According to my coaches, winter break=bootcamp.
So, I'm finding myself with 5 hours of swimming a day (2x 2.5 hour practices). And we're swimming ~5 miles a practice (10 miles a day, so about 50 miles of swimming this week).
Needless to say, saying "I'm sore" is an understatement.... and yesterday was only Day1!!
Any tips to combat the muscle soreness? I'm already taking ibuprofin, icy hot, and stretching.
If you are this sore after day one you won't be able to continue in this "bootcamp"; there is no treatment for overuse soreness other than rest. This regimen sounds insane and abusive, you need to ask yourself why you are participating in this activity. This schedule might be appropriate training for world class swimmers at peak level of fitness.
See, I'm already used to swimming a good 4-6 miles per practice, so this isn't so bad. About 1/2 of the distance is easy swimming too.
Insane? I think so. But my coach has other opinions, and the soreness is mutual among the team. Were I to not show up means not being on the team, and as much as I'm against the training regimin, the team is my family and I think I'd be quite lonely without them.
And world class swimming? Um no. This is high school swimming and typical/usual among all the other schools I know. World class craziness (during their peak week) is something ridiculous like 8 hours a day and 15 miles. What we're doing qualifies as an easy week!
Original Post by srrussell3:
If you are this sore after day one you won't be able to continue in this "bootcamp";
So if you are sore after the first day of increased activity, you should give up?
She said she's sore - not that she's dying. Given her user name, I'd guess she isn't completely unfamiliar with this level of activity.
I find light activity (active rest) to be the most beneficial. I've heard that ibuprofen can diminish the productivity of workouts (at least, when lifting), so I try to limit my use of it unless I really need it.
Just make sure you are eating enough!
Original Post by amethystgirl:
Original Post by srrussell3:
If you are this sore after day one you won't be able to continue in this "bootcamp";
So if you are sore after the first day of increased activity, you should give up?
She said she's sore - not that she's dying. Given her user name, I'd guess she isn't completely unfamiliar with this level of activity.
I find light activity (active rest) to be the most beneficial. I've heard that ibuprofen can diminish the productivity of workouts (at least, when lifting), so I try to limit my use of it unless I really need it.
Just make sure you are eating enough!
Thanks Amythestgirl! You're right, I'm sore- not dying. I'm still able to move around, swim without "injury" pain (and I know what that feels like!).
And as for eating... I don't even want to think about the calories I've been consuming! All I know is that somehow we didn't have any leftovers last night, and all the cookies magically disappeared! ;)
Original Post by tryatri:
All I know is that somehow we didn't have any leftovers last night, and all the cookies magically disappeared! ;)
Weird! Santa must have eaten them.
Original Post by tryatri:
Any tips to combat the muscle soreness? I'm already taking ibuprofin, icy hot, and stretching.
I was going to say... Death has to be an option 
I was so happy to see that my response generated some interest in your post. As a former level 3 hocky coach I understand the need to push athletes at times and the benefit to belonging with a team ("Miracle" is one of my favorite movies). In my opinion, the point in training is to prepare an athlete to be able to perform at peak level for important competitions and sometimes that takes pushing them beyond their percieved physical and mental limits. I also have seen young athletes dedicate years to a sport, burn out and never participate in sports or fitness activities again. Prolonged muscle soreness after hard activity is usually caused by microtears of the muscles and connective tissues (lactic acid soreness resolves pretty quickly); the pain generally worsen for a day or two then starts to subside (it's called DOMS: delayed onset muscle soreness) as the tissues repair. If it's not too bad you can continue to function but at times it can be incapacitating. Once the muscles heal you might be more fit. Chronic damage without adequate rest can lead to "over-use" injuries (typically in the form of tendonitis) and will result in a decrease in function. Over training can also reduce performance. To avoid this, trainers have come up with a concept called "Periodization", in which periods of intense training alternate with periods of relative rest to avoid these problems and prepare athletes for peak performance. Warm soaks, ice-downs, massage, stretching, anti-inflammatory meds, "icy-hot" rubs, etc have been tried to speed up recovery from DOMS, they might make you feel better but nothing truly speeds muscle repair. Good nutrition, hydration and rest are important. Good luck with Bootcamp, I appreciate your dedication to your sport and your team.
Original Post by srrussell3:
To avoid this, trainers have come up with a concept called "Periodization", in which periods of intense training alternate with periods of relative rest to avoid these problems and prepare athletes for peak performance.
Yes, we do this too. This is peak training week, next 2 weeks will be closer to normal (4-6 miles a day), and then we start to taper down- nice, long -easy- sets to stretch out combined with a few sprints... only 1-2 miles a day (which for us, isn't much at all, especially when warm up/cool down makes up 1/2 of that distance!). What I'm doing now is only one week out of the entire year!
drink lots of water!
drink lots of water!
Wow!
Isn't swimming a mile the equivalent to running 3?
I don't swim - one hour and I am eating soo much!!
I just want to say I am impressed, good for you for being so fit! Good luck with the practices.
Fish oil.
sfredbull- I've heard that conversion before, and it's pretty close. An all out mile (swimming) is about the same time as an all out 5k (running) for me. However, I find it much easier to swim for an hour at a 2mph pace than to run for an hour at a 6mph pace. (those aren't my usual paceing rates, but easy numbers to use as an example)
Bmx- what does fish oil do?
I finished day2. Warmup was painful, but the pain dissipated as practice went on (except towards the end where we were just tired)
This article is really more for a brand of fish oil, but it provides a lot of info. Clicky
If you're female(cause idk), then pretty much any Omega 3 supplement will do. Basically, helps reduce inflammation, which is associated with DOMS, among other things.
