Van Mathias on Sprint Swimming, Heavy Lifting & Balancing a Full-Time Job | Episode 301
About this episode
Van Mathias discusses his unconventional journey from a 200 Butterfly and IM swimmer to becoming the American Record holder in the 50 Breaststroke.
How does a 200 Butterfly and IM swimmer completely reinvent himself to become the American Record holder in the 50 Breaststroke? In this episode of Social Kick, we sit down with sprint powerhouse Van Mathias to discuss his incredible and unconventional swimming journey. Van breaks down how stepping away from the pool to focus on heavy lifting (and bulking up to 235 lbs!) ultimately laid the foundation for his explosive sprint speed. We discuss his current training regimen at Indiana University, which defies traditional swimming volume. Van reveals how he hits career-best times on just 8,000 to 10,000 yards a week, utilizing intense resistance pulley training, high-lactate bursts, and almost zero "easy" swimming. He also opens up about the reality of balancing life as a professional swimmer with a full-time job, why changing his mindset was the real secret to dropping times, and exactly how he trims his iconic mustache for maximum hydrodynamics. If you're a swimmer wanting to transition into the sprint group or looking for fresh insights into high-intensity training, this episode is a must-listen!
People in this episode
Host: Social Kick
Guest: Van Mathias
Topics covered
- sprint swimming
- heavy lifting
- training regimen
- professional swimmer
- mindset
- high-intensity training
Keywords
- sprint swimming
- heavy lifting
- training regimen
- professional swimmer
- mindset
- high-intensity training
- 50 Breaststroke
- Indiana University
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Indiana University
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