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100 Days of Swimming the 50 Free with Sam Hoekstra

Brett sits down with Byron Center High School aquatics director and coach Sam Hoekstra to discuss his unique 100-day swimming challenge.

Sam, 33, is undertaking a challenge of swimming a 50 freestyle at maximum effort every day for 100 consecutive days.

Sam shares his athletic background, which includes competitive swimming from 8th grade through college. As a sprinter, he qualified for NCAA relays while attending the University of Michigan and University of Louisville. He has coached high school and club swimming since 2013.

The idea for the challenge came when Hoekstra questioned what results could come from only swimming a 50 all-out daily. With access to a pool as a coach, he began the challenge, filming each swim for analysis.

He hasn't been doing anything else - no swimming, no warm up, no weight room. Initially swimming in the low 22 second range, Hoekstra has dropped his times and is now consistently 20 point low. He did one of the 50's long course and was .2 off his PB, going 23.6!

Sam discusses technical adjustments like increased tempo, extension, and dry start positions. Brett and Sam analyze the importance of sprint-focused training and mental preparation. Consistency, recovery, and full engagement are emphasized as keys to swimming fast when fatigued. They discuss coaching philosophies around prioritizing quality over quantity of training.

Looking ahead, Sam aims to continue improving while maintaining consistency to the challenge's end. Insights from this unique long-term training experiment provide valuable lessons for swimmers and coaches on developing sprint speed and the focused mental approach necessary for success.

Follow Sam on Instagram and give me a shout in the comments as he closes in on his 100th day in a row!

Listen on Apple Podcasts here.

Watch on YouTube, here.

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Time Stamps:
00:00 Hello Sam Hoekstra 00:30 100 Day Challenge 03:15 Challenge Rules 05:20 Head Coach of Byron Center High School 06:10 Sam the Swimmer 10:05 Influences 12:00 Sprinting is a Mentality 14:00 Perceived Effort 16:30 Last 10 Days of 100 Day Challenge 19:00 Switching it Up 21:30 Having a 3rd child 23:45 Filming 25:30 Derek Maas 26:15 Swimming fast while sick 29:00 Racing consistency 31:00 Coaching club swimming 35:30 Video analysis & feedback 36:45 Technical improvements 40:00 Sam's a Giraffe 41:00 Increase in tempo 46:27 3 main factors that affect your speed 47:33 First 15 vs Last 15 52:00 Congrats and thanks

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