Olympic and World Champion Caeleb Dressel drops in on this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam podcast in the middle of the ongoing pandemic. He’s fit, training well, and more of a swim nerd than I realized. If you haven’t been paying attention, checkout his Stroke Dissect videos (soon-to-be Dressel Dissects), some of the best media in swimming right now. See the latest episode here.
Now Dressel is taking the DISSECTS theme further. Dressel Dissects is just an appetizer. Launching September 14th, Dressel is offering an 11-part online program — which is LIVE — working through your mental training, technique, health, fitness and more.
- 11-part Course Overview
- Piece By Piece with Dressel – Main Page
- Sign up – Page
- for a 15% discount Promo Code, use this link!
Just because a swimmer is a history-maker, doesn’t make them a great swim-teacher. If you watch Dressel Dissects, then you know he’s great at this, a true master.
In other news, Dressel is gearing up and excited to be representing his International Swimming League franchise, the Cali Condors, this fall. Yes, ISL is happening. Yes, Dressel plans to unleash the speed, and he’s looking forward to being on the pro team with his younger sister, Sherridon Dressel, which we reported.
QUESTIONS
Taking into account that Dressel loves ISL because time doesn’t matter, points do…..how fast will Dressel swim this fall over ISL’s 2nd season?
If you have questions about Dressel’s 11-part online instructional series, share them here. Dressel will come back for a debrief.
If you have Dressel questions or topics for future episodes, share them here.
Follow Caeleb Dressel on Instagram here.
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This is a Gold Medal Media production presented by SwimOutlet.com. Host Gold Medal Mel Stewart is a 3-time Olympic medalist and the co-founder of SwimSwam.com, a Swimming News website.
Opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the interviewed guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the hosts, SwimSwam Partners, LLC and/or SwimSwam advertising partners.
Mel, two other topics that would be awesome to hear about with Dressel (or anyone else that you think would be great to address these questions):
1) Feel/relationship with the water: a lot of the Dressel Dissect videos are very technical and they are all AWESOME and greatly appreciated. But Dressel clearly has some higher level feel/relationship with the water, something that we also can see with Tony Ervin as he slices through in his 50 Free in Rio and in select others (Justin Wright comes to mind–how does someone of his stature go a 1:54???). Would love to hear Caeleb talk about his special relationship with water. How did he develop his feel (obviously he has always had it,… Read more »
A fantasy league isn’t yet feasible, because for it to work would require a level of disclosure that the ISL has not yet been comfortable with.
Has the ISL this fall been officially annouced?
Their intention to have a season has been. But, it’s been basically crickets on “official” announcements of any kind since then.
Posted this in his 200 IM, but this is what I would love:
I think would be cool for him to look at his ncaa 50s from each year of college. A little bit of dissecting of the first three (since we’ve already got the 4th), but I’d really be interested in hearing what was identified as areas to work on and then some of the specifics incorporated into training. I feel like that info about progression and growth, drills, habit forming, etc… could be gold to current and future swimmers and coaches.
I’d like to know how he increased his vertical jump by nearly a foot from freshman to senior year.
Where did you hear is vertical was 30in freshman year?
Well, since people on this site say it’s now like 50 inches off one leg in sandals after leg day, I might not be exaggerating, but Troy said at an ASCA meeting that he was 36 inches as a freshman and that Matt Delancey honed Dressel’s hops.
got it…agreed….
Mel…19.9 50 free LCM…can he do it at some point in his career?? Can he pre-emptively Dressel Dissect that swim??
Hahhahahahhaha! Love it. Yes, I want preemptive Dressel Dissects for all of his races…
“Guys, don’t do a start like that… NEVER do a start like that. Yeah I got out quick, but I left my jammer on the blocks”
LA’s team is the LA Current.
The Condors are Bay Area based and called the Cali Condors. The ISL is so much fun to watch. Once this virus thing gets out of the way, go see an ISL meet LIVE! What a show! Mel, Braden, Jared-Keep up the good work.
haha….ISL Fan….we’re leaning in on ISL coverage as they ramp-up.
