We asked Gregorio Paltrinieri, Olympic and world 1500m freestyle champion who is currently training in Australia, what differences he has noticed between the training methods he usually follows in Italy and those he has been testing out during the last few months over on the other side of the world. This is what he had to say…
1. TRAINING TIMES
Let’s begin with the most obvious thing: the difference in training times. Here in Australia, morning training is usually from 6-8 a.m. (sometimes for 5.30-7.30 a.m.) and afternoon training is from 3-5 p.m. We take things much easier in Italy, swimming from 9-11 a.m. and from 5. 30-7.30 p.m.
2. WORK-OUTS ON DRY LAND
Weekly training in Italy consists of 10 swim sessions, 3 gym sessions and shoulder exercises before entering the water. Here in Australia, on the other hand, they do 10 swim sessions, 2 gym sessions, 1 boxing session and 1 gymnastics session, as well as an after-training sauna and cycling sessions (during specific periods), plus lots of stretching before entering the pool.
3. TRAINING PLAN
Generally speaking, in Italy it is the coach who decides what to do during a training session and when to do it (and, more often than not, there will be no “spoiler” about the session before you enter…
