Welcome to Behind the Blocks, our weekly look into what’s happening on deck and inside the training process here at Chattahoochee Gold.

If you’ve been around the pool lately, you’ve probably heard your coaches talk about building our base. It’s one of those phrases that gets thrown around a lot, but what does it actually mean?

At Chattahoochee Gold, “building our base” is all about laying the foundation for everything that comes later in the season. Think of it like constructing a house — if the foundation isn’t strong, the rest won’t hold up. For swimmers, our “foundation” is aerobic fitness, great technique, and consistent habits both in and out of the pool.

During this time of year, we’re focused on doing the work that doesn’t always look flashy but pays off big later. That means:

• Longer aerobic sets that train your body to handle more work with less fatigue.
• Refining your stroke technique so that when we add speed, it holds up under pressure.
• Consistency — showing up, giving effort, and trusting the process every single day.

It can be tempting to want to swim fast all the time, but this is where champions are made — in the months of focused training before the big meets come around. The base work we do now gives us the stamina, strength, and technical foundation we’ll need to crush the rest of the season.

So when your coach says, “We’re building our base,” know that what they really mean is: we’re preparing you to be your best when it matters most.

Keep showing up. Keep putting in the work. The results will come.

Coming next week on The Gold Mine: Fun & Games: Top 5 Excuses for Missing Dryland (and our comebacks) — you won’t want to miss this one!

✨ Check out more team stories and features on The Gold Mine.