Access expert advice from the world’s top swimmers and swim coaches. Whether you want to learn about stroke technique, race strategy, or training plans, you’ll find informed answers from top experts like Emma McKeon, Bob Bowman, and many more.

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Brett Hawke is a former competitive swimmer and coach. He represented Australia at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics and won 7 international medals. As an Auburn Tigers swimmer, he earned 17 All-American honors and 9 NCAA titles. After his pro swimming career, he became an Assistant Coach at Auburn University. At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, he guided Cesar Cielo to victory in the Men's 50 Freestyle. Cesar's gold medal swim was the first in Brazil's history.  At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Brett helped guide Bruno Fratus to a Bronze medal in the Men's 50 Free. Today, Brett hosts the #1 swimming podcast in the world, “Inside with Brett Hawke” where he interviews some of the world’s highest performing swimmers (and humans). He is also the Head of Creator Acquisition at AnyQuestion!

🇦🇺  Australian Swimmer/Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist 

Coach to Olympic World Record Holder Adam Peaty and coach to 6 Olympic Medals in 2020+1. 4x British Coach of the year. Life’s for living 

5 x USA Olympic Coach.  Head Coach of ASU Swimming and Diving, Coached swimmers to 35 Olympic Gold Medals and 40 World records.

Bruno Fratus is a professional swimmer from Brazil. A sprint freestyle specialist, Fratus competed in the 2012 London Olympics and represented Brazil in front of a home crowd at the Rio Olympics. Fratus won several medals at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai and 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara. In 2012, he finished fourth in the 50m freestyle at the London Olympics and won a bronze in the 400m freestyle relay. He also underwent shoulder surgery in 2014 and had a great comeback year. At the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships, he won gold in the 50m freestyle and bronze in the 400m freestyle relay. At the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, he won a bronze in the 50m freestyle, and at the 2015 Pan American Games, he won silver in the 50m freestyle and gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay. In 2019, Fratus won a silver medal in the 50m freestyle at the World Championships, 2 gold medals at the Pan American Games. At the 2020 Olympic Games he won his first Olympic medal.

Margaret Hoelzer is proof that if you put your mind to it, anything is possible. Overcoming sexual abuse as a child, Hoelzer rose to the top in her sport of swimming and continues to excel as an internationally recognized motivational speaker and advocate.  In 2008 after competing in her second Olympic Games becoming a three-time Olympic medalist, and breaking a World Record, Margaret revealed to the world that she had been sexually abused as a child.  Leveraging her platform as an Olympic athlete to help spread awareness in a time before the times up and me too movements, Margaret was one of the first professional athletes to speak out about her experience with sexual abuse.  She is currently a spokesperson for the National Children’s Advocacy Center and is a featured survivor in the national award winning Darkness to Light training video,“Stewards of Children.”  Margaret has received numerous awards for her advocacy work.

➡️ Swimming 🏊‍♂️💨 ➡️ 2 Time ISL Champion🏆 ➡️World Champion🥇 ➡️ Olympic/World/European Champion Coach ➡️ World Coach of the Year ➡️ MSc Politics

At age 5, Ryan Murphy began breaking records with his passion and commitment to swimming. He attended the University of California, Berkeley, winning the 100 and 200-yard backstroke events at the NCAA Championships four times. He holds the American Record in five backstroke events and won three gold medals at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. In 2017, he turned pro, earned the PAC 12 Scholar Athlete of the Year award and graduated from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business. At the 2018 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships and 2018 World Championships, he swept the backstroke events and was named USA Swimming's Male Athlete of the Year. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, he won gold in the 4x100m medley relay, silver in the 200m backstroke, and bronze in the 100m backstroke. Ryan is passionate about teaching swimming and being a role model for young swimmers. He currently trains in Berkeley, CA, aiming for a third-straight Olympic appearance in Paris.

