Simple advice from a star: Make your workout as productive as possible
From poolside, Kate Ziegler looks like just another kid, bobbing in the water and staring up at coach Ray Benecki along with other members of the Fish, the McLean, Va., team she has trained with since early in her swimming career.
But when she takes off down the lane, she is under her own set of instructions for what to practice and focus on. And when she leaves the pool briefly to use the restroom, it's to supply the urine sample for a doping test. And by next week, when the team is winding down its summer schedule, she'll be in Beijing.
Even for those not ready to commit to 21 hours in the pool each week, not to mention four additional stretching and conditioning sessions, Ziegler and her coach distilled a few training principles that could benefit anyone serious about getting healthier and stronger.
To make your time in the gym or on the trail as productive as possible, set a small goal for each session. If you managed half an hour on the elliptical with the resistance at level 5 last time, for example, increase the intensity to level 6 for at least a few minutes during the next workout. Add some incline running to your treadmill session, or, if you're on the road, commit to making it up your route's most annoying hill without slowing.
The idea of trying to attack longer distances without losing speed can be used to set exercise goals at any level, whether in the pool, on the bike or on the trail.
Adding mock races to an exercise session has another benefit: working the body's different energy systems. A long, steady swim or run will primarily rely on aerobic energy. Break that up into sprints, with a couple of minutes' rest in between, and you are training your anaerobic system, which you rely on when you walk up the stairs.
