Torpedo Swimtalk Masters Swimming

Arrived! Sunshine Coast does not disappoint 🌊☀️

After a long travel day yesterday, the other participant in this road trip was not keen on stopping at any more ocean pools 😢😂

However, stay tuned for ratings on all the pools and beaches on the Sunny Coast ☀️

Great East Coast Road Trip 🇦🇺 Day 2 - Bookended the day with two magnificent swims 🏊‍♀️ 🌅

Up with the birds to try out the Newcastle Ocean Baths, which were pretty fabulous. Finished off the day with a swim in Coffs Harbour in a 25m lap pool, which I had all to myself 👍

Stopped at Port Macquarie on our drive through, but sadly the rock pool on Main Beach was empty with the tide out 😔

Newcastle Ocean Baths Pool Stats:
Water Temp 18C
Water Clarity 9.5/10 🏊‍♀️😃
Easy Access 10/10 👍🫶
Ambience 9.5/10 😃😍
Art Deco Vibe 10/10 ❤️🩷

First ocean pool swim of the great East Coast Road Trip 🚗

The Blue Pool at Bermagui certainly lives up to all the hype and we were blessed with the most magnificent sunrise 🌅

Pool Stats:
Water Temp 18C
Water Clarity 10/10 🐟 🐠
Easy Access 10/10 👍🫶
Ambience 100/10 😃😍

VO2 max. Lactate testing. Hydration analysis.

As swimmers, we often train by feel. Sometimes that’s enough. Sometimes it helps to look under the bonnet.

Last week I completed a full VO2 max and lactate assessment. What interested me most wasn’t the headline number — it was what the data revealed about how my body actually responds to increasing intensity.

A few findings confirmed what I’ve suspected for a while:
• A strong aerobic engine
• Good efficiency at steady efforts
• The ability to work for a long time before lactate really starts to climb

It also highlighted something important. The limiting factor isn’t always the heart and lungs.

In my case, leg strength became the limiting factor before my aerobic system reached its limit.

That was a fascinating insight and a reminder that fitness, strength, power and technique all work together. Improving one area doesn’t automatically improve another.

For Masters swimmers, that’s a valuable lesson.

The goal isn’t collecting data for the sake of it. The goal is using it to train smarter, make better decisions, and understand where your next gains might come from.

Every test raises new questions.

And that’s what keeps the process interesting.

A chilly Melbourne morning, but a fantastic turnout for our club Backstroke Clinic 🏊‍♀️

We spent the session breaking down the fundamentals that make the biggest difference to backstroke performance:

✅ Streamline and body position
✅ Dolphin and flutter kick mechanics
✅ Core engagement and pelvic control
✅ Rotation and shoulder position
✅ Catch, accelerate and throw through the pull

One of the biggest takeaways was that backstroke is a whole-body stroke. The strongest swimmers aren’t just moving their arms and legs faster — they’re connecting their streamline, core, rotation and catch into one coordinated movement.

I always enjoy these coaching sessions because they remind me that improvement isn’t usually about finding a magic drill. It’s about understanding the “why” behind the technique and then practising it consistently.

Thanks to everyone who came along, asked questions, and embraced a few exaggerated rotation drills along the way. Hopefully there were a few lightbulb moments that will make your next backstroke set a little faster and a lot more efficient.

Proof that photos can lie 😃

This was taken after what felt like a shocker of a day at the State Long Course Championships yesterday 🙃

I had hopes of swimming a good LC 200 backstroke time, after doing some good times at SC Nationals recently. Instead, I swam quite a lot slower. And boy did it hurt 🙃

Not exactly the times ⏱️ I had in mind. But that’s sport 🏊‍♀️

Some days you’re rapt with a swim and everything goes right. Some days you’re standing on pool deck wondering where those extra few seconds came from 🙃

The important thing I am reminding myself, is not to confuse one disappointing result with the bigger picture 🌎

Six weeks ago I had a great Nationals campaign. Yesterday was a reminder that I still have work to do.

So I’ll rest, reset and get back to chasing that Budapest ‘27 dream.

After a long break, the Torpedo Swimtalk newsletter is back 😁

Over the past few months Torpedo Swimtalk has evolved beyond the podcast archive into a home for feature articles, coaching insights, training ideas and Masters swimming news from around the world.

If you’re interested in training smarter, racing better and staying connected to the global Masters swimming community, I’d love to have you along.

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➡️ torpedoswimtalk.com OR via the linktree in my profile ⬆️