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What are your mental strategies for coping with pain during tough workouts and competitions?

Powerful mental strategies for conquering workout pain

I have little mantras and triggers that I use to help me get through difficult sessions, tough workouts, things like that. Things that bring me back to the present moment. Little sayings, whether it be, dig deep or keep going, or it can be anything I always say. Sometime I'll say go fast, be tough. That's something my dad always used to say to me. So between that, and then also keeping the why you're doing it, very, very present in your mind, I think, is a really good thing, and can be very motivating. Knowing your reason, knowing why you're doing it, knowing why you're putting yourself through that kind of workout, knowing why you're doing a certain set is really important. And can definitely can definitely level you up, and help you sort of get through some of those things, I think. That's what's worked for me.

I use mantras and triggers to help me get through tough workouts. Examples of mantras include "dig deep" or "keep going," and I also remind myself why I'm doing it, which is very motivating.

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To cope with pain during tough workouts and competitions, I rely on mental strategies that help me stay present and motivated. I have little mantras and triggers that bring me back to the moment and keep me going. Whether it's saying dig deep or keep going, these phrases serve as reminders to push through the discomfort.

Additionally, I often recall the words my dad used to say to me: go fast, be tough. This phrase holds personal significance and provides an extra boost of motivation.

Keeping the why behind my efforts at the forefront of my mind is crucial. Understanding the reasons behind my training and the purpose of each workout helps me stay focused and determined. It's important to constantly remind myself of the purpose behind the challenging sessions and sets.

By combining these mental strategies, I have found success in coping with pain and pushing through difficult workouts and competitions.

How much aerobic training does it take to finish a 50/100/200?  Is it a question of lactate tolerance in the 200 to split as Biedermann did?

Unlocking Lactate Tolerance: The Key to Finishing Strong

This is something I'm still working on and still trying to figure out. At this point. I've started doing a little bit more training towards the 200 which I find is helping me finish the 100 better. Now a lot better at least than I did when I started swimming back and racing back last year. I would always sort of tighten up at the end of my of my races. Whereas now I think I'm a lot fitter. We do a lot of lactate removal production removal work which, you know will be like a set of of 50 50s at 100 meter Pace in which you're trying to spike your lactate up straight into a set of, you know, it could be four to six 100's to send down to maybe 20 or 30 beats below maximum High rate Shrine to tolerate the lactate and use a lactate that you just produce as fuel. So I really like that work and find it really helped me with my Hundred. So I think a fair bit of aerobic training is important. Ain't even if you are just 100 meters from us, like myself, currently as opposed to sort of trying to do all speed work, Speed Works important Sprint, Works important, but I think you don't have a mix of both.

I've been doing more training for the 200, and it's helped me finish the 100 better. I've been doing lactate removal production removal work to help with my tolerance of lactate and use it as fuel. I think a mix of both aerobic and speed training is important for a successful 100 race.

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I'm still in the process of figuring out the optimal amount of aerobic training required to excel in the 50/100/200 events. However, I have noticed that incorporating more training specific to the 200 has helped me finish the 100 better than before. In the past, I would often tighten up towards the end of my races, but now I feel fitter.

One training method that has been beneficial is lactate removal/production removal work. This involves doing sets of 50s at 100-meter pace to spike lactate levels, followed by sets of 100s at a slightly lower intensity to train the body to tolerate and utilize lactate as fuel. I find this work helpful for my 100-meter performance.

While speed work and sprint training are important, I believe a significant amount of aerobic training is also crucial, even for athletes primarily focused on the 100 meters like myself. It's important to find the right balance between speed work and aerobic training.

Curious to know how you’re able to gain so much raw swim speed within such a short period of time. In your opinion what have you been doing right?

From Zero to Hero: How Uncomfortable Positions and Extreme Optimism Helped Me Gain Raw Swim Speed

Hey Scott, thanks for this. I wish I had Direct an exact answer for you, but pretty much since I started like. We, I went from in a training sense, from 0 to 100 straight away. Like I don't really didn't have this long on ramp. I kind of like jumped into the center of the fire. Like, when I started when Brett Hawk and I started working together, like, you know, we started doing fast, swimming, speed sets things, every single day, power work, like jumping into these, big lactate sets, like before certainly long before. I was ready to do them, like stuff like 24 50s, best, average. Judge on 130, like before I had any aerobic, Base fitness whatsoever. You know, I'd get to number 17 and just throw up and then get back in and do the last 7 and stuff like that is putting myself in really, really uncomfortable positions. You know, I always, I was in that had a feel for the water I think, from, from a young age, just like a natural thing, but, you know, that, that only could could have me swimming so quick without putting that. At work in. So I pretty much started trying to do everything right from the start like covering all my bases from diet eating. Well, sleeping while recovering well, training is as best as I could like just putting myself out of my comfort zone all the time. Like we're stepping into the land of the unknown every single day, trying to put move myself forward and that's still what I'm doing. Like, I think it's very easy to kind of, you know, just do what, you know as opposed to like just get it going out a little further over the edge, every single And also belief in yourself, like I've I'm living from a place of extreme optimism to be honest and and belief in myself every single day which just sort of carries helping to carry me forward and you know, I just wanted to go fast and go fast now and definitely come a lot further than I expected to this this this far, like I didn't even really expect to be like starting to race until this year. So the fact that I'm I am doing, that is cool. But just trying to do as much of it right as I can and believe in myself, yeah.