200 Fly Yards would be nice but I’d vote 200 Free Yards
Ooooooo. You are so, so right, 2-free would be better. (Makes me wonder if I live inside my 2-fly head too much, but I must advocate for this less than prime-time, fan-fav event.) I do think Dressel could break the 2-fly 1:37 AR…no disrespect to Conger. BUT 2-free would be insane. Makes me wonder… Could Dressel get out in a 41+ with easy speed? If so, what’s he back in, 45….ahhhhhhhhhhhhh……44?
OMG. Out in a 41.5, back in a 44.5 –> 126?? 125.9??!!?? That’s…bananas.
Thinking about it more out in 42 with easy speed feels certain…..I mean, he swam a 42 100 fly…that’s a 42 with OPEN TURNS. Back in 45 seems very, very realistic.
Just really doubt it. All of his 200’s (his 200 IM at SECs he just said he was too cautious going out; all of his LCM 200 IMs, flys, and frees) have all been cautious going out and insane last 50’s. He tends to underestimate his conditioning for the 200’s. If he learned how to pace a 200, sure he’d be able to do a 1:25 high or 1:26. But so far, he hasn’t shown that ability.
hmmmm…..agreed….BUT….200 YARD free is a sprint, more in his wheelhouse. I think 2-yard-free-swimmers are closer to great 100m freestylers…
It’s not a sprint or you wouldn’t have Townley having the second best all time. The last true sprinter (as in had a major 50 game) who was able to win both a 50 scy and 200 scy free at NCAAs was Andy Coan as best I can remember. And he won NCAAs 50 free with a slower time than he went in high school.
Biondi held all 3 sprint free (yards) records at same time. Didn’t he post-date Coan?
None of the NCAA 200 scy free champions for the past 10 years would be considered great 100 freestylers. Zapple, Peironi, Held got 2nd through 4th and none have won an individual medal on the international stage in the 100 LCM free. So who’s your go-to great 100 LCM freestyler who had 200 scy game? You would think it happens but it doesn’t.
I’d say those 3 are pretty darn good. They aren’t Dressel or Chalmers but they are in the next group.
Apple has been 46.8 on a relay which I believe is also Adrian’s best relay split.
Held was 47.3 last summer.
Pieroni was 47 high last summer.
I think you just made my case. Of those three, Peironi’s the closest to anything we’re talking about with hypothetical Dressel swims at 1:29 high, but Zapple’s best 200 is 1:30+ and Held’s is 1:31. It’s the Haas’s and Dean’s who are the best SCY 200 freestylers ever — and it’s not close — and neither has broken 48.0 LCM.
Here’s hoping one winter nationals he shows up for the 200 free, drops a 1:27.99 in prelims, scratches finals, then mentions the difficult workout Troy has planned for later that day AFTER apologizing for “splashing around like a child on my third 50” when asked how he split 20, 21,23,23.
THIS.
“Guys, don’t do this” (as he’s a body length ahead on a 50).
How often do you weight train and how does it taper off before championship meets?
What songs pump you before a race?
How do you keep your nutrition steady during meets out of the country/when on the road?
What drummers particularly inspired your passion for music?
What celebrity would you enjoy meeting?
If you had not been involved in athletics, what career would you have wanted to do?
Say you swim through the LA games in 2028 and retire at 32, or even the 2032 games at 36. Do you see yourself remaining visible in the swimming world exclusively as a coach/speaker/announcer afterwards, or will you be similar to Jenny Thompson and pursue another difficult challenge in a new field?
Thank you, Ragnar! This is exactly what I hoped for. Great questions!
What is your pre-workout supplement? Must be legal but it really gets you amped up.
Which hurts worse, the last 25 of the 100 LCM fly or the last 25 of the 3rd round of skins?
Since you no-breathe the last 15 meters of the 100 fly and last 25 of the 1000 SCY fly, ever thought of breathing every third instead of every other stroke for the entire 100?
What do you think of side-breathing butterflers? You say it’s not really butterfly?
Why are your shorts always so short?
Oh Golden One: maybe you could talk Caeleb into doing an analysis of the 200 fly in the 1991 World Championships. I’d be eager to hear his take on Michael Gross’s stroke — especially on the last 50!
I asked him if he would, and he said yes, but he shouldn’t. Every old Olympian would start pestering him to do a Dressel Dissects.
sounds like a pretty good side gig…