On the Verge

   I have been on the verge of a few over-use or over-training issues lately. Of course it is my joints, no news there. I don't know how many times I've said, "If my joints and connective tissues were as strong as my muscles and bones I would be a fucking superhero." It's the truth. I've never broken a bone (knock on wood) despite the stupid shit I've done. And my muscles get stronger up to the point that my joints start crying "Uncle" and I have to let myself plateau. I'm at that point, where I have to let myself plateau for a bit (damnit). At least the pains aren't all on one side: flirting with runner's knee in my right knee, swimmer's shoulder on the left, my right hip keeps putting in its two cent's worth, my right collar bone has been aching, and my left elbow is painful to the slightest touch (which is a constant actually, so really shouldn't be on the "over-use" list since it screams like a bitch pretty much all the time).
     What to do about this litany of whines? Nothing. Not a damned thing. I don't have time to waste crying about my aches and pains. Honestly, I can't and won't stop training. What I can do is modify some of my workouts to relieve a bit of the stress. Case in point: today's leg workout. With my right knee giving me that all too obvious warning pain I opted to forego my squats, lunges and leg press today. Instead I added in single leg deadlifts, which don't put strain on the knee but help activate glutes, as well as work on balance. This is an exercise I have done regularly in the past, but had let it slide a bit since I was aiming at heavier loads lately. I also added an extra set each of weighted kick backs and high knees on the pulley machine. For my shoulder, I am focusing on maintaining good stroke mechanics at all times, really listening to my body and making sure I am not overburdening my shoulders.
    Swimming today I did a couple of experiments, just to satisfy my own curiosity. It is no secret that my kick sucks. I've been working on it, doing kicking drills with and without fins. I've been doing them to improve body positioning and hip rotation, but mostly because kick drills give me a hella good aerobic workout. Anyway, my experiments. I swam a couple of laps, freestyle sans pull buoy, in other words, the way most people swim. Funny thing, without the pull buoy, and doing a normal 2 beat kick, it takes me 12 strokes per length, and my breathing is elevated. Swimming with the pull buoy, which means upperbody only, no kick at all, it only takes me 11 strokes per length, and my breathing stays even and easy. In other words, I swim faster and easier if I don't use my legs at all. The other experiment I did was comparing a high elbow pull to a straight arm, deep pull. The theory is that the high elbow pull should use less energy, though the straight arm pull can be faster. The theory is half right, the high elbow pull is a lot easier, less fatiguing, and less muscle strain. The straight arm, deep pull is not faster though.  So, I will continue with my nice, high elbow pull. What these experiments boil down to is; Swim Smarter Not Harder  *duh*