USRPT

USRPT is an acronym for Ultra-Short Race-Pace Training

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In 1967 Dr. Brent Rushall coined the term “ultra-short” in his Honours M.Sc. thesis at Indiana University.  Many years later the specificity of “race-pace” was added, but it wasn’t until late 2012 that Dr. Rushall and Cameron Yick officially labeled the training method USRPT.

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The principle of specificity states that sports training should be relevant and appropriate to the sport for which the individual is training in order to produce a training effect.

This principle sets the rules for USRPT and any training activity that is not specific to racing (ie. is not proven to help you to race faster) is dismissed or. This principle also dictates that to have a better 1500 free, you have to produce a training effect for the 1500 free. No more of that long and easy swimming nonsense!

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Ultra-Short refers to the brief and strictly monitored work and recovery intervals that USRPT swimmers are required to hold during a set. These short work and rest periods consistently simulate racing conditions for the body’s energy systems without the negative effects of lactate buildup or fatigue (Research1) (Research2).

The ideal resting time between race-pace repetitions is between 15-25 seconds. Training on such short intervals allows the swimmer’s body to maintain a low level of lactate in the blood while keeping a high level of glycogen in the muscles.

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In traditional swimming, tapering is used to allow a swimmer’s body to recover the from the constant state of fatigue and exhaustion, but in USRPT that debilitating state is avoided by incorporating the maximum amount of race-relevant training. With no excessive fatigue present USRPT swimmers are able to recover in between training sessions. In USRPT there is no place for the traditional two-week taper. Instead it is recommended that a swimmer perform abbreviated sets to completion one or two days before the race.

Brief recovery times combined with constantly tweaked race-pace sets is the reason why USRPT swimmers are able to swim best times all year round. For more info see: Swimming Science Bulletin Number 45d

*None of the above results apply to “mixed” workouts of USRPT + some other form of training. These results are only guaranteed if USRPT is strictly followed.

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A training effect is the specific adaptation produced in a swimmer’s body as the result of particular swimming activity.

This is not to be confused with “strain”, which is the cumulative effect of traditional training (both race-specific and non-specific training) on a swimmer’s body. Fatigue from a training effect is valuable for racing, but fatigue due to strain is pointless and potentially harmful. Mind the difference!

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Sure, but you’ll have to be quite strategic.

Let’s pretend that the set is 50s freestyle in an 8-lane SCY pool with 20 swimmers.

1. Group swimmers in lanes according to their target times so that the entire lane has the same interval.
2. Assign an interval that allows the first and the last swimmer to get enough rest. For example: Let’s say lane 8 has 3 swimmers whose target times are 38+, 39, and 41- respectively. An appropriate interval would be 1:00 to ensure that the swimmers got a minimum of 22, 21 and 19 seconds of rest respectively. This also ensures that there is smoothing water in the lane when the first swimmer is starting the next repetition.
3. Designate an entire lane to recovery. Once a swimmer fails the set they have to leave their lane and recover in that lane. This ensures that there is no nobody getting in the way of the swimmers still on the set.

These are just guidelines on running a smooth USRPT practice and you should design your practice to suit your specific needs.

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Race-pace training is based on the not so recent discovery that the best way to train the body for a particular activity is to replicate that activity as closely as possible. This is called the principle of specificity (see above ) and it not only applies to specific swimming velocities, but also to the techniques required for those velocities. With this principle in mind, USRPT swim coaches always design sets with a very specific pace and race in mind. This allows the swimmer to develop an innate understanding and feel for specific races while trains their body’s energy systems to handle racing demands. This neuromuscular training is invaluable.

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