple of your swim buddies, and all three (or 4 or whatever) swim at the same time down the lane. Get used to the bumping, smacking elbows, wake in your face, things like that in an environment where you can touch bottom, grab a lane line, etc.

When swimming alone in the pool, close your eyes when your face is in the water. This will somewhat get you used to swimming and not being able to see the bottom. Expect to hit a lane line occasionally, most swimmers will pull stronger to one side or the other.

But by all means, even if you have to drive a couple hours, get a group of people together and go do an OWS or two. It really is a different animal.

John

I get a better workout in the pool. I'll do 90+% of my swimming in a pool, and I have a open free lake that's closer than my pool is.

GF is a keeper at Zoo atlanta which gets her into GA aquarium and behind the scenes, when the new dolphin exhibit is done I'm so going to try and prove you wrong (then again I've been asking for a year to ride a tiger and that hasn't happened)

I'm lucky enough to have a lake less then 5 miles from my house (although where I swim is 20 miles away) and a pool about 5 miles away, both of which  I can get to on a regular basis.

The pool is only 25 yards and coming from a competitive swimming background I live for a solid flip turn and a crazy push off often times putting me halfway down the pool and that's mostly because I know I do have to swim some. The lake area I swim in is about 225-250 yards on a curve with 4 buoys so you are sighting to hit each one sort of looking around to the next, water is fairly flat and no real current. I do that in 3:30 when I am somewhat trying and 4:00 on average. I am totally comfortable swimming in open water but its more a work out and requires more concentration so it takes more out of you. While I would be fine for my first try not practicing open water swimming since I was in HS I am glad I have been going to the lake every weekend.

So lets say its 250 yards for the lake (factoring in some off course) and takes me 3:30 quick and its 400 yards in the pool and I do 5:30 quick (usually after 100 laps or so and this is the only distance I've really checked my time specifically since my race is 400 yards) Thats 1:22.5/100yd for the pool and 1:24/100yd for the ows. Thats not far off but I can tell you that after the 225 in the lake and the 400 in the pool i feel about the same. My 4 minute "laps" in the lake I can repeat 8X in a row no problem with 1-2 minutes treading between or if I do there and back I still do 8 minute flat.


Sorry if that was rambling a bit.. point is my splits in the pool and the lake are similar but my effort is much greater in the OW between not having a wall to push off and just kick under water a bit and then having to deal with trying to go straight and site. So I think its important to at least do some training OW if that is where your race is. but that's just my opinion.



Edited by mrtopher1980 2009-08-20 3:45 PM

Well, heck, I think I may be disagreeing with everyone but Brian and smilford on this one. I think that pool training is hands down the better workout. Pushing off the wall allows you to streamline and working your streamline improves your stroke. Correct pool training forces pace and structured intervals. It also provides a medium that removes interruption and distraction. OWS is tough, but mostly because you are constantly interrupting your pace, rhythm, and technique. You could mirror this discussion to moutain biking. Pro mountain bike racers do 95% of their training on the road. Like mtn biking, the benefits of OWS are that you gain a certain skillset. You learn to not freak out, sight, time waves, learn currents, deal with distractions etc. Once you learn this skillset, then you only need to brush up on those skills periodically.  If you want to swim faster, then I think you should hit the pool. And well...this opens another can of worms and about forty thousand other threads on this site, but if the arguement is that you swim constantly in OW as opposed to getting a wall every 25 yards, then you need to learn how to do a decent flip turn and remove that "rest".

I'm guessing you're refering to my original post.  And I'll stand by by statement that there is little PHYSICAL benefit from one vs. the other.  Also by "newbies" are you refering to people, like yourself, with 0 races logged and 0 workouts posted.  Just saying......

If you post, don't post as though your words are an absolute, it just confuses everyone.

When I swim in a pool, I flip right at the wall, and use just enough push to not lose momentum. I'm not dolphin kicking 1/2 way down the pool, since I won't do that in a tri race.

John


...Well done.



Edited by DEMIGODKNIGHT 2009-08-21 8:50 AM

While I agree that streamlining of the wall can help with form and that you are much better off practicing form in a normal pool that can be more structured they are two different things.

No one here is saying that they rest when they get to the wall that I read. I sited a specific example showing my 100 yard split in the ow is similar to my pool 100 yd split but it takes much greater energy and I am never resting at a wall I am streamlining for half the pool. But my 400 yard swim in the pool is taking much less effort to do a 400 yard swim vs 250 in the OW. This means that someone who is only training in the pool and is even trying to do a 800 yard set for a 500 yard ows may be in for a HUGE shock when they hit the OW and I don't mean the kicking, the pulling and the swimming over people. IT takes more energy to swim in open water both mentally and physically to go the same distance. If you are not prepared for this it can really screw you up.

I'm decent in the bike and horrible in the run especially since I have been injured for the past 5+ weeks and have another 2 off it. But come october at my first race I will be one of the first 5 or so people out of the water from what I can calculate at my first tri, This will do a lot for me mentally and hopefully much worse for my competition. Plus that 400 yard swim will be a joke for me, but it may not be for some other people. Since I practice open water a lot I'll be a head of most it seems as well, this will help me tons.

I do both every week, its not even close to the same. Granted my technique was perfected (as much as its going to be) 10+ years ago so I am not learning like many are, but its two different swims.

Most of the people I have spoken with where I swim OW at think the distances is 400+ yards due to the effort and time it takes them.. I barely did a sub minute 100m at my peak I an certainly not doing that now. What does this mean? that OWS is tough even for people who have been doing tris for years to the point that they think the distance is much greater than it is since they are used to a pool.

Again I agree that for technique and intervals the pool is better, but you can't discount the benefits of training in OW since there are techniues you can't mimic in the pool no matter how much you think siting a water bottle at the end of your lane is like siting in a lake.

I wouldnt bother Morph..."Jeff in Boise" cant or wont understand...quite clearly with turns you gain speed off the wall and there is less chop or wind...

When you switch to OWS you are recieving great PHYSICAL benefits of non stop swimming and an adjustment of stroke...

Its up to each individual to decide but if you have the opportunity to hit the OW once a week then I would do it-It will help you...Or you could splash around with Jeff in the middle of the pack...

did my first OWS....

water was dark, but warm, was choppy, a lot of kelp, i swam slower but i could go alot farther without getting tired... i think it helped me slow my stroke and build my endurance...

i have no fear of the water so that psychological part doesn't bother me

i will try and do more OWS its jsut alot farther from home lol