Why Swimmers Need to Use a Logbook to Optimize Their Training and Performance

When you started swimming, personal bests came to you regularly, whether it was monthly, weekly, or even daily. You might have looked at that improvement and thought it would go on like that forever. But it didn’t. When searching for answers, you might have come across a fitness tracker to start recording your sessions, to look for some reason why those improvements don’t just keep coming with the extra work. Looking at the data for intensity (intervals) or volume (yards swum in a session) tells you some things but doesn’t paint the whole picture. Other elements go into your performance and keeping a record of not just workouts but many of the other variables can help you make sense of the data. Here are a few of the key variables that you may want to keep in a swim log to help guide you to better results.

• Volume—This is the number of yards you swim. Simple enough to log because it is quantitative. It has a numerical value, and numbers are comfortable for us because they’re easy to understand. Everyone can relate to a 3000- or 5000-yard workout and what that means. In swimming we value the work.
• Intensity—This is how fast you swim each repeat. Wouldn’t it be great to go all out all the time? Of course, but the reality is that is not the best way to train so this is also a variable.
• Rest—This is how much rest you get between efforts in a workout. Coaches play with this a lot as an indicator of fitness. Combined with the other two and more than fair bit of technique work, rest completes the physiological puzzle for the workout.

The Rest of the Story

Although quantitative factors are easy to consume, there are qualitative factors that also have a profound effect on performance, not just on race-day but every day. And they affect how much you can move the quantitative variables. Here are a few to think about:

• Sleep—Sleep is when your body recovers and recharges. Sleep has a huge influence on how much training load (stress) you can take each day. Your ability to recover and be ready for the next day’s challenges are directly related to not only how much sleep but also the quality of the sleep you get. That means winding down, limiting screen time, and not eating too close to bedtime. Healthy sleep patterns are a game-changer in life and in sport.
• Nutrition—Food is fuel. A healthy diet that’s mostly plant-based, with appropriate macronutrients for your body and your goals, and low in ultra-high processed foods, is critical for life and for training. For training, using sports drinks and energy bars is fine, but a rock-solid commitment to healthy food every day is the best way.
• Stress—Some stress is good and some is bad. In training, physiological stress produces a response in the body that makes it ready for the next challenge and—managed well over time—can be optimal for training. Psychological stress plays a part in training, too, in terms of overcoming fears and self-doubt. But the psychological stress we can’t control is that which comes from job, family, school, social media, etc. Some reflection on what causes you psychological stress and your healthy coping strategies go a long way in a creating a balanced life in which you can set and reach training goals.

The Chronicles of You

Many swimmers keep logbooks of workouts. But what about less tangible data? A few simple notes about how you felt, what you ate, how you slept, and perhaps the things that are causing you extra stress, can be valuable in planning for future trainings. Not every elite athlete logs their meals but most of them at least think about the foods that make them feel good in training and the ones that, although may be tasty, slow them down. They also reflect on what’s wearing them down mentally. Many elite athletes keep track of how much they sleep and the quality of it. Everyone’s needs vary and there’s no one right way—it’s really about what works for you. So write it down! You’ll start to notice patterns and then you can make changes to optimize not just your training but your peak performance. Once you know yourself, you can rule yourself.