Swimming

What is the most non-obvious food/drink you eat that makes a difference to your training? 

Beets: The Secret Weapon for Training and Performance

So I think-- and this isn't non-obvious, but a food that I do think helps a lot-- and more so even at meats than training-- is beets or beet juice. So that's a good vasodilator, opens up the veins to help your blood flow a little bit easier. So beets is a good one.

Beets or beet juice can help improve blood flow, making them a useful food to eat in order to improve performance at both training and meat eating.

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One non-obvious food/drink that I find beneficial for training is beets or beet juice. While this may not be a surprising choice, it does have significant advantages, particularly for endurance activities. Beets act as a vasodilator, meaning they help open up the veins and improve blood flow. This can enhance overall performance during training sessions. So, beets are definitely a food to consider incorporating into your training routine.

What does the optimal hand entry, pull pattern, and head position look like for backstroke?

Mastering Backstroke Technique: Optimal Hand Entry, Pull Pattern, and Head Position

All right. So this one is pretty technical. So I think the first thing is to be aware of your body type and your body flexibility. For me, I've got really flexible shoulders. So I'm able to enter-- I mean, I'm able to enter like pretty close to like right behind my head. So that's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to get back into that position. I mean, some people are going to have to go a little bit wider to be able to get into a catch right away. I'm able to catch back here. So that's the first thing is your entry. You never want to cross over, but you want to go as far back as possible that your shoulder can do it and as quickly as you could catch the water. So that's why I'm thinking on hand entry on pool pattern. The way I think of it is if you're going up for an arm wrestle, that's your arm angle that you want. I mean, you want your strongest arm angle that you can really just kind of like turn it through. And then head position, this one's a little bit gets back down to body type. So I mean, there's some people that really push their head pretty far back. So if you do that, you're going to catch some waves on your shoulders. So that's not my style. I've got big shoulders. So if I'm catching resistance on the shoulders, that is not good for me. So I'm going to keep my head up a little bit higher, be a little bit more core driven. You never want to be tucking, but I think that the head is always going to be in line with the body. But are you going to be leaning back? Are you going to be leaning up a little bit? I tend to lean up. Some coaches don't like that. But that's how I do it. But some people do lean back, and I think it comes down to your body type for that one.

When performing hand entry for pool pattern, it is important to be aware of your body type and flexibility. You want to get back into the position as far as your shoulder can go, and use your strongest arm angle. Head position varies depending on the body type - some people lean back while others lean up a little bit.

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The optimal hand entry, pull pattern, and head position for backstroke can vary based on individual body type and flexibility. It's important to consider these factors when determining the ideal technique.

For hand entry, it's crucial to avoid crossing over and instead aim to enter the water as far back as your shoulder flexibility allows. Some individuals may need to enter slightly wider to achieve an effective catch, while others with flexible shoulders can enter closer to right behind their head.

In terms of the pull pattern, envision the arm angle used in an arm wrestle. You want to maintain a strong arm angle that allows you to catch the water efficiently and propel yourself forward.

Head position is also influenced by body type. Some swimmers may push their head far back, which can create resistance on the shoulders. Others, like myself, with larger shoulders may prefer to keep the head slightly higher and focus on core engagement. It's important to maintain alignment between the head and body, but the degree of lean can vary. Some coaches prefer a slight lean back, while others, like myself, prefer a slight lean up. Ultimately, the optimal head position depends on individual body type and preference.

What’s your favourite lactate set and what do you look for in them?

Swimmer shares brutal lactate set experience for ultimate pain and growth.

Honestly, I probably don't have a favorite lactate set because I don't really like lactate sets. But in the example of one that that we did, I was maybe like a month or two ago. The college guys had or meat. So I was, I was kind of just swimming alone which made this even less fun. But I think we did it was either 8 or 10. I think it was 10. 1050 is on. Or minutes all out fast. So by the end, I mean you I felt like doodoo but really good for forgetting the lactate spiked learning how to deal with the pain, but not not a very fun set by any means.

I don't have a favorite lactate set, but the last one we did was a 10x50 all out set which was challenging and helped me learn how to deal with pain.

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To be honest, I don't have a favorite lactate set because I don't particularly enjoy them. However, I can share an example of a lactate set I did recently. It was about a month or two ago when the college guys had a meet, so I ended up swimming alone, which made it even less enjoyable. I believe we did either 8 or 10 sets of 50 yards or meters, going all out and fast. By the end of the set, I felt exhausted but also satisfied with the challenge of pushing through the pain and learning to cope with it. It wasn't a fun set by any means, but it was effective for spiking lactate and pushing my limits.

What’s the hardest set, mentally or physically, you’ve ever done or given?