Question is, how do you coach IM? And it's debatable if I'm doing something right, but we've had some success with it. Thanks, Brett. I believe in a couple things with the IM. Number one, you have to be technically good in all four strokes, so we're constantly trying to work on that aspect of performance. Number two, you need to touch all the bases and energy systems. So you need to have endurance, you have to have speed, you have to have lactate tolerance, you have to have lactate production. All of these things go into an IM swimmer, so you have to have a balanced program that touches on all of those things during the week as well as resistance training, power training. I think those things are important. I-- as an IM coach-- believe in giving them something they can sink their teeth into through the heart of the season, so I tend to touch every stroke in a major way-- except maybe butterfly unless they're a 200 flier-- one day a week. So we'd have one major backstroke set, one major breaststroke set, one major freestyle set. Then we would have an IM day, we would probably have a day where they do their best stroke-- which, if it's back or breast, they get two days-- if it's butterfly, they get a full day of butterfly. And then I tend to give small doses of butterfly throughout the week all the time anyway. I do that for everyone. I just think it makes you a better swimmer. So I think you have to factor into your plan, not only the energy systems, the type of resistance work you want to do, but also how you touch on each stroke each week to balance out the complete swimmer. And that's the challenge of IM training, and, I think, what makes it really fun.

To coach IM, you need to focus on technical proficiency in all four strokes, touch all energy systems and resistance training, and give the swimmer something to sink their teeth into through the heart of the season. Additionally, you should be sure to touch on each stroke each week to create a balanced swimmer.

How do you coach IM? You’re clearly doing something right. 

The Art of Coaching IM: Building a Balanced and Versatile Swimmer

Coaching IM (Individual Medley) swimmers involves a few key principles that have led to some success. Firstly, it's important for swimmers to have strong technical skills in all four strokes. We prioritize working on this aspect of performance.

Secondly, IM swimmers need to develop proficiency in various energy systems. This includes building endurance, speed, lactate tolerance, and lactate production. A well-rounded program should incorporate training that addresses these different energy systems, as well as resistance and power training.

As an IM coach, I believe in providing swimmers with a comprehensive training plan. Throughout the season, we dedicate specific days to each stroke, except for butterfly, which is incorporated in smaller doses throughout the week. This approach allows swimmers to focus on their best stroke(s) while still maintaining a balanced training regimen.

The challenge of IM training lies in finding the right balance between energy systems, resistance work, and stroke-specific training. By considering these factors and ensuring a well-rounded approach, we aim to develop complete swimmers in the IM discipline.

Just watch this. This is Tom Shields, it is probably seven or eight days out of [INAUDIBLE] course. That was in Abu Dhabi, this is our training camp in Dubai. He's suited, this was the third of three 50s descend from the push. Decent rest, a decent rest, but just look what time this is-- like, breathe in, two, three, four, five strokes there. Let's see if I say the time. You say you pushed the other day? Listen. Phew! I filmed it as well, so you-- Not worse than the other day. 10 112 4. 22 six in the push. That's-- I can't explain that.

Tom Shields swam 50 meters in 10.1124 seconds, which is an impressive time.

Have you ever seen something you can’t explain?

Swimmer's Unexplainable Record-Breaking Time - Watch the Video!

Yes, I have seen something I can't explain. Let me share an example. There was a swimmer named Tom Shields during our training camp in Dubai. He was doing a series of 50s with decent rest in between. I filmed one of his swims, and when I checked the time, it was incredibly fast. I couldn't explain how he achieved such a remarkable time. It was truly impressive and left me in awe.

Why do we late hundred freestylers? Use a low ping stroke? Not all of them, some do. And they're more, the Senate 100-200, guys, that breathe every stroke. You know, more than 100 200, guys, we use the lope In freestyle and more the Sprint baseball, where use more of a straighter arm, kind of technique there. The fifty hundred guys, they will use them or Sprint technique. So, yeah, there's two different types of techniques lope and stroke more straight arms. Print, based technique lope in stroke is characterized by breathing every stroke and the reason why I do it. The reason why they do it is because they got they can if they're going to feel better in their back end. So the hundred two hundred guys, using the low pinstripe will do all their damage and the second 50, like our Charmers, he'll eat up everyone going down that second 50. Debbie Popovich e will go everything on that second 50. So that's that. Two different sort of two different styles, it's also less demanding on power, you know, the loping stroke breathing every stroke. You got option coming in less oxygen debt and it's also less aggressive for the muscle system. Um so that's why they use this so they get less fatigued at the end. So if you're more of a hundred 200 swimmer and you're trying to use the Sprint style, you're going to blow up at the end because it's too much muscle in there too much power.

Swimmers use the loping stroke when swimming 100-200 meters because it is less demanding on power and oxygen debt. It also results in less fatigue. It is different from the sprint technique which uses a straighter arm approach.

