Less is More: Fastest at 40 Years Old

by James Fike, CEO /Founder of Fike Swim

If you haven’t read my previous Less Is More articles, check them out here:

Less Is More: Lifetime Bests at 38
Less Is More: Another Lifetime Best at 39
Less Is More: Accidentally Crushing a Best Time at Age 39

And if you really want the details, subscribe to my Less Is More vlog:

Two weekends ago at the KMSC Pro-Am I did what I thought was impossible just one year ago- I went under 54 in the 100 yard breast (53.81) and 24.19 in the 50. It was just two years ago I was saying I would give anything to go 54, and now here I am at the age of 40 thinking it might be possible to go 52! Here are the things I have focused on since I wrote the last article that made me break through that impossible barrier:

Technique
If you have followed my journey, you know this aspect of my training has been a long process. It started in 2018 with trying to get up higher in the water and shooting forward faster, but what I noticed from my race videos in March is that my head was still hanging back as my arms and upper body shot forward. So for the last eight months I have been intensely focused on slamming my face in the water and driving the top of my head forward, as if the back of the top of my head is attached to a rope being pulled down the pool. This race was the first time every stroke accomplished that.

Race Strategy
This was also the first time I really played to my biggest strength, which is strength. I can bench 325lbs, deadlift 400lbs, and pull up with 110lbs, so I have a lot of power. Rather than trying to mimic, say, Adam Peaty’s tempo, which has not gone so well for me, I approached each 25 like a freight train- a slower, more powerful tempo for the first two strokes (1.25), then accelerating to the wall with a faster tempo (1.0). Not coincidentally, I finished strong and without my biceps locking up in excruciating pain. Unfortunately, I deviated from this in finals of the 100, averaged a lower tempo, took two fewer strokes, and went 54.20.

Swim Sets
As I’ve said in previous articles, I do low-volume, high-intensity swimming, but in the last eight months I’ve added in a little bit of 75 and 100 work as my form and explosiveness has been more consistent across 25s and 50s. Historically, I have not maintained good form, power, or speed in traditional sets like 10×200 and I don’t intend to ever go back to sets like that, but working in a 100 here and there feels good. A couple times in the last training cycle I did a few 100s fast spread out over 30 minutes, and I also really liked this set:

4 Rounds (SCM pool):
75 dps (2 strokes/25) @ 1:15
25 ez @ :45
75 fast @ 1:15
75 ez @ 2:45
The dps 75s will be around :59 and the fast around :49.

But my favorite set is still:
4 Rounds (SCM pool):
1×50 fast @ :55
3×50 ez @ :55
4 Rounds:
1×50 fast @ 1:00
2×50 ez @ 1:00
4 Rounds:
1×50 fast @ 1:05
1×50 ez @ 1:05
I typically have a few 31s and the rest are 32s.

The surprising change in my practices has been the near elimination of kicking. I do quite a bit in the first few weeks of a training cycle as I get in shape but then almost no kick sets the rest of the season. There are two reasons kick has been relegated to a warm-up-only activity. The first is that I prioritize leg work in the weight room over leg work in the pool, which is due to the second reason- my kick is a small, narrow fraction of what it used to be. Also, around half of my race is a pullout, which is different from the other strokes that use repeated underwater kicking, so I need one explosive push, a monster pulldown, and one good kick. Those big pushes and my upper body strength are what get me down the pool. Plus, I work my legs so hard in the weight room they feel like sandbags in the water, so piling on heavy kick sets is only going to put my legs in a deeper hole they can’t recover from. I grew up on the mantra that kick is king, especially for breaststrokers, so accepting this new approach has been difficult. But I’d rather be a fast swimmer than a fast kicker, and until my swims in practice slow down a kick-free practice is the new way.

Weight Room
My gains in the weight room have been an important part of my success in a stroke that relies heavily on power. As I said above, my bench press reached 325lbs, deadlift hit 400lbs, and pull up was with 110lbs, which allows me to get great distance off the walls, strong pulldowns, and big lunges forward. I didn’t change a whole lot from the last training cycle that lead up to the March swims, but I did make pull ups and bent over rows priorities. Prior to March I kind of sprinkled them in, but since March they were a major part of every Monday and Friday (Wednesdays are for small muscle exercises). I also emphasized more leg work in the gym, which was good, but it put my legs in a hole that a six-week taper barely got them out of.

Journal
For a long time, I stubbornly thought I could just remember the big wins in my training, but sometimes days, or even minutes, after a workout I would struggle to recall the exact amount of weight or pace time or whatever. I would get so irritated that I hadn’t just written it down. Now I keep a log of every workout and I can’t recommend it enough to the swimmers I coach in-person and remotely around the country. It motivates and reminds you of all your successes, big and small, which is especially important heading into a big meet when you might be second-guessing yourself. It’s also therapeutic.

I left the Pro-Am knowing I still have more in me and that is a truly amazing feeling.  Right now, I’m thinking at least a 53.5 in the 100 and possibly a 1:57 in the 200.  I’ll get another chance in March.  Until then it’s four more weeks of hard training followed by another six week taper.  Good luck with your training.  I hope this helps you SWIM DIFFERENT!

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About Fike Swim

“We design products exclusively for the toughest sport in the world.  We unapologetically place swimmers on a pedestal.  The rigors they embrace on a daily basis can only be understood by another swimmer and they deserve a company focused 100% on helping them succeed.  Whether you’re just starting out or training for Tokyo, we stand behind you.”
-James Fike, Founder

Fike Swim Products was born when founder James Fike put a brick on top of a kickboard and transformed just another legs-only kick set into a total body workout felt into the next day. Since then it’s been our mission to create unique swim equipment with the single-minded goal of making you faster. We don’t sell toys. We create tools to help you reach your potential.

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