Titans Training

Olympic Breaststroker, Darren Mew, Coaching Titans

Training Sessions

All short course swim training and dryland training takes place at Ellesmere College, Ellesmere, Shropshire SY12 9AB

All Long Course Pool Training takes place at the Wavertree Sports Centre, Liverpool

Competitive Training Squad

Mondays	6.40am	–	8.10am	Core Stability & Short Course Pool Training (School Term Time)
Tuesdays	7.00am	–	8.00am	Cross Country Running Training
	5.30pm	–	7.30pm	Short Course Pool Training
Wednesday	6.40am	–	8.10am	Core Stability & Short Course Pool Training (School Term Time)
	3.00pm	–	5.00pm	Short Course Pool Training
	5.15pm	–	6.00pm	Yoga (School Term Time)
Thursdays	7.00am	–	8.00am	Dryland – Trixter X-Biking (School Term Time)
	5.30pm		7.30pm	Short Course Pool Training
Fridays	6.40am	–	8.10am	Core Stability & Short Course Pool Training (School Term Time)
	5.30pm	–	6.00pm	Core Stability
	6.00pm	–	8.00pm	Short Course Pool Training
Saturday	none
Sundays	9.00am	–	11.00am	Long Course Pool training

In addition to the above scheduled training sessions the Titans also arrange whole day training camps on specific strokes. These are usually held on a Saturday 5-6 times a year.

Junior Development Squad

Mondays	5.00pm	–	6.45pm	Short Course Pool Training
Tuesdays	7.00am	–	8.00am	Cross Country Running Training
Wednesday	4.30pm	–	5.15pm	Yoga (School Term Time)
	5.30pm	–	7.15pm	Short Course Pool Training
Thursdays	none
Fridays	5.00pm	–	6.00pm	Short Course Pool Training
	6.00pm	–	6.30pm	Core Stability
Saturdays	none
Sundays	4.00pm	–	5.45pm	Short Course Pool Training

Foundation Squad

Saturdays	8.30am	–	9.30am	Short Course Pool Training
Sundays	3.00pm	–	4.00pm	Short Course Pool Training

Cross Country Running

Every Tuesday morning from 7am-8am - the Titans are put through their paces during a 4-5 mile Cross Country Run.

Each run takes place at one of a number of scenic locations within a close proximity of Ellesmere.

Not only does Cross Country Running improve aerobic fitness levels but it also has a big benefit in developing kick.

Photo : Pre run stretching at Colemere

Open Water Training

With the recent increase in popularity of Competitive Open Water Swimming and its introduction in Beijing 2008 as an Olympic event - the Titans have made available a programme of open water training aimed at acclimatising existing proficient 1500m distance swimmers to the variances of open water swimming.

To assist swimmers in achieving this objective the Titans have teamed up with Trismart – a specialist local triathlon club. On occasional Tuesdays (6.15pm-7.15pm) throughout the months of July and August open water training will take place with Trismart at the Ellesmere Mere (the water entry point is located behind the visitor centre).

Open water swimming will be restricted to swimmers in the Competitive Training Squad, aged 11+ with a minimum long course PB for 1500m of 20:00.00

Wetsuits will need to be worn during all swims. No wetsuit...no swim!

To comply with the rules set out by the local council and Trismarts responsibility for all swimmers safety and well being – a safety boat will be available at each open water training session to provide a platform for recovery and continual assessment.

Titan swimmers wishing to participate will be charged an additional fee of £3 per session to Trismart to cover their insurance costs.

Further info and rules can be found on the Trismart website (www.trismart.org.uk).

Deep Water Running

As part of an innovative and challenging approach to training the Titans have teamed up with deep water running experts Aqua Running Ltd and their inspirational founder and head trainer, former Liverpool Football club midfielder, Terry Nelson.

Aqua Running is Britain’s leading training specialist in deep water jogging. Working over a number of years with Premiership Football clubs including Manchester United, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers – as well as many leading teams from the world of Rugby including Bath Rugby Union and Sale Sharks – Aqua Running have now also turned their attention to helping Titan swimmers enhance their competitive edge.

In doing so - the Titans have become the first swimming club in Britain to harness the aerobic and motivational benefits from deep water running.

Dryland Training

The biggest drawback to a fitness routine based solely on pool training is that the body can't get stronger without gravity. Just as a coiled spring gets its force from resistance, the body needs stress to build strength in muscle and bone. Bone density, in particular, is developed through low- and high-impact weight-bearing exercise like running, cycling and yoga.

Strength & Core Stability Training

Strength & Core Stability Training is a vital part of the Titans overall training programme. It is used to improve balance, body awareness, strength, mobility and flexibility.

To achieve a high level of performance in the pool a swimmer needs to have good core strength in the hips, abdomen and lower back. Core stability work improves a swimmers ability to align their posture dynamically, aiding elongation and streamlining. Abdominal strength is essential to fast swimming as strong abdominals allow a swimmer to control their body position, leading to more efficient swimming; it also helps to contribute to faster starts and turns.

All of the Titans Strength & Core Stability Training is overseen by Ian Stewart and Kathryn Gallimore – specialists in extracting the very maximum effort from each and every individual. Uniquely for a swimming club both Ian and Kathryn come from a Thai Boxing background – a sport which involves lightning reaction times, excellent balance and incredible core body strength. As black belts Ian and Kathryn have over the years been sparring partners for several World Champions in the ring and through their involvement with the Titans they now hope to help develop a number of World Champions in the water.

Much of the Strength and Core Stability Training involves the use of own body weight exercises. However older swimmers have the use of our fully equiiped weights and swim bench room.

Trixter X Bike Sessions

There is a saying “If you always do what you’ve always done…you’ll always get what you’ve always got”. This could be no more true than in the sport of swimming where years of unimaginative training - ploughing up and down pools - has left many swimmers bored and disillusioned.

The Titans are proud to be different and to be the vanguard for change. Drawing on the experience and practice of top US elite swimming centres - we have to our knowledge become the first training set-up in the UK to introduce the use of Trixter X bikes into our scheduled training sessions

Swim Yoga

When you watch World Class swimmers, one of the first things you notice is their ease and grace. Their movements are smooth, balanced, and fluid; it looks as if they are exerting very little effort, while those around them struggle to keep pace.

The reason for this is not that they are naturally gifted and do not have to try; they are working as hard or harder than everyone else in the race is. The reason their swimming appears to be so easy stems from coordination of muscle, breathing, and body, letting them focus their energy in the right places instead of expending it unnecessarily. Yoga can help swimmers learn to develop this coordination.

yoga 1 yoga 2

Yoga can complement pool training by introducing two legs of the fitness triad—strength building and flexibility. Asanas (postures) utilize body weight as a powerful source of resistance: Outside of the water, gravity helps to build strength and muscle. In addition, postures take the body through a full range of motion, encouraging flexible, supple muscles that are less prone to injury.

Consistent practice of yoga also yields extended muscles, as opposed to the contracted, compact muscles associated with running or cycling. And extended muscles are physiologically necessary for a swimmer: To be efficient in the water, every stroke and kick demands a full extension of the arm and leg. When executing all four strokes, swimmers propel themselves by extending and contracting from the tips of their fingers to the ends of their toes.

All of our Titan Swim Yoga sessions are coordinated by a specialist qualified instructor.

In addition to these scheduled dryland training sessions, we strongly recommend that swimmers undertake a daily 5 minute morning exercise workout.

For further information on this subject read “Conditioning For Swimmers” by Alan Lynn.