I jumped into training with Brett Hawk and I started doing power work, lactate sets, and pushing myself out of my comfort zone everyday. I also had to make sure I was eating well, sleeping well, and recovering well. And believing in myself every day is what helped me get to where I am today.

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Scott, thanks for asking. I don't have a precise answer, but I can share my experience. When I started training with Brett Hawk, we immediately focused on fast swimming and speed sets. We did power work and intense lactate sets, even before I had built up my aerobic base. It was about putting myself in uncomfortable positions and pushing beyond my limits.

I've always had a natural feel for the water, but that alone wouldn't have been enough. I made sure to cover all aspects of training, from diet and recovery to pushing myself out of my comfort zone every day. I constantly strive to move forward and explore the unknown.

Belief in myself has also played a significant role. I approach each day with extreme optimism and confidence, which helps propel me forward. I wanted to go fast and achieve my goals sooner than expected. While I still have a long way to go, I've come further than I anticipated.

Overall, it's about doing everything right, pushing boundaries, and having unwavering belief in myself.

How did you increase your ability to hold your breath underwater? What strategies do you use to deal with the urge/anxiety to breathe?

Dive into Breath-Holding Mastery: Overcoming Anxiety & Increasing Lung Capacity

Really good question. And this is something that I still struggle with. I definitely feel that anxiety. When we do some like hypoxic, work and breath control work and stuff. What we, what we do a lot of is, will do like eight 50s, pull where you do of 850. Is on a minute. We do four breaths three, rest to rest. One breath, three breaths to rest. One, breath, 0 breaths. And so, you're trying to basically preload. And the lungs and prepare the lungs to do a no breath 50. And I don't think it was until maybe about six months of trying to do that, that I, that I had overcome the anxiety and and got comfortable holding my breath longer and pushing through those kind of pushing through those thresholds where, you know, you have the urge to breathe, you feel like you really need the breath and getting comfortable sitting on it with those threat with those with that. Feeling embracing the pinch. I like to call it and we do that. We also do a lot of set so we do like 25 is underwater with fins on like descending intervals, but I think it's I think it's just a matter of starting small and working your way up, you know, don't don't Place yourself too far out of your comfort zone. I think just like edged forward. Each time. I get a little bit better at it. And then before, you know it, you know, you'll be a ton better because I definitely Lee couldn't hold my breath for 50 meters, probably until a few months back and now I can pretty much do it. Whenever I, whenever I have two whenever it's written into the session so small steps make for bigger goals happen.

It's important to start small and work your way up when it comes to breath control and hypoxic work. Gradually increasing your comfort zone will help you overcome the anxiety associated with holding your breath and pushing through thresholds. With consistent practice, you'll eventually be able to hold your breath for longer distances.

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Increasing the ability to hold your breath underwater and dealing with the urge/anxiety to breathe is something I still struggle with. When doing hypoxic and breath control work, we use strategies like preloading the lungs. For example, we do sets of eight 50s, where you gradually decrease the number of breaths between each 50. This helps prepare the lungs for a no-breath 50.

It took me about six months of consistent practice to overcome the anxiety and become more comfortable holding my breath for longer periods. Pushing through the urge to breathe and embracing the discomfort was key. We also incorporate sets like underwater 25s with fins on descending intervals.

Starting small and gradually working your way up is important. Don't push yourself too far out of your comfort zone initially. Take small steps and each time, you'll improve a little bit more. Before you know it, you'll be able to hold your breath for longer distances. I personally couldn't hold my breath for 50 meters until a few months ago, but now I can do it whenever it's part of the training session. Remember, small steps lead to achieving bigger goals.

What are some technical elements you focus on when swimming butterfly? Saw from race videos that you had an amazing kick.