Why do elite 100 freestylers use a loping stroke?

Unveiling the Intriguing Technique of Elite 100 Freestylers

Elite 100 freestylers use a loping stroke for a few reasons. Not all of them use this technique, as it is more common among the 100-200 distance swimmers who breathe every stroke. The loping stroke is characterized by breathing every stroke and is known to be more effective in the second half of the race.

Swimmers who use the loping stroke can perform better in the latter part of the race. For example, in the second 50 of a 100-meter race, swimmers like Michael Phelps or Debbie Popovich excel using this technique. It allows them to make significant progress and outperform their competitors.

The loping stroke is also less demanding on power and results in less oxygen debt. It is a less aggressive technique for the muscle system, which helps swimmers avoid excessive fatigue towards the end of the race. If a swimmer who is more suited for the 100-200 distance tries to use a sprint-style technique, they may exhaust themselves too quickly due to the increased muscle power required.

In summary, the loping stroke is favored by elite 100 freestylers because it allows them to excel in the second half of the race, reduces oxygen debt, and minimizes muscle fatigue.

This is a good question. Leon is very similar to Michael in that he has natural speed. So he always can generate some speed, if we ask him to. The question is, how often do you ask him to do that. And in what context. So our micro cycle is a basic micro cycle that we used at Michigan, we used in [? NBAC. ?] We use it here, where we're alternating days of threshold training and endurance, aerobic type training with days of what we like to call active rest, which are easy, fast training, where the recovery is moving. And it's like a 50-50 anaerobic aerobic. And then finally, we do max VO2 training, which is purely anaerobic. So what we ask from Leon is that every day and every session, he's going to do something with a racing stroke at racing speed. And sometimes, I have to engineer that for him and make it easier for him to do. Sometimes I have to demand it from him and ask him to do it. I'll give you an example. One day we did a set of 3,100s, one on 110, one on 105, one on a minute, this is short course yards. And what I asked for was, the ones on the minute he needed to go on. And I asked for 48s. And then he could go five seconds slower on the 105s and five seconds slower on the 110. So he's probably 58s on the 110s, 53s, and 52s on the 105, right into 48 on a minute. And we did 30 of those. And he did quite well. And actually, the last one, he went 47 from 100. And then I had them go a 200, where they just did 100 kick, 100 swim easy. And they thought practice was over. And I said, OK, now, push 100 faster than you went in that set. And Leon was 46 flat. So he has speed. And we try to set it up so he can use it strategically like that. And that's how I think you do it. I don't think you just come in every day and ask for long sets, where they're at maximum speed. But you mix it in to the program as you go.

Leon has natural speed which can be used strategically in the program. We alternate days of threshold and aerobic training with active rest and max VO2 training, and we ask Leon to do something with a racing stroke at racing speed every day. We also engineer sets for him to do, and sometimes ask him to push faster than he usually goes.

Leon has the speed for the 50 free yet the endurance for the 400 IM. How do you construct the weekly micro cycle to train him for this range?

Unlocking Leon's Potential: Training with Speed and Endurance

To train Leon for his range of speed in the 50 free and endurance in the 400 IM, we follow a weekly micro cycle that alternates between different types of training.

Our micro cycle consists of alternating days of threshold training and endurance aerobic training with days of active rest. During active rest days, we focus on easy, fast training where the recovery is in motion. This type of training is a balance between anaerobic and aerobic work.

In addition, we incorporate max VO2 training, which is purely anaerobic, into the cycle.

For Leon, the key is to ensure that every day and every session includes something with a racing stroke at racing speed. Sometimes, I need to engineer the training to make it easier for him, while other times, I demand more from him and push him to perform at his best.

For example, we might do a set of 3,100s with varying intervals. On the ones with a minute interval, I would ask Leon to aim for 48-second swims. On the 105s and 110s, he can go five seconds slower. This allows him to strategically use his speed while still building endurance. We might also incorporate surprise challenges, like asking him to push a 100 faster than his previous set.

The key is to mix in both long sets and sets that focus on maximum speed strategically throughout the training program. This approach helps Leon develop and utilize his natural speed while building the necessary endurance for the 400 IM.