The Brutal Altitude Set: A Lung-Busting Challenge

All right. Well, I'll give you one from this December. So it was Christmas break. So everyone was off for the holidays, and we had a little group chat with the team about sets that people had done. So I went up to Tahoe. I was up at altitude. I was visiting my girlfriend's family. And Sean Grisham put a set in the group chat that was like-- it sucked. I mean, it really sucked at altitude. I think it was a 500 on 540 freestyle, a 400 IM on 440, and then two rounds through a 400 freestyle on 430, and a 300 IM on 330, and then three times through a 300 free on 320 and a 200 IM on 220 four times through. Blah blah blah. I mean, you could get the pattern. It was my first day up at altitude. And for anyone that hasn't trained at altitude, it's really hard on the lungs, and especially short course. So I went-- and I was also a little bit out of shape. I had done ISL all of November. So you could swim there, but you're swimming is really just all speed training. You're not doing an aerobic set like that. So I remember, I got-- I mean, I didn't finish the set. I think I got down to the 300. And the 200, I did like one round. And I was just like my lungs feel like they're about to explode. And I was swimming alone, which, if I was swimming with a group, I probably would have just powered through it and done it with a group of guys. But swimming alone, you've got water aerobics going on two lanes over from you. That is just mentally, the worst thing to see when you're just absolutely eating it in a practice. So that was one of the hardest ones that I've done, given the circumstances.

I attempted an intense set while visiting a family member at altitude during Christmas break, but it was so hard on my lungs that I couldn't finish it.

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One of the hardest sets I've done was during Christmas break. I was up in Tahoe at altitude, visiting my girlfriend's family. Sean Grisham shared a set in our group chat that was brutal, especially at altitude. It involved a 500 freestyle on 540, a 400 IM on 440, and multiple rounds of 400 freestyle and 300 IM on specific intervals. The pattern continued with decreasing distances.

It was my first day at altitude, and I was a bit out of shape from competing in ISL throughout November, which focused more on speed training. Swimming at altitude is challenging for the lungs, especially in a short course pool. I started the set, but I couldn't finish it. I made it to the 300 and only completed one round of the 200. My lungs felt like they were about to explode.

What made it even tougher was that I was swimming alone. If I had been with a group, I might have pushed through and completed it alongside my teammates. However, swimming alone while seeing water aerobics happening in the nearby lanes was mentally challenging. It was tough to keep going when I felt like I was struggling so much.

Given the circumstances, that set stands out as one of the hardest I've done.

What do you think is the single most important technical aspect of each swim stroke?

Mastering swim strokes: Key technical aspects revealed!

Yeah, this is a great question. Single most important technical aspect of each swim stroke. I'll start with butterfly. I think it's really-- I think it's really body position on the water. It ends up being kind of an up-and-down type of stroke. So being able to utilize your core to get up and over is something that's really important there. Obviously the [INAUDIBLE] and catch are important everywhere, but I'm going to try to stay away from those. Freestyle, I would say the most important technical aspect for me is finding a rhythm. I think it's an interesting stroke trying to manage the timing of the kick, the catch, turning the head to breathe. Finding the right rhythm of all that's tough. I have no idea what the most important technical aspect of the breaststroke is. I'll pass on that one. And then backstroke, I think the most important technical aspects are really figuring out how much you're going to rotate based on the distance. So there's a lot of different schools of thought in backstroke at the moment. I feel there's a lot of people that are swimming a lot more flat on backstroke. But then on the longer races, people still are rotating. So just kind of figuring out that balance, managing tempo, and basically finding the great balance between tempo and rotation is the most important technical aspect for backstroke.

The most important technical aspect of butterfly is body position on the water, freestyle is finding a rhythm, breaststroke is not known, and backstroke is finding the balance between tempo and rotation.

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The single most important technical aspect of each swim stroke varies, but here are some key considerations. 

For butterfly, body position on the water is crucial. Utilizing your core to maintain a proper up-and-down motion is essential.

In freestyle, finding a rhythm is vital. Managing the timing of the kick, catch, and head turn for breathing can be challenging, so establishing a smooth and consistent rhythm is important.

Regarding breaststroke, it's difficult to pinpoint a single most important technical aspect.

In backstroke, determining the appropriate amount of rotation based on the distance is crucial. Different schools of thought exist, with some swimmers opting for a flatter position while others rotate more. Striking the right balance between rotation and tempo is key.

While these aspects are significant, it's important to note that each swim stroke involves multiple technical elements that contribute to overall performance.

Ramzam's Surprising Bench Press Revelation: It's Not a Focus!

Ramzam-- the heavy-hitting questions here-- bench press max. I honestly don't really-- I don't really bench press that much. I'm much more powerful in my legs but-- and we also don't really go with the barbell too much. We go with dumbbells. I think on dumbbells, maybe I've hit-- I'm honestly not exactly positive. I want to say I've hit 125 for two reps, so at 125 in each hand for dumbbell bench. But it's not really-- like that's not a focus. Dumbbell bench is not a focus of my weight program.

I think I've hit 125 for two reps on dumbbells for bench press, though it's not a focus of my weight program.

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Ah, the bench press max question, a classic. To be honest, I don't really focus on bench pressing that much. My strength lies more in my legs. Additionally, I tend to use dumbbells rather than barbells. If we're talking about dumbbell bench press, I believe I've reached around 125 pounds for two reps, but please don't hold me to that exact number. It's not a major focus in my weight program.

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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.