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frequently asked questions

Cambridge Masters Philosophy

The goal at Cambridge Masters is to create an enthusiastic training environment that provides mentally and physically stimulating workouts to a diverse group of athletes. Whether you’re a first time swimmer or an Olympic medalist it is our priority to assure that each member, regardless of ability level, gets the most out of their investment and commitment to our program.

Workouts are relatively short (60-90 minutes) and time is set aside for warm up and warm down. Variety is a huge component of the daily, weekly and monthly training plan. Workouts are designed to mix various speeds, strokes and repeat distances while providing the proper conditioning for all of our athletes regardless of their competitive background or focus (learning to swim, improving overall fitness, triathlons, open water events, sprint and distance).

Sessions are planned to emphasize intensity and quality as opposed to pure volume. Do you want to swim long distances at practice, or do you want to train and condition yourself for distance events? Coaches will not write workouts comparable to something that could easily be done in a lap lane (long straight swims swam at a low HR). Longer repeat distances (500 yards or more) will be incorporated into the training plan but never for the sake of just increasing yardage.

Sprint sets and longer swims will be included in workout plans along with technique work, drilling and pulling. During freestyle sets there will always be an option to add stroke work in and vice versa. Free or Drill options will be given for swimmers at more intermediate levels during stroke/IM sets.

Good communication is essential. Athletes are encouraged to communicate to the coaching staff any upcoming events they are attending. Athletes training for upcoming competitions such as triathlons or open water events will have the ability to work with the coach in adjusting the workouts in order to provide the best opportunity for success as long as these adjustments don’t disrupt the rest of the training lane or group as a whole.