Share your love of swimming - Get info on training to become a swim teacher from just £79

How Masters swimmer Kalon is keeping on top of his fitness during lockdown

There can’t be many people in the Masters swimming community that haven’t heard of the Veale family.

Mum, Kate, and dad, Simon, have set plenty of records between them and sons Kalon and Levin feature in the fastest heats of every event they attend and have both held British records.

They’re a Masters Decathlon squad to be reckoned with!

During lockdown, Kalon was busy researching land-based training and encouraging Simon to join him, whilst Levin was isolated at Club La Santa, Lanzarote, having moved there to work.

Kalon should have been competing at the Olympic Trials in London, followed by the British Masters Championships in Sheffield in April.

His main target for the season was the European Championships in Budapest.

Instead, he’s taken on cross-fit style training in his garage, cycling around Totnes and trying to enjoy running!

Here he explains he pre and during-lockdown training regime.

Pre-lockdown training

Six to seven swims per week of between 60 and 90 minutes

Three land sessions per week covering lifting and land conditioning

Lockdown training objectives

Kalon said: “I’m generally training once a day around still working, and it’s very structured so even if I am feeling tired I make myself do it.

“After studying and training at Loughborough University, I think I’ve learned what my body needs, which is a combination of using lots of different energy systems in a similar way to how I was training before lockdown.”

Lockdown training

“I wrote an initial four-week plan followed by a recovery and review week before writing a new plan.

“Having structure and being able to see progression is really important to me. Dad joined me on the bike rides and some of the land work. I coudn’t get him to do the lifting, he’s physically on the go a lot at work and now takes longer to recover from training.

“I tried to do some core work and stretching every day as well as following a daily routine.”

Daily routine

Monday: Aerobic bike ride followed by a weighted upper body circuit without much rest so that heart rate is elevated.

Tuesday: Tabata-style interval workout.

Wednesday: Aerobic bike ride or run followed by a weighted lower body circuit without much rest.

Thursday: Cross Fit style circuit using Air Bike (something Levin bought a while ago as he’s really into Cross Fit). Body weight circuits, plus interval sets alternating using the bike and using stretch cords.

Friday: Recovery day, potentially covering  a steady evening bike ride followed by yoga and stretching as well as shoulder exercises using stretch cords.

Saturday: Run up to 60 minutes in the morning. In the afternoon, a power-based lifting session followed by Lactate threshold set mimicking what might be done in the pool but using the Air Bike. An example might be eight rounds of 30 seconds maximum effort with two-and-a half minutes recovery.

Sunday: A longer bike ride incorporating plenty of hills and then a heavy lifting session mixed in with plyometrics and explosive movements.

Progress

Kalon said: “The running is the hardest bit as it’s just not something I am used to but I feel like I’m making some sports specific improvements with the cycling and running.

“I have really seen this time as a chance to challenge myself in a different way and although I’m really enjoying it at the moment, I can’t wait to get back into the pool and hopefully see the benefits of what I have been doing.”

Top