Mastering the Butterfly: The Secret to a Powerful Kick and Perfect Technique

Thanks, Scott. My kick has been something. I worked a lot on over the last six months and it's always been a really massive. I've always placed a massive emphasis on it in my training since I, since I started back 18 months ago, and I dealt with shoulder injuries on and off, and it was particularly quite bad over sort of December January, February this year. So, I spent a lot of time on the kick board and improve my kick a lot, which has helped my fly kick. You know, not only having a really strong thumping down kick, but also a nice whippy up kick as well, but currently right now and I'm focusing on in my technically focusing on the butterfly is my upper body. Particularly my head, not lifting my head so quickly to breathe like not reaching for the breath and therefore, kind of slipping on the front catch. So I'm holding a cookie. So I tend to attend to in my life. Fly. Reach my head and slip out to the side on my, on my couch, as opposed to sort of hitting locking on and hitting my catch at shoulder length, or at shoulder width straight away and keeping my head sort of flattened, keep in my, you know, forehead and the top of my head towards the wall and not raising to breathe to try and keep my hips up and keep my body flower. So, overall, trying to work on right now. A more, a more precise, and Strong, catch less less head movement, and overall flutter butterfly.

I have been focusing on improving my kick over the last 6 months, and now my focus is on perfecting my butterfly technique. I am trying to keep my head down, hit the catch at shoulder width straight away, and keep my hips up and body flat.

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Thank you, Scott. I appreciate the compliment on my kick. It's something I've dedicated a lot of time and effort to over the past six months. I've always placed a strong emphasis on my kick in training, especially since I returned to swimming 18 months ago after dealing with shoulder injuries.

I spent a significant amount of time on the kickboard to improve my kick, which has greatly benefited my butterfly kick. I focused on developing a powerful downward kick and a quick upward kick. Currently, my technical focus in butterfly is on my upper body, particularly my head positioning.

I'm working on not lifting my head too quickly to breathe, as this can cause me to slip on the front catch. Instead, I aim to maintain a streamlined position, keeping my head aligned with my body and not reaching for the breath. By doing so, I can engage my catch at shoulder length or width and keep my head flat, with my forehead and the top of my head facing the wall. This helps me keep my hips up and maintain a more efficient body position.

Overall, my current focus in butterfly is on achieving a more precise and strong catch, minimizing head movement, and maintaining a smooth and powerful butterfly stroke.

What makes Michael Bohl such a good coach?

Unparalleled Coach: Michael Bohl's Secrets to Success

Hi, Alicia, I love talking about my coach because I love him so much and I'm very, very lucky to be training in under one of the best coaches in the world in Michael Ball in one of the best squads I've ever seen or heard of to be honest. I think what makes him so good is one his, his long-standing experience. Not only as a, as an international level swimmer turned coach for the, you know, his results, sort of every Olympic cycle. You know, I'm pretty sure he's put more Australian Olympians on the team and he coach in Australian history and his ability to coach swimmers of all distances, you know, he's got the female 5 and 10 K Open Water Champion for this year and he also all the way down. You're not the Olympic champion for the 50 and 100 freestyle in a McKeon. And then back to Stephanie Ross, with the 200 400, IM Beijing Golds and world records. And I think his ability is probably about 20 of us in the squad now and his ability to manage all those swimmers and communicate with them. At the highest level with such an incredible temperament like the environment and the culture. He It's all is so unreal and so fun and so relaxed. And in just it's very encouraging, you feel encouraged to perform well under him and you don't I never feel pressured. I just feel encouraged and I think that's just the way he is and they kind of you know, the kind of energy he exudes and you he's the kind of guy you feel like you can put a lot of trust in faith in you want to do what he says and what he asks of you but you know the the diversity and swimmers he has all the way from from Emma Emma. We see bomb to Mac, Horton, Caleb McEwen to Brendan Smith to Clyde Lewis, you know, he's got like soon as that cover all distances and and strokes and, and Excel Adam to. So pretty cool to be a part of that and very feel, very lucky and honored to train with him.

I am very lucky to be coached by Michael Ball, who has put the most Australian Olympians in history onto the team. He is great at managing many swimmers and communicating with them in an encouraging way. He has a diverse range of swimmers covering all distances and strokes and it is an honor to train with him.

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Michael Bohl is an exceptional coach, and I feel incredibly fortunate to be training under him. He brings a wealth of experience to the table, having been an international level swimmer himself before transitioning into coaching. His track record speaks for itself, consistently producing results and guiding numerous Australian Olympians throughout his career.

What sets him apart is his ability to coach swimmers across all distances. From the 5 and 10K Open Water Champion to Olympic champions in the 50 and 100 freestyle, as well as gold medalists in the 200 and 400 IM, Michael has a diverse range of swimmers under his guidance.

His management skills and communication abilities are truly remarkable. Despite having a squad of around 20 swimmers, he creates an environment that is relaxed, fun, and encouraging. There is no sense of pressure, only a strong sense of support and motivation to perform well. His temperament and the culture he fosters make it easy to trust and have faith in his guidance.

The diversity of swimmers in our squad, ranging from Emma McKeon to Mack Horton, Caleb McEwen, Brendan Smith, Clyde Lewis, and more, is a testament to his expertise in coaching various strokes and distances. Being a part of such a talented group and training under Michael is an incredible honor, and I consider myself very lucky to have him as my coach.

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