So three sets only, what would I use? So if I'm coaching a group range, so if you've got sprint middle distance and distance, for the distance guys, I'd use 25 200s. Now this is something that we used to do with our elite guys at Energy Standards. It was 25 200s all on 220. 220 is your turnaround. It goes for aerobic, then 1 progress, 1 to 5. That's kind of a little bit of VO2 max effects on there. So 25 200s, 4 aerobic, and 1 that progresses 1 to 5, finishing all out on the last one. So that's all on 220. So it's pretty fruity turnaround time as well. For the mid distance guys, I like the 7 200 step test. You don't need any lactate measuring equipment, don't any heart rate monitors. What you can do is intermittent periods parts in your cycle. You just do 7 200s, you can always tell progress 1 to 7. So 7 200 on 4 minutes. So lots of rest. Progress 1 to 7, progress 1 to 7 on that. And when you progress 1 to 7, what you need to do is you need to take the stroke count for that last 50. And that will help you-- if you haven't got the heart rate monitors or the lactate test and stuff that will help you to monitor where you at, take that stroke count on the last 50. Low stroke count, fast times, always very, very good. I feel the pure sprinters are like a bit of a lactic power work. Also you can class it a of ultra short race pace in there as well. So we're going to do a set of 30 25s, 30 25s. 1 pretty much all out, 2 aerobic. That's alactic power. So you're not going to produce too much lactate on that so you can keep the power going. 30 25s, 1 all out, even from a die from a push, 2 aerobic. And the aerobic has to be aerobic. It can't be-- I tend to say the word-- let me say for the sprinters-- shit backstroke. So they can't just flop on their back and start flopping around in the pool, pretending that they're dying. So they have to keep their core and their connection all together. So 1 all out, 2 aerobic. And what I would do-- I'd go the 1 all out on 30, the 1 aerobic on 30, and the last aerobic on 1 minute 30, so they got time to climb out and get to go again.

For a group of sprinters, middle distance, and distance athletes, I would use 25 200s for the distance guys, 7 200 step test for mid distance, and 30 25s with 1 all out, 2 aerobic for the sprinters. The last aerobic should be done on 1 minute 30 to give them time to climb out and get ready for their next set.

If you could only use 3 sets what would they be?

Revolutionize Your Training with 3 Sets: 25x200s, 7x200 Step Test, and 30x25s!

If I could only use three sets, here's what I would choose:

1. For distance swimmers, I would go with 25 200s. This set is inspired by what we used to do with our elite athletes at Energy Standards. The swimmers would do 25 200s, with a turnaround time of 220. The set includes 4 aerobic 200s and 1 progressive set from 1 to 5, finishing with an all-out effort on the last one.

2. For mid-distance swimmers, I would opt for the 7 200 step test. This set doesn't require any lactate measuring equipment or heart rate monitors. The swimmers would do 7 200s, progressively increasing the effort from 1 to 7. The interval for each 200 would be 4 minutes, providing ample rest. To monitor progress, the swimmers would focus on their stroke count during the last 50 of each 200.

3. For sprinters, I would incorporate a set of 30 25s. This set aims to work on lactic power and ultra-short race pace. The swimmers would do 30 25s, with one being an all-out effort and the other two being aerobic. It's important for the aerobic portions to be truly aerobic, maintaining core engagement and connection in the water. The intervals for this set would be 30 seconds for the all-out 25, 30 seconds for the aerobic 25, and 1 minute 30 seconds for the final aerobic 25 to allow time for recovery before starting the next round.

These three sets cater to different types of swimmers and focus on specific aspects of their training, whether it's aerobic endurance, stroke efficiency, or lactic power.

I ask myself this question a lot, and the answer is very simple. Ryan out-touched Michael in Shanghai World Championships, end of story. Beat him in the world championships, went 154.0, Michael's 154.1, and that's how it is. So congrats to Ryan, and I hope you're having a good day.

Ryan beat Michael in the Shanghai World Championships, going 154.0 to Michael's 154.1.

How is it possible that Ryan Lochte, and not Michael Phelps, is the 200 IM WR holder? Phelps is generally regarded as being more talented than Lochte.

The surprising truth behind Ryan Lochte's 200 IM world record

I often ponder this question, and the answer is quite straightforward. Ryan Lochte outperformed Michael Phelps in the Shanghai World Championships, and that's the end of the story. Ryan touched the wall first with a time of 1:54.0, while Michael finished with a time of 1:54.1. That's how Ryan became the 200 IM world record holder. Congratulations to Ryan, and I hope you're having a great day.